A Reason for Hope

For animal lovers and fans of The Art of Racing in the Rain, this heart wrenching yet uplifting novel from the bestselling author of An Unexpected Grace tells of one woman’s journey to healing and love after trauma—through the devotion of an unforgettable yellow Lab named Hope.

On San Julian Island, across Puget Sound from Seattle, Tessa Jordan works as a bookmobile librarian, recommending books and poems to her patrons. In her spare time, she cares for a colony of feral cats. But Tessa’s simple, satisfying life is shockingly upended after she meets Nick Payne, a respected community leader, and he invites her to dinner.
 
Far from a pleasant first date, Tessa’s evening with Nick leaves her feeling confused and upset. After deep soul-searching, she decides to step forward and accuse him of assault. Her distress grows when local prosecutor Will Armstrong declines to pursue her case, citing lack of evidence. Her main solace is Hope, a courthouse dog, trained to comfort victims through the difficult judicial process. As she lays her head in Tessa’s lap, her gentle brown eyes seem to say, Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. 
 
Will, who is Hope’s primary handler, longs to get justice for Tessa, yet knows how rocky the path will be. It’s Hope who, true to her name, shines a bright ray through the darkness. With Hope by their side, Will and Tessa find surprising strength in each other as they learn just how resilient a heart—whether human or canine—can be.

Kristin von Kreisler is the award-winning, bestselling author of books and articles about animals, a career that has found her following a grizzly bear, hang gliding to experience the sensation of eagles soaring through the sky, and watching in awe as millions of bats emerged from a cave at dusk like clouds of smoke. After writing three acclaimed nonfiction books, Kristin made a smashing fiction debut with the bestselling novel An Unexpected Grace, followed by Earnest and the Dog Writers Association of America Award-winning novel A Healing Justice. Kristin’s books have been translated into twelve languages. She lives in Washington with her husband and their beloved rescue dog Bridget. Visit her on Facebook and Instagram or at KristinvonKreisler.com.