June - by Miranda Beverly-Whittlemore

Cassie Danver’s life is in need of as much repair as the crumbling family mansion, Two Oaks. And rural St. Jude, Ohio is just the place to hide, and not only mourn the grandmother, June, who raised her, but to try and figure out where she wants to go from here. 

But the house, and life, have other plans for Cassie, such as a surprise inheritance from legendary movie idol, Jack Montgomery, someone who Cassie only knew from old movies. When his two daughters arrive to challenge the will, Cassie’s peace is turned upside down. What transpires is a sixty year old secret full of murder, Hollywood and intrigue. 

Alternating between June, 2015 and June, 1955, Beverly-Whittlemore skillfully weaves a tale of a young June and the woman Cassie thought she knew as her grandmother. The house itself seems to come alive during this investigation into what really happened in St. Jude, Ohio during the filming of a movie in June, 1955. Was there a romance between the star, Jack Montgomery, and 19 year old June? Is Cassie really his granddaughter? 

While I was a bit irritated with Cassie early in the book for not immediately starting repairs on Two Oaks (that’s the type A in me), I quickly became immersed in the back and forth of Junes, sixty years apart. While the young June had to deal with Hollywood movie stars, Cassie has to deal with the equally famous daughters of movie stars, who may, or may not, be her aunts. Definitely a good summer read.

Find your copy of June at the Lewis and Clark Library or here.