The Keepers

Review\nJoy Lynn Goddard is a storytelling artist. She weaves believable characters into a web of relationships that become more intricate with each chapter. The reader will not want to put the book down. The story takes us to the heart of life: family and relationships. The main character, Beth (Elizabeth Marshall), walks the fine line trying to find balance in her life. As a single mom working to keep the family vineyard thriving, she is faced with the challenge of parenting her troubled teenage son and the strong influence of his peers. Juxtaposed with her family life she struggles with all the elements that can't be controlled; the fickle nature of farming, the business of running the Kingfisher Winery and a spate of negative social media. Enjoy your visit to Prince Edward County, Ontario, as Joy Lynn Goddard brings it and small town rural life alive, where matters of the heart are universal. When friends ask, "Have you read a good book lately?" I will be telling them to read The Keepers! --Ellen Akerman, author of Buddy's Story\nThe Quinte area has enjoyed a generous share of talented and successful writers, both fiction and non-fiction. A name that should be added to that growing list is Joy Lynn Goddard, a Picton-raised girl, who has been making a success with her books in partnership with her husband Dan Pike. Their latest book is called The Keepers, set in a fictional winery and tourist accommodation in Prince Edward County.
Goddard thoroughly paints a cast of characters involved in a gripping story which includes a brutal murder, marital stress and breakup, a troubled teenage boy as a result, illicit drugs and wild beach parties, troubles with neighbours and budding new romances.
Richard, a successful writer, finds he is drying up and abandons his estranged wife to recover in the quietude of a summer let house at the winery. He soon gets involved with single mom Beth, the do-it-yourself and competent owner and her family and neighbours.
Alexandre, Beth's son, is a diamond in the rough teenager seemingly bent on a troubled life, getting involved with irresponsible friends and wild partyers.
When a troublesome neighbour is found murdered in a shed at the winery, Beth quickly becomes the prime suspect and Richard pitches in to help clear her name.
Lots of tense moments in this gripping story, with a suitably happy ending, and recognition of the real problems some people have to face, often alone. This is a book for anyone from mid teens up. Exciting, enjoyable and beautifully portrayed. --Journalist Jack Evans\nA story full of texture.Joy has captured the delicate relationships within families and friends, the teens who are navigating the emotional turmoil of trying to grow up, acting out, pushing for independence, sometimes at the cost of hurting both themselves and others. The adults are traversing through work, divorce, singlehood, and parenting. A good read! --Sherry Levine, author of Charlie D and the Crabapple Tree\nDespite struggling to raise a troubled teenage son on her own, Beth Marshall has no intention of selling her beloved vineyard and moving to the city where her ex-boyfriend awaits with open arms. She has strong ties to the land, where she is happy living with her granddad and aunt in the old farmhouse, so when she gets an offer to sell her property, she turns it down. Meanwhile, a writer recovering from a shattering past moves into the guest house, tugging at her heart. She's not going anywhere.
But after her granddad discovers a dead body in their shed, Beth fights jail time. She can't imagine a worse nightmare until she gets a call in the middle of the night with shocking news about her son!\nFrom the Author\nChildren's mental health is a growing concern in today's schools. Often kids suffer in silence because of the stigma attached to their mental health needs. Mental health organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association work hard to change this mindset. It can't co