Novels

Danny Kelly is not a thief. When he takes a pouch full of money from his father’s jacket, he has every intention of returning it, but before he can, his father grabs his jacket and leaves. Danny’s innocent act sets off a chain of events and consequences, beginning with his father’s disappearance, Danny’s obsession with Rose, his uncle’s lover, and finally, Danny’s mother’s need for love, then revenge. As Danny reaches adulthood and realizes the extent of his uncle’s criminal ties and involvement in his father’s disappearance, he discovers the power of family loyalty and the devastating price of secrets.

One summer morning, Jenny takes a little girl from the back seat of a car, telling herself and her boyfriend Gene she was saving her. After learning the girl is a foster child, Jenny decides to raise the girl, whom she names Margaret, as her own. Their life as a family is complicated by Jenny’s erratic behavior as well as Gene’s frequent absences and unfulfilled promises. Despite this, Margaret forms a strong bond with both of them, a bond that is tested when Margaret learns about her abduction. At fifteen, Margaret leaves home to seek answers about who she is and where she truly belongs. Told from both Jenny and Margaret’s perspectives, A Better Life is a story of commitment, survival and redemption.