The opening of The Cherry Robbers introduces us to the reclusive but famous artist, Sylvia Wren. She lives in New Mexico with her partner and is reluctant to leave their homestead. When she receives a letter from a journalist who has uncovered the truth about her past, she relives the story of her childhood and the curse that consumed her family. In the volume that follows we are transported to Bellflower, Connecticut, in the 1950s, where the artist recalls her childhood as Iris Chapel, one of six daughters in a family made wealthy by production and sale of firearms. The writer unfolds each scene with descriptive images, in many of which flowers play an important role. The tone invites us to suspend belief and delve into a realm of alternate possibilities such as ghosts and curses, but the writing is so artfully crafted that anything seems natural or plausible. One can tell that this is a story that will both delight and intrigue the reader with its careful details and engaging plotline. I eagerly look forward to finishing this intricate literary narrative.