Heather Cochran, The Return of Jonah Gray

The Return of Jonah Gray

Heather Cochran

Mira, Mar 2007, $13.95

ISBN 0778323609

Thirty-one-year-old IRS senior auditor Sasha Gardner knows trivia facts like no one does, especially if a number is associated with the information. She is highly regarded at work, but recently feels ennui partly because she has no social life.

She begins getting calls from irate citizens complaining about her upcoming audit of Jonah Gray, a former Wall St. Journal finance reporter turned Stockton Star journalist and popular on his online gardening site. As the new archivist Jeff Hill provides her information on Gray, Sasha finds herself wanting to understand why he gave up a thriving career to become a minor reporter, especially since his social security number reflects his birth in the same area of Virginia hers was. She calls him under the name Jeffrine Hill saying her boss Sasha needed information. As Jeffrine and Jonah become acquainted, Sasha finds herself breaking the primary taboo of an auditor not to cross the professional line of the audited.

This is an amusing yet sad tale as readers will feel empathy towards the lonely Sasha whose knowledge of tidbits enables the audience to understand her better than most lead characters in a contemporary tale. Interestingly, like Sasha, fans will want to know why Jonah gave up journalistic stardom. This bbook is more a refreshing character study with a telephone/web attraction than a straight romance. Heather Cochran provides a terrific tale that grips readers once Jeffrine begins discussing manatees with Jonah.

Harriet Klausner