Holmes, Linda: Flying Solo (Paperback)

"... a testament to the truth that love comes in all shapes, sizes, and situations; that being alone does not mean being lonely. And Linda Holmes creates characters and conversations so real that sometimes I wonder if she is hiding in my closet, eavesdropping."-Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here

"A moving and tender novel full of bighearted characters, smalltown charm, and deep truths about life ... a perfect book for anyone who feels a little separate from the flock."-Rebecca Serle, New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years

"It's impossible to read Linda Holmes without smiling. Flying Solo has everything: life decisions, second chances, intrigue, skulduggery, and a hot librarian! I loved it."-Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project

Smarting from her recently cancelled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three.

Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie's curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line "And anyway, if you're ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling."

When the mysterious duck disappears under suspicious circumstances, Laurie feels compelled to figure out why anyone would steal something worth so little -and why Dot kept it hidden away in the first place.

Suddenly Laurie finds herself swept up in a righteous caper that has her negotiating with antiques dealers and con artists, going on after-hours dates at the local library, and reconnecting with her oldest friend and her first love .

Desperate to uncover her great-aunt's secrets, Laurie must reckon with her own past and her future-and ultimately embrace her own vision of flying solo.

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for National Public Radio and the host of the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which has held sold- out live shows in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and elsewhere. She appears regularly on NPR's radio shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Before NPR, she wrote for New York magazine online and for TV Guide, as well as for the influential website Television Without Pity. She shares her Washington, D.C., apartment with a dog who patiently indulges her desire to take his picture a lot. In her free time, she watches far too many romantic comedies, bakes bread, reads in bed, and recently knitted her first hat.