Transplanting Hope

An aspiring mystery writer mines his world for greater meaning, and perhaps a soul mate along the way. A kind-hearted chemical engineer casts a cold eye on his disappointing marriage. A stunning journalist conceals her surprising shyness through her well-chosen words. "Transplanting Hope," the debut work of fiction by Jessica D. Lovett charts the sometimes hapless, sometimes hopeful lives of divergent individuals whose paths cross in the heat of a corporate cover up, and whose connections help each of them heal past wounds and find inroads to heartening new horizons. With craft and compassion, this absorbing novel will engage readers who seek out subtly wrought character-driven stories with evocative detail.

Being born with a silver spoon, the happy-go-lucky novelist Simon Kincade has the luxury to dabble in mysteries with his poison pen, while living in considerable comfort. His best friend from college, Dr. George Morris, faces an altogether different reality each day. His job at the pharmaceutical company Chemi-Life is proving complex, and his marriage to the shopaholic Emily has long since soured. His only solace comes from offloading to Simon, who patiently buoys his friend, while marveling that he is now cast in this new role of advisor in their friendship. While somewhat incredulous that the forgiving George continues to endure the crass consumption and coldness of Emily, his friend remains awestruck by George's persistent, unflappable kindness.

Simultaneously, "Times" reporter Madeline Bryson has her own crisis on hand. Her boss has deemed her stories "flighty," and her job is on the line if she doesn't come up with a serious piece of investigative journalism. And, while she reels from her new probation status at work, she must also suffer the obscene confidence of her colleague Blaine Maxwell, an extravagant, well-dressed player who zips around town in a yellow sports car. Her chance for redemption arrives in the nefarious activities connected to Chemi-Life, and her hunt for the story entwines all of them in a sinister swirl that exposes far more than any of them had bargained for.

As old secrets are unearthed, and new allegiances are fused, "Transplanting Hope" offers a richly drawn, suspenseful foray into three lives, and how feelings, failings, hearts, and hopes can be transformed by chance meetings and redemptive twists of fate. Intimate and optimistic, this deeply affecting novel offers a richly drawn look at the human experience, one individual at a time.