Earlier this year, I read Doris Johnson's "Father at Heart," a very strong short story in Arabesque's first Father's Day anthology, Man of the House. I also enjoyed Ballantine/One World's reissue of Love Unveiled, her first novel (written under her pen name, Gloria Greene). Both were reviewed by TRR.

White Lies prologue begins in July of 1972. Beatrice Vaughn is awakened at 3 a.m. by the sound of a whistling tea kettle. She goes to investigate and finds her husband in the midst of a sexual encounter on the kitchen table – with her youngest sister, Vera. Beatrice has finally had enough. For years, Michael, her successful cartoonist husband, belittled her artistic talent. He physically and emotionally abused her. Michael had several affairs. Friends, neighbors, relatives were all fair game.

Following his latest betrayal, they argued violently. Beatrice called her oldest sister, Dorcas to come to care for the couple's four-year-old daughter, Willow. Beatrice shot and killed Michael and then turned the gun on herself.

White Lies begins 26 years after the Vaughn murder-suicide. Willow, who was raised by Dorcas and her husband in Canada, is a successful botanical artist. She lives with her now-widowed aunt in the family home in upstate New York. For part of the year, the Vaughn home doubles as an artists' colony. Willow works in her studio on the grounds.

Willow has begun to notice Jake Rivers, a landscape architect whose family has cared for the Vaughn estate for two generations. Jake has his own landscaping business but is working at Willow's to help his ailing father and trifling brother maintain their accounts.

Doris Johnson has crafted another interesting story about family relationships. She's done an excellent job of developing the relationship between Jake and Willow, two relatively private people. You can sense the social apprehension and sexual tension as their feelings for each other increase. Their relationship is – for the most part – believable. There were several (albeit minor) inconsistencies in Willow's character I couldn't quite reconcile. Her reactions often seemed extreme, but hers was a unique situation.

Jake and Willow's relationship does not exist in a vacuum. Decades of family resentments, lies and secrets begin to work against the young lovers and try to unravel their budding romance.

While some of the plot is predictable since the reader has information the main characters don't, the author has included a few surprises and twists. The inconsistencies I mentioned earlier begin in the last quarter of the book. If TRR allowed fractions as part of the rating system, this novel would rate 3 1/2 hearts. Since it doesn't, White Lies is a very strong three-heart read.

--Gwendolyn Osborne