Legacy — Catherine Astolfo

"Not all legacies are good ones..."
While Emily Taylor deals with the dysfunctional Sanderson family at school, seemingly unconnected characters play out their own troubled journeys into the past.
Doro searches for her lost childhood. Alain Reneaux delves into the reasons behind his violent nightmares. The town's new lawyer, Jacob Finch, suffers from guilt about the heartbreaking death of his wife. And two lonely little girls suffer neglect and tragedy.
As Emily untangles the complexities of the Sanderson children's lives, the collision of past into future causes an inferno of insanity and death, which ultimately proves how essential family and friendship are to happiness and endurance.
Reviews:
"Once in a while a mystery novel comes along that really lives up to its name. Legacy leaves us wanting to read more from its beautifully written opening to its clever closing chapters. A fascinating look at how four lives can collide." --D.J. McIntosh, author of The Witch of Babylon (CNN's pick as one of six enduring historical thrillers)
"The central image of Catherine Astolfo's "Legacy" is a wishing well, an ironic reminder of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for." In this powerful novel, characters who wish to dominate others spiritually end up creating victims not disciples. Astolfo's searing exploration of the anguish caused by egotism is counterbalanced by her characters' ultimate realization that friendship and community can overcome evil. In "Legacy," Astolfo gives readers an enduring theme wrapped in a gripping narrative." --Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn Mysteries
"In Legacy, Catherine Astolfo poses searching questions about the consequences of childhood trauma. Through the interwoven lives of her small-town characters, she explores not only the corrosive effects of abuse, neglect, and loss but also the healing that comes from facing the darkness." --Kay Stewart, author of Sitting Lady Sutra
"Description, dialogue, plotting, all developed with the skill of a seasoned mystery writer...Your writing is consistently strong and invigorating. It solidified my feeling that you are a writer in for the long haul and should mature into a mystery author of the top rank in Canada." --Don Graves, The Hamilton Spectator