An Imperfect Process

An Imperfect Process

The Starting Over Series

Book Three

by

Mary Jo Putney

New York Times Bestselling Author

Previously titled: Twist of Fate

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ISBN: 978-1-61417-385-4

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Cover by Kim Killion
www.thekilliongroupinc.com

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Thank You.

To Susan King,

for support and friendship

that's practical, creative, and metaphysical.

How about lunch?

Acknowledgements

It's amazing the number of topics I know nothing about, but luckily there are many generous people willing to share their knowledge.

To Louis B. Curran, Julie Kistler, David Blum, Harriet Pilger, Jane Langdell, Susan Tanenbaum, and Judge Alvin Cohen, my legal advisory board, many thanks for your help, and I hope I didn't make too many mistakes in translating your knowledge to my book.

Special thanks also to Cynthia Parker and Cass Roberson, for their insights into my attempts to do justice by my African-American characters; to Denise Little for information on the Big Sister/Little Sister program; Catherine Abbot Anderson and Alice Cherbonnier on what it means to be a Quaker; and Tracy Farrell on the care and management of ultra-curly red hair.

Thanks also to the usual suspects: my fishy friend, John Rekus; my fearless editor, Gail Fortune; my ever-supportive agent, Ruth Cohen; Mary Kilchenstein, for her keen eye; and Pat Rice on general principles.

Prologue

He pushed away the remains of his last meal: shrimp Creole, corn bread, chocolate mousse cake, and single malt Scotch whiskey to wash it all down. He'd been liberal with the whiskey, wanting to dull the edge of his fear. He would die as he'd lived, with cold superiority.