Rhonda Keith

The Wish Book Rhonda Keith

Del Forester, aunt of flea-market entrepreneur Clare Bower, must finally be senile because she thinks she can still order from a 1947 catalogue. Then Aunt Del's order arrives ? including a brand-new antique wringer washing machine ? in a new antique delivery truck driven by a mysterious young man whose nametag reads Jackson. Clare takes advantage of Del's pipeline to the past and opens a thriving business selling unlimited supplies of brand-new antiques. Meanwhile, she can't beg, trick, or seduce any information from Jackson about where he gets all that catalogue merchandise, or who he is, why he drives a different new antique truck every day, and why he seems to be a veteran of every war. The catch to Clare's good fortune is that only Aunt Del's catalogue orders can be filled. Clare's checks to Sears are returned with letters saying that of course those old catalogues are defunct. When Del dies, Clare is faced with a terrible decision, one that ultimately gets her tried for murder. Magical realism.