An amazing book about two young girls wishing for a father. Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock Bethany House February 2011 With the help of her father, Janis Anthony and her three young children fled their home and an abusive husband in Minnesota to Mills River, Illinois. Janis purchased a modest house on McDowell Street and had lived there less than three weeks when an event happened that would change their lives forever. One morning Wally discovers an old lady sitting on the porch reading their paper. Janis invites her in for coffee and learns she is Tillie Monroe. She and her husband Ross built the house and lived there until his death. Tillie's sons sold the house and placed their mother in a Home for the Aged. Tillie did not like the home and kept running away. She is determined to die in her home and no one is going to stop her. She is not concerned the house belong to someone else - that is just on paper - the house is still her home and the boys had no right to sell it. Over Janis' and Wally's objections, Tillie moves in with the Anthony family as sort of housekeeper/nanny. Roz, short for Rosalind, is a 11 year old girl who misses her father. She knows he most always came home drunk and was abusive to her mother, but she also remembers there were good times when he was kind and loving. Mara is Roz's best friend. She too has an absent biological father - a famous author and talk show host. Mara has never met her father, but yearns to meet him someday. When she becomes a famous author just like him. He will be so proud of her and will tell the whole world she is his daughter. She lives with her maternal grandparents whom everyone believes are her parents. The girls confide their secrets to each other and make a "cross your heart and hope to die" pact regarding their fathers. This is their secret and everything will come out alright if they only have faith. Alan Anthony (known as Nelson Knutson) secretly has moved to Mills River. He desperately wants to be reunited with his family. He begins to leave Sugar Daddy candy (Roz's favorite) in her desk. Roz secretly meets with him on several occasions, but is cautioned not to tell anyone, especially her mother. Alan is going to AAA meetings and trying to turn his life around, or so he wants Roz to believe. She can no longer keep the secret and tells Mara. Mara tells Roz she has bad feeling about this and Roz should tell her mother. Of course, Roz does not listen; she is too overjoyed to have her father back in her life. Alan persuades Roz to draw a diagram of his house and label all the rooms. He has stopped drinking, and is a changed man - they will soon be a family again. Roz is to leave the back door open on a particular night so Alan can enter and leave his surprise for Janis. The night in question did not turn out as Roz had anticipated. Alan did come to the house, but is drunk and has a gun. Tillie is shot and Alan is injured. One must read the book to grasp the full extent a drunk and abusive husband will go to seek revenge. This is a story of a young impressible girl wishing to reunite her family - ignoring all the signs of her father's behavior. A story of an elderly woman wanting to die in her own home. A young boy filled with hate and a mother trying to keep her children safe. A story of second chances. A book that will grab you from the first page to the last. A book you will keep in your personal library and recommend to your friends. Ann Tatlock is an excellent writer of contemporary fiction. Highly recommended.