Aly’s fiction debut focuses on the impact of a decision one judge made 17 years before—and the challenge of achieving justice. Ernst “Cal” White-Callaway, a judge in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, complied with his mother’s wishes almost two decades back to continue with his engagement and marry Catherine White instead of Josey, the woman he fell in love with after a short acquaintance. Now trapped in a loveless marriage, Cal conducts an affair with Maggie Latham, a librarian committed to aiding abused young women. Cal and Maggie are members of the Berkshire Book Club, an organization banded together to make decisions outside of the law about how to handle issues of crime in a community rocked by organized crime activities.

In crisp, inviting prose, Aly excels at creating the primary narrative of Cal’s complex life and momentous decisions while highlighting the power of the women around him. Catherine exerts influence over Cal and her standing in the community as an organizer of important charity events while Maggie empowers women who have been wronged by men in their lives. The novel’s introspective view of long-term consequences hints at how a different choice could have significantly altered Cal’s life. If he had decided to marry Josey, he may not have been afforded the social status that led him to a partnership in a law firm and subsequent judgeship.

Tragedy strikes after Cal sentences a young man with a connection to his own past to three years probation for dumpster diving. Meanwhile, Aly’s chilling view of organized crime and its pervasiveness convincingly reveals both the ruthlessness of the players, their methods, and the difficulty of bringing them to justice. Hard choices and consequences loom over this thoughtful, immersive, and fast-paced novel: as the Berkshire Book Club collides with the organized crime cartel, the members of both organizations must make tough decisions to ensure their survival.

Takeaway: A judge faces the consequences of the past and the possibility of justice outside the law in this thoughtful literary thriller.

Great for fans of: Diane Chamberlain’s Big Lies in a Small Town , L.T. Ryan and Brian She’s Drift.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A