When Lila Moore inherits her grandfather's house, she finds herself in a small Midwestern town where margarine is never an acceptable substitution for butter, a coveted family recipe can serve as currency, and the friend who will take your darkest secrets to the grave will still never give you the secret to her prize-winning begonias.
Lila is charmed by the people of Auburn, from the blue-eyed lawyer with the southern drawl to the little old lady who unceasingly tries to set Lila up with her grandson. But when spooky things begin to happen, Lila realizes some of her new friends are guarding a secret like it's a precious family heirloom. It's a dangerous secret—and it has come back to haunt them. Lila is caught in the middle, and her life may depend on uncovering it. But even if she can, can she stay in Auburn when not everyone is what they seem, and even the house wants her gone?
Genre: FICTION / Contemporary WomenThe Obituary Society has a four-star rating and over 1,700 reviews. It is the first book in a series of three. I think I've given or sold over 80,000 copies, but to be honest I've lost track.
"Aren't they beautiful?"
Lila started at Aunt Ada's unexpected voice behind her, and turned quickly. "The clippings?" she asked.
Ada nodded, a sparkle in her eyes. She gestured to the curling papers that clung to the lower part of the fridge. "These are some of my favorites, here. These up top are the more recent ones. We'll be discussing them next week at the meeting."
"The meeting?" Lila asked.
"Yes. Officially it's called the Auburn Ladies' Society. But Laurel always called us the Obituary Society, and I'm afraid the name stuck. She thinks it's morbid that we discuss such things. I tried to explain to her that that at her age, it's all wedding announcements and baby showers, but at our age funerals are the main events. This is what our friends are doing now." She paused a moment, her smile faint as her bright blue eyes perused the black and white pictures.
"Well, they are ... interesting," Lila said, for lack of an appropriate adjective.
Ada seemed pleased with the response. "That's exactly what I think," she said pertly. "Their whole lives condensed into this little article. You get the important information and sometimes a little more, but your imagination has to fill in the rest. The ones like these here are fun though. They give you something interesting to work with." She gestured toward Paul Erikson of the yellow hardhat and company.
Ada turned briskly, the scent of a flowery perfume wafting behind her as she bustled across the room. She stood on her toes to pull two dainty teacups out of the cupboard. "Would you like some spearmint tea with your breakfast, dear?"
"Sure."
"Could you pop in some toast and get the raspberry jam out of the fridge?"
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French
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Louise Chaumont
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Spanish
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Camila Parada
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