Kaleidoscope — Gretchen Stone

"Strong writing and fine characterizations make this first novel, "Kaleidoscope," a great pick for a winter read by the fire, or a summer read on the back porch. Gretchen Stone is a writer to keep your eye on " -Ellen Hart, Author of the Jane Lawless Mysteries

"Appealing characters-well executed. A unique story line makes this a compelling page-turner."- Fran Blatnik, Co-founder Detroit Women's Book Club, 1994

"Enjoyed.Down-to-earth, sincere prose."-Elizabeth Sims, Author of the Lillian Byrd Crime Series

In 1950s Detroit, six-year-old Mimi Siegel and eight-year-old Barbara Jane Brown become fast friends when the Brown family arrives in the Motor City from Missouri. For years, the girls are inseparable; but the friendship changes when Mimi marries Barbara's brother, RJ. When RJ goes to Vietnam soon after the wedding, Mimi turns to Barbara for consolation-and gets more than she could have imagined.

Their resulting torrid affair abruptly ends when RJ is killed in action. Barbara's guilt leads her to enlist as a nurse in the U.S. Army, and the ensuing years are filled with remorse for both women.

When Mimi and Barbara Jane meet again years later, they discover that their childhood bonds of loyalty are still intact. But a dangerous chain of events is set into motion when they rekindle their romance, and their community is rocked when an innocent woman is murdered.