The Inn at Hidden Run

The appealing launch of Newport’s Tree of Life series (after Hidden Falls) introduces two women who live a century apart and whose connections are uncovered by genealogist Jillian Parisi-Duffy. Meri Davies runs from her family’s expectations that she become a doctor and finds work at the Inn at Hidden Run bed-and-breakfast in Canyon Miles, Colo. There, she meets Jillian and her helpful lawyer father. After Meri learns Jillian is a genealogist, they begin looking into Meri’s heritage and discover the origin of her family’s fixation on medicine. In the secondary story, set in Memphis during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, wealthy Eliza Davies refuses to follow most of her friends and family out of the city. Instead, she assists the Sisters of Saint Mary’s in tending to the sick and orphaned. After Jillian discovers Eliza’s story, which had been unknown to Meri her entire life, Meri finally begins to understand the motivations of her parents and reconsiders her decision to give up medical school. The period details of 19th-century Memphis are excellent, and Eliza’s loyalty, spirit, and perseverance mark her as a strong character. The contemporary plot, however, is less successful, as Jillian and her father’s interest in Meri seems to spring from nowhere. Fans of Kristy Cambron or Rachel Hauck will find much to enjoy here. [em]Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such (June) [/em]