Synopsis

When tragedy strikes two neighboring families, can forgiveness mend what blame and loss have torn apart? A fatal hit-and-run ripples through a close-knit community, testing the bonds of love and the limits of compassion.

Author Caroline Beasley’s world unravels when her son, Kyle, is arrested for vehicular manslaughter. As her family faces public scrutiny and private turmoil, Caroline clings to her role as protector—until her daughter Grace’s cry for help forces a reckoning. Across town, Ethan Shawver mourns his mother and battles with his emotionally distant father, finding solace in an unlikely friendship with Grace.

As the truth about the accident unfolds, both families must reevaluate their relationships and find the courage to move forward.

Heartbreaking and hopeful, this novel explores the cost of loyalty, the weight of guilt, and the fragile path to healing.

Amazon

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway

Excerpt

August 15^th–Saturday morning

Parents of Shawnee Springs

Facebook Group

Claire Brady: Anyone know what’s happening on Lakeshore Road? I’m driving to the high school to set up concessions for the girls’ soccer game. Both lanes are closed. Not much traffic but I can see flashing lights ahead. Worries me.

_________________

REPLIES:

Tina Cole: Heard sirens earlier. Must have been an accident.

Kendal Tenner: Glad my kids are still in bed.

Karri Craig: Checking on mine now. I fell asleep watching TV last night. Not sure my son made it home from the bonfire.

Lucy McDuff: There’s an ambulance whizzing by my house.

Cindy Leighton: Don’t have a good feeling about this.

Mike Nally: Don’t you people have anything better to do?

Jo Williams: Agreed. Could be a drill. Stop trying to stir up drama!

            Claire Brady: Not trying to stir up anything. Just concerned.

Gary York: My daughter is at the high school taking the ACT. When does that let out?

Jo Williams: Whenever they finish. Duh.

Mindy Grace: Anyone on that end of town see what’s going on?

Pam Carlson: Looks like paramedics carrying a stretcher. I’m heading over there now.

Sammy Wells: Watching from my front yard. Someone’s lying in the road.

            Claire Brady: Can’t be good.

Pam Carlson: I see a bike in the bike path too. Looks like it was hit.

Kendal Tenner: I hate that bike path. Way too narrow.

Cindy Leighton: Oh God. It might be a kid.

Pam Carlson: Nope. Looks like a woman. The police won’t let me any closer.

Sammy Wells: Oh shit! I recognize her. Her son’s in my daughter’s grade. She’s not moving.

About the Author

Susan Poole is a mother, lawyer, freelance writer, and nonprofit professional. She enjoys exploring life’s moral gray areas through her writing. Susan’s award-winning debut, Out of the Crash, was published by The Wild Rose Press in July 2025. Prior to publication, that novel earned her the 2023 Rising Star Award from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. After publication, it earned additional accolades, including top awards from Kirkus, PenCraft, BookFest, Firebird, and Literary Titan. Susan’s essays have appeared on the parenting websites Grown and Flown and Scary Mommy. Her nonfiction work includes a memoir published in Neighborhood Voices and a story about her days as a wrestling mom in Grapple Alley. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Susan holds degrees from Baldwin-Wallace University and the University of Buffalo School of Law.

Website * Instagram * Medium * Facebook * X/Twitter