Christa Polkinhorn

The O'Reilly household is in trouble. With her two older children, Laura and Tonio, grown and getting ready to fly the coop, Karla finds out she is pregnant again. Instead of furthering her painting career, she has to raise another child. Andreas looks forward to being a father once more but the little bundle of joy, Emilia, instead of enhancing the relationship to his wife intensifies the tension that has been building between them. More challenges wait in the wings: Andreas catches his son in a compromising position with another man and Arturo, Karla's Peruvian father, has a heart attack. During Karla's stay in Peru where she takes care of Arturo, Andreas gets a little too cozy with a young woman by the name of Susanna. Only when he almost loses Emilia does he come to his senses and embarks on a journey to try to keep his family together. EMILIA deals with the struggle of a family of artists, who try to keep the flame of love and creativity alive through turbulent times. It takes place in Switzerland, France, and Peru.

With a captivating mystery at its core, Letter from a Cave is a suspenseful journey through Switzerland and Italy that will make readers feel a gamut of powerful emotions. Fans of Christa Polkinhorn's other novels will be delighted to meet a few familiar characters. Don't miss your chance to get lost in this unforgettable story Andreas, a Swiss sculptor and stonemason, grieving the loss of his wife from three years ago, discovers an old, abandoned backpack in a cave during his hike in the Swiss mountains. What he finds within the backpack-a letter written by a young Jewish refugee during the Second World War to his pregnant wife in Italy-sets him on a quest with his friend, Luisa, to find out what happened to the man, to his wife, Bella, and her family in Italy. During their search, they meet both helpful people and those who try to prevent them, even by force, from digging into a past filled with heroism but also with cruelty and betrayal. Will the outcome of the quest bring closure and peace, or will it cause turmoil and heartache?

The young painter, Karla Bocelli, is all too familiar with loss. At age five, she lost her mother in a car crash in the south of Switzerland. Her Peruvian father lives at the other end of the world, and a year ago, her aunt and guardian passed away. Now, at age twenty-four, the talented artist has another close encounter with death when she almost gets hit by a speeding car. As if this wasn't fateful enough, the driver turns out to be a sculptor and carver of tombstones. Andreas, however, is anything but morbid. