women in red

A Novel

by Eileen Goudge

From New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge comes WOMAN IN RED, a powerful story of love and redemption and what one woman will do to overcome the buried secrets of her past.

Alice Kessler spent nine years in prison for the attempted murder of the drunk driver who killed her son. Now she’s returned home to Gray’s Island to reconnect with the son she left behind. Her boy, Jeremy, now a sullen teenager, is wrongly accused of rape, and mother and son are thrown together in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence. She’s aided by Colin McGinty, a recovering alcoholic and 9/11 widower, also recently returned to the island in the aftermath of his grand-father’s death. Colin’s grandfather, a famous artist, is best known for his haunting portrait, “Woman in Red,” which happens to be of Alice’s grandmother.

In a tale that weaves the past with the present, we come to know the story behind the portrait, of the forbidden wartime romance between William McGinty and Eleanor Styles, and the deadly secret that bound them more tightly than even their love for each other. A secret that, more than half a century later, is about to be unburied, as Alice and Colin are drawn into a fragile romance of their own and the ghost of an enemy from long ago surfaces in the form of his grandson, the very man responsible for sending Alice to prison.

Praise for Women in Red

"Eileen Goudge, always wonderful, has written her best book yet. WOMAN IN RED is both sweeping and intimate, a broad canvas of time and place, and a tender family portrait. I held my breath from the first page, and couldn’t put the book down until I reached the last. Be prepared: this novel will tear your heart out. It’s nothing short of brilliant."
—New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice

"A gifted writer with an eye for telling detail." 
—Chicago Tribune

"Goudge keeps you cheering."
—People

 "Goudge…reminds us of the delights to be had in the explorations of the improbable." 
—New York Times Book Review

"When it comes to pacing, suspense, and control, Eileen Goudge is a pro."  
—New York Newsday

 

About the Author

Eileen Goudge is the New York Times bestselling author whose novels include One Last Dance, Garden of Lies, and Thorns of Truth. There are more than three million copies of her books in print worldwide. She lives in New York City with her husband, entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon.

 

Learn more about Eileen Goudge by clicking here