African proverb: "It takes a village to raise a child". The novel Allawe, promotes the same concept: "All of us". When Marla Alexander finds a mysterious box of ashes washed up on a Delaware beach on the second anniversary of her mother's death, she is compelled to find its owner, a search that will take her and her husband Vern all the way to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. But the ashes are entangled with secrets that will result in Marla and Vern being stalked by Obeahmen, practicers of Black Magic, as they become involved not just in tracking down the owner of the ashes, but trying to solve a murder . . . Reading this book, I felt as if I myself were on St. Croix. Fran Hasson's ability to capture the unique colors, sounds and rhythms of this beautiful place truly put me on the island. And Marla and Vern quickly felt like the kind of people I'd want to hang out with. I finished the last page of Allawe and felt as I do after returning from a great vacation-sorry that it had to end. Maribeth Fischer, The Life You Longed For Allawe is a great beach read. It transports the reader to the exotic island of St. Croix: its casualness, voodoo, drugs, and a murder. The author's crisp wordage creates memorable characters within a moving plot. Frank Minni, President, Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild

Recommended to book clubs by 2 of 2 members.