As a reporter for the Seattle Herald, Claire Aldridge will stop at nothing in order to get the job done. Now if only she could figure out how to make use of that tenacity to resolve the issues in her marriage. Married to Ethan Kensington, the managing editor of the newspaper, their relationship is more than just a union between two lovers. it's a balancing act between business and pleasure which has become a very challenging situation for both to handle.

Back in 1933, single mom Vera Ray experiences many of the same insecurities in her personal relationships as Claire. Rearing a three-year-old boy during the Great Depression is harrowing, especially having to leave him alone while working the night shift at a grand hotel. One evening in May, an unforeseen late-season snow storm blankets the city. Upon VEra's return from work, she discovers her son Daniel is missing.

May 2011, an unseasonal winter storm hits Seattle and Claire has been assigned to cover this blackberry winter  phenomenon. Thankful for the diversion from her personal woes, Claire jumps in focusing her energy on this amazing topic. While researching the piece, the story of Daniel Ray's unsolved abduction comes across Claire's desk. Feeling a mysterious connection to Vera Ray, she vows to find the truth behind baby Daniel's disappearance.

Blackberry Winter is the third novel by the superbly talented writer Sarah Jio. Her gift of adeptly connecting the past with the present to create such a poignant story sets her apart as a truly noteworthy author. By sharing her own personal story in the Author's Notes, divulging to her readers the meaning of Blackberry Winter, as she forges an everlasting bond between her tale and this uncommon weather event. Just like the rarity of a spring snow storm, a novel such as this only comes along once in a lifetime.

Book Summary

From acclaimed novelist Sarah Jio (The Bungalow, The Violets of March) a new “mystery-slash-love story [that] will have you racing to the end”

Seattle, 1933. Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and reluctantly leaves for work. She hates the nightshift, but it’s the only way she can earn enough to keep destitution at bay. In the morning—even though it’s the second of May—a heavy snow is falling. Vera rushes to wake Daniel, but his bed is empty. His teddy bear lies outside in the snow.

Seattle, present day. On the second of May, Seattle Times reporter, Claire Hanson, awakens to another late-season snowstorm. Assigned to cover this “blackberry winter” and its predecessor decades earlier, Claire learns of Daniel’s unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth—only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.