The Sisters of Glass Ferry

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What to expect

Glass Ferry, Kentucky, is bourbon country. Whiskey has been a way of life for generations, enabling families to provide and survive even in the darkest times. Flannery Butler’s daddy, Beauregard “Honey Bee” Butler, was known for making some of the best whiskey in the state, aged in barrels he’d take by boat up and down the Kentucky River until the rocking waters turned the spirits smooth and golden. Flannery is the only person Honey Bee ever entrusted with his recipes before he passed on, swearing her to secrecy as he did so.

But Flannery is harboring other secrets too, about her twin sister Patsy, older by eight minutes and pretty in a way Flannery knows she’ll never be. Then comes the prom night when Patsy—wearing a yellow chiffon dress and the family pearls—disappears along with her date. Every succeeding year on the twins’ birthday, Flannery’s mother bakes a strawberry cake, convinced that this is the day Patsy will finally come home. But it will be two tumultuous decades until the muddy river yields a clue about what happened that night, compelling Flannery to confront the truth about her sleepy town, her family’s past, and the choices she and those closest to her have made in the name of love and retribution.

Critics Review

  • “An emotionally resonant tale of secrets, regret, and absolution that held me spellbound. You simply have to read it.”

    Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
  • “A gripping, hauntingly atmospheric Southern gothic tale that stayed with me long after I turned the last page.”

    Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author
  • “Well graveled, rough with moonshine, and damn near irresistible.”

    Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author
  • “This spellbinding new novel…powerfully blends teenage angst, a rich portrait of the American South, the blessings and curses of twinship, and the inevitably destructive nature of secrets…Her evocation of the sensory world is astonishing, as is her handling of the intangible aspects of environment: values, prejudices, and aspirations. She conjures a world that seems at once vividly present and broodingly haunted.”

    Southern Literary Review
  • “Richardson brings to life Glass Ferry, Ky., in this multigenerational tale about the bond between sisters, family secrets, fine bourbon, and the lingering price of loss…Richardson’s bourbon-infused saga is rich with drama and family intrigue.”

    Publishers Weekly
  • “Richardson’s novel is a southern gothic treat, as dark and complex as a good glass of whiskey…[A] tender story of family legend, loss, and redemption.”

    Booklist

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