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All Saints

AS_cover copyAvailable for purchase here.

From the Washington Post:

“This stunning debut novel weaves the stories of three lonely people into a lyrical tale of hope and spiritual redemption. The setting, 1950s New Orleans, is vividly evoked, from the sinister streets to the lush gardens. Karen Palmer brilliantly captures the dual nature — repressive and libertine — of this singular city; she subtly anticipates the racial and social changes brought by the ’60s. Palmer has a keen ear for dialogue; she uses the lovely cadences and haunting images of Cajun speech … to great effect.

Much happens — beatings, baptisms, burnings — but the book’s climax comes in a long journey to Cajun country by the threesome, now linked together by the strange workings of fate. Helping each other, they refresh their weary souls. Palmer has written an amazing, inspiring book.”

From the New York Times:

“Harlan Dessonier has just served eight years in prison for accidentally killing his wife in a fit of jealous passion. Bedeviled by the past and afraid to return to what’s left of his family, he haunts the outskirts of other people’s lives. Glory Wiltz is a nurse, a single mother living with her her small son after fleeing a biracial marriage. Father Frank Doyle is a Roman Catholic priest on the lam from his diocese in search of spiritual rejuvenation. Stir them all together in the cauldron of 1950s New Orleans and you’ve got Karen Palmer’s powerful first novel All Saints — a gumbo of sex and blues, religion and death, racism and revenge.”

“Richly atmospheric, tenderly imagined, beautifully told.”  — Boston Globe

All Saints has its roots in New Orleans, its heart in the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, and its soul frequently in the clutch of demons.”
Portsmouth Herald

“Taut, vivid.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Impressive.” — Baton Rouge Advocate

“Palmer masterfully plots a tale of love, passion, suspense, forgiveness and self-discovery.”  — Denver Post

“Beautiful.” — Rocky Mountain News

“Highly recommended.” — Library Journal

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