The premise is simple enough. One good deed leads to another. But what happens when those good deeds make the ones nearest you doubt everything they know and love about you? Nathan Steen has spent a great deal of his life trying to do good for others. His deeds are symbolized by tiny stones carried in his pocket. After his death secrets come to light that makes his family question all they knew about the man. Kevin Milne weaves a story that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking about how far you would go to do "one good deed".
( )

Inspiring.

This was an enjoyable read with an interesting precept: the 'main' character carries several stones in one pocket and every time he manages to do a good turn, he transfers one stone to the other pocket. By the end of the day he intends all the stones to have moved across. Unfortunately there were a few continuity errors and the whole 'good turn' thing kind of back-fired, which I'm not sure the author intended.

This book definitely veers towards a beach read, but although my book group were a bit scathing at times, we certainly had a fascinating discussion on the subjects of bullying, good turns, lies and whether secrets should be kept or not.

Fairly early on in the novel Nathan is killed as a result of trying to help someone. His devastated family is understandably shocked to find an e mail from a previous wife, alluding to another daughter. His wife, Halley, knew nothing of any first wife or child, and her grief is multiplied by the thought that her beloved husband was not the man she had always believed him to be.

A Facebook page is started by someone whom he had helped, and contributions build throughout the narrative. Interestingly, these good turns were all real events that people had sent in, in response to the author's request and although I personally found them a bit irritating, it was great to learn that they were for real.

I don't think I will particularly search out more from this author, but if your book group is looking for a light read that produces an excellent discussion then this could be your answer. ( )

This was a new author for me. I discovered that this author writes a smooth story. I enjoyed how the story was told by different characters and it kept moving forward. I did not enjoy how the lie was lived out, but the author turned it into a positive. I did enjoy the Maddy and Alice characters because they overcame their challenging lives. I will be recommending this book to some of my library patrons. ( )