If the Ice Had Held

A haunting family drama of secrets, loss, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood.
Melanie Henderson's life is built on a lie. The truth about her birth and the identity of her real parents is a carefully guarded secret in her small Colorado town. She doesn't know that her birth mother was just 14 and unmarried to her father, a local boy who drowned crossing an icy river.

Thirty-five years later, Melanie navigates affairs and a corporate job, unaware that the woman who raised her is actually her aunt—or that her birth mother is still in her life. As a forest fire rages and a car accident shakes the family, Melanie finds herself at the center of an unraveling tangle of tragedy and heartbreak. If the Ice Had Held is a lyrical exploration of complicated lives, perfect for readers of literary fiction and family dramas.