And No One Knew -- Jennifer Manocherian, Paperback

Jennifer Manocherian, author of Alpha Bette, has done it again! And No One Knew is a masterfully drawn story ofone woman's journey of discovery. The story is beautifully told, with empathy and compassion forflawed and vulnerable characters. Bravo! -Lis Wiehl New York Times best-selling author

Cur-mudg-eon (noun): a bad-tempered person, especially an old one. That's Gertrude.

Unfriendly and friendless, she was born with a large hemangioma covering her left cheek-a mark that came to define her life. Her parents isolated her, claiming people are mean and would only bully her. Homeschooled and secluded, books became her only companions; the only love she ever experienced was for a parrot, whose death left her devastated.

When we meet Gertrude, her parents are long dead and she has settled into a solitary existence in the same Manhattan apartment where she grew up. Out of the blue, her across-the-hall neighbor invites her to a dinner party. Gertrude pushes herself to attend, only for the host to die right at the dinner table. Feeling a strange sense of obligation, Gertrude attends the funeral. There, the eulogies-tributes to a life filled with loving relationships-send her into a deep depression, fueled by the realization that no one would know or care if she died.

She retreats to her bed, but when she finally tries to get up, she falls and finds herself unable to move. Venera, her former neighbor's night aide, hears her cries for help and rescues her.

An unlikely friendship develops, with Venera encouraging Gertrude to open up her world. Inspired, Gertrude decides to visit the UK home of her favorite author, Jane Austen. However, the quest for a passport leads to a shocking discovery: while searching for her documentation, she stumbles upon a secret that upends her sense of identity and catapults her onto a life-changing journey of discovery.