Olga Bicos. Shattered (2003) 348 pp. [pbo]
Divorced and a former rising architectural superstar, Holly Fairfield knows how fast one can fall from grace. To save her collapsed career she has relocated from Seattle to San Francisco where her brother, fresh from being fired from corporate America, joins her. Holly feels she has gotten her break when surprisingly Daniel East hires her to renovate the family’s landmark restaurant The Cutty House. Daniel’s uncle, aunt and cousin are stunned when they are introduced to Holly. She also notices their odd reaction towards her, especially from Ryan. She later learns that she is the doppelganger of Ryan’s deceased fiancée Nina who died a decade ago in an automobile accident with everyone blaming him for her death. As Holly and Ryan fall in love, she believes he still loves Nina, not yet understanding the dysfunctional interrelationships between his family members.

H.K.