Love and mystery have a way of intertwining in unexpected ways in life. In Donald Averill's short story collection, he traces a journey through the lives of vibrant characters driven by love who suddenly find themselves in the midst of unusual situations.In ';Missing Notes,' a music department graduate student finds an intriguing composition in an old notebook and begins a search for the author. When she and another student look for a missing notebook, they find themselves implicated in a murder investigation. ';The Canoe' sees retired mathematician and widower Samuel Kelly recalling past experiences involving his family canoe after seeing a canoe for sale. Following the sale of the canoe, Sam and a former girlfriend rekindle an old relationship and get involved in a holdup.In ';Hidden Talents,' Clay Coleman, a young physician, misses a turn and arrives at a secluded farm house where he is attacked. Suffering from amnesia, he works his way along Interstate 84 helping people with medical problems--while his wife searches desperately for him. A seven-year-old boy who thinks he is just living a normal life in 1949 soon realizes that the only way to find out any answers about his grandpa's past is to ask good questions in ';The Pumpkin Tree.'Missing Notes, Hidden Talents, and Other Stories shares four charming stories with important messages about perseverance, courage, and, most importantly, love.
