Secrets at the Café: A Novel of Suspense about Family and Friendship by Susan Specht Oram – Review by Ayla Phipps

Secrets at the Cafe by Susan Specht Oram
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Secrets are everywhere, especially in small towns. This is not the first book I have read by the talented Susan Specht Oram and once again I couldn’t put this book down from start to finish. All Karina wanted to do was fulfill her grandmother’s (Gigi) dying wish, repayment in her eyes for her Gigi taking care of her after her parents passed away.
Karina is a twenty-four-year-old woman that was making her place in the world in Seattle as an artist, selling her pottery and paintings happy and living her dream. Her Aunt Jean calls her to let her know that Gigi’s health is taking a downward turn, and she needs to come back home and be with her. Without hesitation Karina packs her belongings and returns to her small town of Millersville. The final moments of Gigi’s life she tells Karina to take care of her café and to read her journal. She tells her “There is more hidden in this house than you realize. After I’m gone, look for clues.” Surprised to learn she had a journal a month passes, and Karina is still unable to make herself go through Gigi’s things, her papers, her drawers, she’s not ready to fully accept that she is gone. One busy day in the café a customer, Boots Brinker, finds the journal, a red leather book, the first page she sees states that the stock market has crashed, and she pulled all her money out of her bank account and hid it somewhere safe. Instantly she regrets not going through everything, taking inventory of what was in the house because just as quickly as the journal was found it instantly taken. Lost to her hunger and attachment to the journal, Karina does some legally questioning things, sneaking around houses when invited in and pretending to trust some who offer to help her find it. To add to the growing list of “customers” she meets her young cousin’s boyfriend finally, and it’s none other than Shane, her high school boyfriend that stole her heart and moved away and never called her again.
Will Karina find the journal or is it lost forever? Why is everyone so interested in the journal? Do they think it can be used as a treasure map for hidden money? What is Shane doing back in town and dating her younger cousin? While the world is completely realistic, having lived in very small towns for over ten years now I completely understand the fact that secrets are everywhere. Karina starts with one goal that goes deeper than just a journal, what secrets will she uncover, and will anything be the same again after the truth is known?

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