The sensational New York Times bestseller The Mill River Recluse reminds us that friendship, family, and love can come from the most unexpected places. Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. From the outside, Mill River looks like any sleepy little Vermont town where everyone knows everyone and people never need to lock their doors. There are newcomers for whom this appeals, from police officer Kyle Hansen and his daughter Rowen, who are starting over after heartache, to Claudia Simon, the schoolteacher who is determined to reinvent herself.   But on closer inspection, there are those in Mill River—including a stealthy arsonist, a covetous nurse, and a pilfering priest—who have things they wish to hide. None more than the widow Mary McAllister, who for the past sixty years has secluded herself in her marble mansion overlooking the town. Most of the residents have never even seen the peculiar woman. Only the priest, Father O’Brien, knows the deep secrets that keep Mary isolated—and that, once revealed, will forever change the community.   Praise for The Mill River Recluse   “A heartwarming story.” — Examiner   “[Darcie] Chan’s sweet novel displays her talent. . . . A comforting book about the random acts of kindness that hold communities together.” — Kirkus Reviews   “A real page-turner.” — IndieReader   “Chan does an amazing job with pacing while maintaining continuity and weaving universal themes such as friendship, love, new beginnings and overcoming adversities into small town life.” — RT Book Reviews   “This debut novel is a genre-breaking thriller with romantic overtones that should appeal to both men and women.” — Huntington News   “Chan’s compassionate novel . . . blends elements of mystery, suspense and romance . . . [and] culminates in a beautifully rendered denouement that rekindles hope for a troubled world.” — Shelf Awareness “A heartwarming story.” — Examiner   “[Darcie] Chan’s sweet novel displays her talent. . . . A comforting book about the random acts of kindness that hold communities together.” — Kirkus Reviews   “A real page-turner.” — IndieReader   “Chan does an amazing job with pacing while maintaining continuity and weaving universal themes such as friendship, love, new beginnings and overcoming adversities into small town life.” — RT Book Reviews   “This debut novel is a genre-breaking thriller with romantic overtones that should appeal to both men and women.” — Huntington News   “Chan’s compassionate novel . . . blends elements of mystery, suspense and romance . . . [and] culminates in a beautifully rendered denouement that rekindles hope for a troubled world.” — Shelf Awareness Darcie Chan is the New York Times bestselling author of the eBook sensation The Mill River Recluse and the upcoming novel The Mill River Redemption . She has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal . For fourteen years, Chan worked as an attorney drafting environmental and natural resource legislation for the U.S. Senate. She now writes fiction full-time and lives north of New York City with her husband and son. Chapter 1 As she gazed out the bay window in her bedroom, Mary McAllister knew this night would be her last.   Outside, the February darkness was suffused with light from the town. Thick snowflakes floated past the window. Only the Mill River itself, for which the small Vermont village was named, escaped the snow covering. Its center flowed, black and snakelike, along the edge of the sleeping town.   With her left hand, Mary stroked a large Siamese cat curled next to her on the adjustable bed. With her right, she tucked a few strands of fine white hair behind her ear. Mary’s eyes, one clear and blue, the other gray and cloudy, were fixed on the storm outside.   She wondered what they would think of her when they discovered what she had done.   The bedroom was dark, but the few lights from the town shone upward, enough to support a faint reflection of her face on the window glass. Mary looked at the reflection through her good eye. Pale and thin, she was the face of death superimposed on the darkness.   She drifted in and out of sleep, awakened every few minutes by the excruciating pain in her abdomen. Finally, her hand shaking, she reached for the bottle of pills and the cup of water at her bedside.   Mary poured the pills into her hand and then swallowed them all, a few at a time, with the water. She would leave this world in peaceful solitude. She would do so before her pain was so great—before her mental faculties were so diminished—that she couldn’t leave on her own terms.   She thought of Michael. The priest had left, as he had promised, but she wondered if he was still awake in the parish house. He would find her tomorrow. She knew it would be difficult for him, but he was prepared for the inevitable. T