Penelope and the Crook

About the Book

Penelope is told by her lawyer and her granddaughter that that Lou, the crook who was her second husband, has been granted a Presidential Pardon, obtained a passport and is on his way to Chicago to see her and her two first children to whom he was a father. Lou had sent cash through the years, which Penelope had kept secret from everyone in the family. She decides to tell her whole family about the money, how much it was, and how it was used before she is forced to by Lou’s presence. Her story of the cash leads to Mike (Lou’s biological son) and Jim (to whom Lou was a father) having, in turn, to expose their secrets to their families, secrets they have guarded throughout their lives. This is a story of the past misinterpreted, of repentance delayed, of love rekindled and of family dynamics altered.

About the Author

Joan H Parks lives in Chicago, IL, and after a career in clinical research refreshed her life by becoming a fiction writer. Her undergraduate degree was from the University of Rochester in Non-Western Civilizations, her MBA from the University of Chicago. She studies poetry, including Yeats and the Canterbury Tales (in Middle English); has an interest in the ancient world which she has gratified by studying at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago; is an aficionado of The Tales of Genji, which she rereads every year or so. Her family regards these activities with amusement, for she also listens to Willie Nelson and Dierks Bentley. She can be contacted at joanhparks.com