Tamara Merrill – författare

The dramatic final chapter of the Augustus Family Trilogy. Once again an Augustus is protecting themselves and the family name with lies. In 1960, rich, pampered, Elizabeth Augustus leaves college and disappears into the developing, San Francisco, California, hippy scene. Her father, who is tormented by guilt over his unwillingness to have told Elizabeth that she was in fact his child, hires a detective. The search goes on for years as Elizabeth hides in plain sight, living a life completely unlike the one the she imagined when she ran away.  Eighteen year old Elizabeth creates a fake identity. As she matures her new identity matures with her and she becomes whoever she believes she needs to be in order to be accepted. Beneath the shield of her lies, Elizabeth's deceptions become her truth and the truth of all who know her.

What critic S. Guthrie says about Family Lies: Book One and Family Matters: Book Two...

In the Augustus family saga, author, Tamara Merrill, has woven a very tangled web, and Sharon Chatsworth loves to talk about it in her gossip column. The drama that unfolds in the first volume of the Augustus family trilogy revolves around the cash cow matrimony of John Augustus and his beautiful débuante yet problematic wife, Sylvia Alexander. Not only do they have money, they have merged every which way in order to grow their treasure; however, all the money in the world can't ensure the happiness of Sylvia and John. This page turner of a book sets the reader up for the second volume.

The books focus on the emotional trials and tribulations of marriage and family life. A dynasty, love children, gossip, alcoholism, adultery, war, life and death are all artfully addressed in this book.  The description of characters, their mannerisms and emotions are so well-described that it allows the reader to visualize them every step of the way. They are fabulous reads that leave these characters on your mind and yearning to read how they will fare. Once you're hooked, by Family Lies, you can't wait to read the next two volumes in the trilogy.

Two time periods. Two coasts. Lives intertwined and impacted forever …

Greed, societal forces, religion, eugenics, and racial prejudice came together in a shameful and shocking way on a small, wooded island off the coast of Maine in the early 1900s. The atrocious events that occurred on Malaga Island continue to echo through the years. Their impact is felt in many ways and by many lives.

In 1903, Cora Lane, vacationing with her missionary parents on nearby Horse Island, is introduced to a community on Malaga Island that the press has labeled “degenerate half-breeds.” The people of Malaga Island, while poor and mostly uneducated, are no poorer or less educated than other families living along the coast eking out a living by fishing and clamming. They are, however, of mixed race: Scotch-Irish, African-American, American Indian, and Portuguese, a circumstance that promotes scorn, ridicule, and intolerance. Cora is drawn to the children of Malaga and begins to teach them simple reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. She is surprised to find that despite the color of their skin, the children are funny, quick, and able to learn. Even as Cora accepts her responsibilities as a woman of her social standing, she advocates for the rights of all to be educated, respected, and allowed to vote.

More than a century later, Georgia O’Brien, a college professor, is questioning the beliefs and customs of today that result in racial prejudice. As her mother fights for her life against cancer, Georgia and her family are challenged by secrets that upset their views concerning who they are and what they believe.

Just One More is the story of a life gone wrong. Life is complicated for intelligent, self-reliant, ten-year-old Harriet (Ari) Blimm. An absent father and a negligent mother have placed her in an untenable situation. She never planned to murder anyone, but things change one ugly afternoon when Harriet kills to protect herself.

As the situation deteriorates, Ari finds herself frightened and living alone in the family home. She befriends two crows, Nevermore and Morrigan. But, when anger causes Harriet to kill again, with no family to care for her, she is bound for the foster care system. 

The plot twists and turns as rescue appears, disappears, and appears again. As Harriet matures and struggles with her emotions, she is soon caught in a web of her own making, and the only way she can see to find happiness, security, and love is to kill again and again. 

Suspicion grows, dead bodies multiply, and the gossip becomes brutal. Finally, Harriet must act to save herself and cover up her trail of murders.  

She can see only one way to remain undiscovered-she vows to kill only one more time.