In luminous prose Diane Chamberlain returns to the remote Outer Banks of North Carolina, with a story of mothers and daughters, family secrets and one woman's struggle to find herself in . . . Her Mother's Shadow.

Annie

She was beautiful, talented and giving, but Annie O'Neill's life ended too early in tragedy. A loving mother and wife, she was the heart of her family and of the small community of Kiss River. But her generous nature hid a darker side that remained secret for years after her death.

Lacey

As a teenager, Lacey O'Neill witnessed her mother's fatal shooting. Now she has grown up in Annie's image. But when she learn the shattering truth about the woman she's spent a decade emulating, the foundation on which Lacey has built her adult life begins to crumble. Then the unthinkable happens -- Lacey's close childhood friend dies, leaving her eleven-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, in Lacey's care. Already confused about what it means to have been Annie O'Neill's daughter, she unwillingly finds herself in the role of mother to the young girl.

Mackenzie

Uprooted by her mother's death, Mackenzie resents her new home of Kiss River, and Lacey O'Neill for bringing her there. She wants nothing to do with her mother's oldest friend, or the father who until recently didn't know she existed. Behind her angry façade, Mackenzie is a frightened little girl who desperately needs to share her loss. But the person who could understand her best might be the one she resents most: Lacey.

When a stranger arrives in Kiss River, surprising ties to Lacey and the fateful Christmas Even when Annie died are uncovered. And as the last secrets of the O'Neill family are brought to light, Her Mother's Shadow explores how the dark corners of the past can be illuminated by the hope that truth brings.

Genre: Romance