After the Parade (Prosecutor Helen West & Detective Geoffrey Balley Mysteries)

Sensuality: 7

Johnny Henry returns from World War II to a boisterous hero's welcome, but the only face he really wants to see is that of his estranged wife, Kathleen. Craving assurance that he is alive and well, Kathleen watches him from afar, never realizing that he searches the crowd for her. After the parade is over, Johnny struggles to rebuild his life and deal with his love for Kathleen--a love that he is convinced is now forbidden. For her part, Kathleen's heart is breaking as she's often thrown into Johnny's company in the small ranching community of Rawlings, Oklahoma. The tragedy that tore the couple apart before Johnny shipped out for the Pacific still haunts them both. And the depth of misunderstanding that lies between them seems insurmountable until Kathleen's life is threatened and Johnny is forced to confront his fears.

Garlock offers a keen insight into the mores and character of 1940s middle America in this post- World War II novel. Blue-collar workers and the rural atmosphere blend well with the hint of deranged obsession that threatens the heroine in this fourth and final of Garlock's books set in Oklahoma. --Lois Faye Dyer