A crusty old church organist who feels more at home with the dead than the living, Minerva is perfectly content to keep herself safe behind her own walls. “Tracey Buchanan delivers an unforgettable and unlikely heroine in Mrs. –Susan Reinhardt, author of The Beautiful Misfits and Chimes from a Cracked Southern Belle Place is somewhat of a loner who prefers the company of the dead until one unruly little boy steals⸺and heals⸺her heart.

Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace introduces us to heart-warming and unforgettable characters, including the wonderfully complex Minerva Place, who is poised to become one of the most memorable in modern fiction. “A page-turning, beautifully written novel reminiscent of the fiction from Pulitzer-winning Anne Tyler. –Lynne Bryant, author of Catfish Alley and Alligator Lake Prepare to have your funny bone tickled and your heart melted as Minerva wrestles with the inescapable vulnerability of being alive.” Minerva Place would rather chat with the residents of Oak Grove Cemetery than her own nosy neighbors. “My new favorite female curmudgeon! Prickly as a pinecone, Mrs. –Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Everything Must Go Tracey Buchanan is a welcome new voice in women’s fiction.” “The story of a hilariously prickly writer who finds inspiration in her imagination (or is it?), Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace is about finding the courage to carve your own path while you still have time. Praise for Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace She discovers the power of forgiveness and why it’s worth it to let others into your life, even when it hurts.

With the help of the living and the dead, Minerva is forced to face issues she thought she had buried. But just when Minerva starts to let her guard down, a tragic accident shatters her emerging reconnection with life. Nevertheless, with charming perseverance, they find a way into her closed-off life and an unlikely friendship begins. Minerva, aggravated by the precocious six-year-old, holds him and his father at arm’s length. Just as distressing, a new boy in the neighborhood seems intent on disrupting her life. Nosy neighbors and irritating church members are bad enough but when residents of the local cemetery start showing up, the quirky widow wonders if she’s going crazy. Minerva Place would prefer that everyone mind their own business, follow the rules, and if dead, stay dead. It’s 1952 in the small western Kentucky town of Paducah and Mrs.

Parlor games by maryka biaggio