Passing Through Paradise [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Wiggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

It's been two years since the mysterious accident took Sandra Winslow's politician husband, Victor-the favorite son of a town called Paradise-and left Sandra under a cloud of suspicion. She decides to sell her beach house on the edge of town and hires Mike Malloy, who touches her lonely heart. Can she trust a man with unbreakable ties to a community she's eager to leave behind-and who is determined to unearth her deepest secrets?


Wiggs's characterizations are strong; even minor characters...jump off the page with a winning blend of realism and warmth. A richly textured story that successfully moves beyond the conventions of the romance genre, this book will polish Wiggs's already glowing reputation --- Publishers Weekly


Once again, Wiggs proves she's a master of both historical and contemporary romance, unfolding the story in slow, delicious layers. Readers who like Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts will also enjoy this. --- Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One February night, the car of politician Victor Winslow and his wife, Sandra, skids off an icy bridge. Afterwards, Victor is missing and presumed dead, and his wife is widely suspected of his murder despite the official conclusion that the crash was an accident. Finding that her hometown ironically named Paradise is a haven no longer, a dazed and shocked Sandra decides to renovate and sell her old beach house in order to finance a move. Mike Malloy, the contractor she hires, is an expert on historic restoration and a single dad struggling to rebuild his life after a punishing divorce. Sandra and Mike move warily toward love and healing as the house is painstakingly restored. In the process, Mike pushes Sandra toward clues that might explain Victor's fate and clear her name forever. Wiggs's characterizations are strong, particularly the portrait she paints of Mike, who is at once a fantasy romantic hero and a convincing modern man; even minor characters such as Sandra's warring parents and Mike's confused kids jump off the page with a winning blend of realism and warmth. A richly textured story that successfully moves beyond the conventions of the romance genre, this book will polish Wiggs's already glowing reputation. Agent, Meg Ruley.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Sandra Winslow is a woman the people in Paradise, RI, love to hate. Her husband, Victor Winslow, their golden boy state senator, is dead, and they all blame her: she was driving the car the night it went off the bridge into the water, and then there was that bullet lodged in the dashboard. Now Sandra lives as a recluse in a run-down Victorian house on a desolate shore. Mike Malloy is a man who's lost everything his wife, his house, his renovation business, and most importantly, custody of his children. Despite Sandra's notoriety, he convinces her to let him restore her house to its former glory. The more contact he has with Sandra, the more Mike is convinced that she's innocent. As he tries to prove that, he discovers an awful truth that threatens to shake up the whole town. Once again, Wiggs proves she's a master of both historical and contemporary romance, unfolding the story in slow, delicious layers. Readers who like Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts will also enjoy this. Wiggs, winner of both the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, lives in Washington State. Shelley Mosley, Glendale, P.L., AZ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st Special Price Ed edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446508810
• ISBN-13: 978-0446508810
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

When her recent novel, FIRESIDE, hit #1 on the New York Times, the author reportedly reacted to the news by "putting on my lipstick and sweeping the patio." Why? Because she knew that within a matter of minutes, her girlfriends would show up to pop the bubbly and help her celebrate. [Update: FIRESIDE has been chosen of one of Amazon.com's Top Ten Romances of 2009.]

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. Her books make frequent appearances on Amazon's "best of" lists. Several of her novels have been listed as Indie Next picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars she's just so good ..., November 4, 2002

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Passing Through Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)

