The Lumber Baron's Wife

When the young wife of a powerful lumber baron vanishes into the wilds of frontier Michigan, her friend is left to unravel the truth ... 

1873. After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she'd leave her comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy, a friend of her husband John, offers them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John's skills as a doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. 

There, she meets Kate, Henry's spirited, much younger wife. Kate's sharp tongue and outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town's elite, and when she begins confiding in Hannah, it's clear her marriage is not what it seems ... and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.

Present day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow. While restoring their historic home — built in the 19th century for a doctor and his wife — Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a museum. 

While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy's disappearance. What begins as curiosity soon becomes a quest for the truth ... one that will connect her to two women whose stories and struggles echo and inspire her own.

A captivating dual-timeline novel from bestselling author Lynn Austin.