An Act of Love: A Novel

A happy family is forced to confront a shocking secret with the power to pull them apart in this riveting novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer. Now available for the first time in audio!

In their modest farmhouse in rural New England, Owen and Linda McFarland feel that they’ve found a little slice of heaven. Both previously divorced, they now have a second chance at a happy home with his son, Bruce, and her daughter, Emily. While the transition wasn’t easy, Linda and Owen hope the newly blended family has put their troubles behind them.

But they are mistaken. Bruce, seventeen, and Emily, fifteen, are enrolled together in an elite Massachusetts boarding school when bright, extroverted Emily attempts suicide, shocking the entire family. In recovery at the hospital, she makes a horrifying accusation that threatens to destroy the idyllic life Linda and Owen have worked so hard to build. With illusions laid bare, loyalties are tested and a family must learn to start anew.

Praise for the novels of Nancy Thayer

“The queen of beach books.”—The Star-Ledger

“Thayer has a deep and masterly understanding of love and friendship, of where the two complement and where they collide.”—Elin Hilderbrand

“Thayer’s gift for reaching the emotional core of her characters [is] captivating.”—Houston Chronicle

“One of my favorite writers.”—Susan Wiggs

“Thayer portrays beautifully the small moments, inside stories and shared histories that build families.”—The Miami Herald

“Thayer’s sense of place is powerful, and her words are hung together the way my grandmother used to tat lace.”—Dorothea Benton Frank