Reviewed by Donna Stevenson for Readers' Favorite

In Painting Over Cracks by Lee Bukowski, Beth and Danny were in an accident. They were hit on Danny’s side of the car; he was thrown out and died at the scene. Beth survived with a few injuries but now faces life without Danny. To make it worse, someone at the accident scene stole their wallets and phones, and the other driver, who also died at the scene, had no identification. He is like a ghost. So, what does Beth do now? She decides to put the past behind her, take on a new challenge, and open a gluten-free café. But as her new life unfolds, she discovers that Danny had a few secrets, ones that will completely alter what she knew about him and their relationship. Moving on just became more difficult.

Painting Over Cracks by Lee Bukowski begins with a heartfelt story about a recently widowed young woman and her struggle to overcome grief and change her life. However, as the story progresses, this tender tale becomes filled with plot twists, and I had to keep reading to find out why the main character’s husband had so many secrets. Also, there was the mystery surrounding the accident -- the theft of the phones and wallets, and the unidentified driver –- in the back of my mind as I read. What could be the connection, if any, between these two plot lines? This author is very adept at layering secret upon secret, building the suspense, deftly exposing each secret, and surprising me each time. This is a delightful, heartwarming story.