The first book by Susan Wiggs that I read was 'The You I Never Knew'. It was so well written that I picked up a couple of her historical romances. Despite not particularly finding historical romances enjoyable I have to admit that I liked them. Now I've read 'Passing Through Paradise' and I hope Wiggs writes many more contemporary romances. She's just so good at it. This one is about Sandra Winslow, a children's book author and the widow of a politician who died in a tragic and suspicious automobile accident which Sandra survived. She cannot recall the circumstances of the accident or how she survived and soon becomes the leading suspect and a pariah in the town of Paradise. In order to flee from Paradise she must restore and sell her beach house, the only asset she retained following her husband's death. She meets Mike Malloy, a contractor who agrees to do the restoration for her despite his doubts about her innosense. As Wiggs slowly reveals the actual events surrounding the accident she also explores the complex relationships between Mitch and Sandra, Sandra and her loving but estranged parents, and between Mitch, his young children and his ex wife. Wiggs brings all her characters and thier problems to life and keeps her readers entranced until the last surprising page. I can't wait for her next contemporary novel.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Just Romance, January 30, 2002

By 

Sheri Melnick (Enola, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Passing Through Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)

Well-known for her historical romances, author Susan Wiggs once again delves into the contemporary venue in this moving read complete with healing hearts and and simmering mystery.

Widow Sandra Winslow moves into the old beach home along the coast of Rhode Island. The home, given to her by her grandfather, is all that she has left after the death of her husband, Victor Winslow. By all accounts, Victor was the consummate politician and perfect husband and son. Only Sandra knows what happened on the bridge that fateful February when the car she was driving careened off the bridge and landed in the frigid water below. Though Victor's body was never found, Sandra survived and was exonerated at the inquest. But the townspeople and media feel otherwise as the author credibly exhibits their disdain, making it believable and not overdone.

Feeling the pressure to start anew, Sandra enlist the aid of "handyman" Mike Malloy to restore the beach home so that she can sell it and move on. But she wasn't bargaining on her attraction to Mike, at first in an elemental way she hasn't felt before. There is more than just physical desire, though, as Ms. Wiggs develops their attraction in such a way that they reinforce the empty spaces in each other's lives.

Their emotional baggage seems almost insurmountable, with Mike's difficulties as a single divorced dad, and Sandra's conflicting feelings concerning her apparently happy marriage. In a compelling parallel to Sandra's own parents, who are considering divorce, Mike and Sandra must learn to work through each others differences to achieve a relationship worth saving. Complex characters, a hunky hero, and a constant undercurrent of mystery, lend creativity to this novel that is so much more than a formulaic romance. A must read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ...Book Reviewer, April 21, 2002

By 

Suzie Housley (Oak Ridge, Tn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passing Through Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)

One frigid February night, Sandra Winslow and her husband State Senator Victor Winslow went for an evening's drive. Their vehicle was involved in an accident that sent their car hurling over a bridge into an icy cold river. Sandra survived, but her husband's body was never recovered. Evidence in the vehicle suggested his death was the result of foul play. The townspeople of Paradise, Rhode Island were easily convinced Sandra was guilty of killing the much-loved politician. For the past two years, they have dubbed her the Black Widow of Blue Moon and made her existence a living hell. Fed up with the 'hospitality' of the citizens of Paradise, she decides to sell her run down Victorian beach house and move far away. With her home needing major repairs, she decides to hire a contractor to restore it to its original state so that it will sell quicker and generate a hefty profit. Hiring Mike Malloy proves to be an enlightening experience - not only is he skilled with his hands, but he has the tools to fix her broken heart.

Mike Malloy is an expert on restoring historic houses. He is the victim of a bitter divorce, and finds himself in desperate need of steady work. Reluctantly he agrees to work for Sandra Winslow, even though her husband was a close friend. He believed the rumors that circulated around town that she was responsible for her husband's 'accidental' death. When the project brings them closer together and he realizes Sandra has been falsely accused, he sets out to prove her innocence. What he uncovers unleashes an awful truth that uproots the entire town. Once the mystery is solved, will it be fair of him to ask Sandra to stay in a town that has so cruelly rejected her?

Whenever I pick up a Susan Wigg's novel, I always finish it with the same feeling - total satisfaction. Ms. Wiggs is a master storyteller that, once savored, will keep coming back for more. Her latest release, PASSING THROUGH PARADISE, is highly recommended. Once again she has brought to us characters that will long be remembered.