In this fast-paced, suspenseful sequence of Lumpkin’s Covering All Wrong, a missing woman’s sudden return threatens to turn her family’s life upside down. It was almost two decades ago that Asha disappeared, leaving her husband Elroy with their daughter Nina behind. Now Elroy is about to get married to Lacey. But Asha is back, and she has no intention to let Elroy marry another woman. Lumpkin’s writing is assured. She skillfully depicts the intricacies of close relationships, and her portrayal of her characters’ renewal as people capable of steering their life in the right direction makes for engrossing and, at times, stirring reading. Her realistic, relatable characters shimmer as they struggle with their vulnerabilities, fears, and uncertainties. Elroy, who leads the cast, charms with his integrity and resilience. Lumpkin beautifully gives soul to Nina’s story, capturing how the young woman is shaped by the estrangement and the long unreliability of her mother. Lacey, with her sensitive, gentle nature easily makes a place in readers’ hearts. While the asides on Elroy’s struggles with Asha’s betrayal in the face of his faith can feel over-the-top at times, the crisp, intelligent prose, high tension, and suspense keep the pages turning. Readers will delight in Elroy and Lacey’s struggles to resolve their life dilemmas in this deftly intertwined story of love, betrayal, and familial ties.
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Categories: Suspense and Thriller
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