The Heart Mender

Andy Andrews has written a page-turning mystery, love-story, and thriller all in one in The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances. While chopping down a dead wax myrtle tree on his property, Andrews uncovers a tin containing old photographs and Nazi memorabilia. How they came to be buried on U.S. soil becomes the basis for this riveting tale. The Heart Mender is based on historical events--German submarines patrolling the Gulf Coast of North America during 1942-43. The narrative details the unlikely results when Helen Mason, a war widow, encounters Josef Landermann, a German U-boat officer, washed ashore near her sleepy Gulf town.
This truly was a book I could not put down. Not an avid fiction reader, I do enjoy historical fiction. And this was one of the most gripping stories I've read since my first John Grisham novel. I felt like I was sitting across the table from an expert story-teller. Andrews' warm style and vivid detail drew me in from the first paragraphs when he set the stage for the story to follow, describing his sadness and procrastination at removing the tree that sets the mystery in motion.  
The Heart Mender is more than an engaging story. Andrews skillfully weaves his premise throughout the narrative--we all have something or someone we need to forgive.
I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”