What happened on that long-ago summer? In this riveting novel from the author of The Dressmaker's Dowry, an aspiring Hollywood actress makes a shocking choice in 1940, and seventy years later a young mother sets out to discover what happened . . .Summer 1940: When Violet Harcourt is crowned Miss California in her hometown of Santa Cruz, she's determined to see herself on the silver screen. But Violet's pageant victory comes with a price--cracks appear in her seemingly perfect marriage--and she quickly discovers Hollywood is not the glittering escape she dreamed of. So she makes a bold decision, leaving her name in headlines and her fate a mystery. Summer 2007: Single mother Marisol Cruz lives in a charming seaside cottage that belonged to her grandfather, Ricardo, once a famed performer on the Beach Boardwalk. Drawn to her town's local history, Mari embarks on a journey that uncovers her grandfather's lifelong secret--his connection to a beauty queen named Violet who died too young--and a story of tragedy and courage that will forever transform her.
