Passing Whispers: Lisa Anna Vance

When Detective Endel Sorra is killed during a robbery two weeks before Christmas, the lives of his family are shattered. His wife Kate, bitter, angry and full of hatred, blames herself for his tragic death. Hector Ramos, the store clerk who was also shot in the robbery, will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The teenage shooter, Jake Conway, overcome with guilt for his crime, commits suicide and leaves behind his girlfriend Jenna, who is seven months pregnant. After she dies of a heroin overdose, the baby is left to be raised by Jake's mother, a foul, uncaring drunk who keeps him solely for the extra cash she gets in her monthly welfare check. Having lost their only child, Endel's parents have no hope of ever becoming grandparents.

It will take nothing less than a miracle to repair these broken lives. When Kate Sorra comes across the Snow Globe that her husband had given to her the first Christmas they were married, she gets that miracle. But will it happen in time to save them all?

Good Reads Summary

The first thing the reader will notice about this novel is how the characters appear to become alive and befriend the reader.  The despair of Endel's grandparents is tangible, the dirtiness of Jake's mother is apparent, and Kate's horror and sadness evoke similar emotions in the reader.  Some of the scenes that the reader will appreciate consist of Kate remembering her husband, who is killed in a robbery.  The sweet serenity and obvious love will entrance the reader and motivate him/her to read a few extra pages.  The reader is exposed to multiple deaths throughout the novel: the killing of Endel during the robbery via a gun, the heroin overdose of Jake's teenage girlfriend, and the suicide of Jake himself.  This novel has highs and lows: the highs being memories of Endel and the lows being the deaths and sadness of the protagonist, Kate.  The reader will likely find him/herself persuaded into the idea of a Christmas miracle, he/she will want it to be true.  The author is careful with the characters' emotions, a hard task in a realistic novel.  The ending does not leave the reader on that horrible cliff-hanger, it is satisfying.  This novel would be terrific for young adult/adult readers who appreciate a little, subtle magic mixed with realism. 

4 stars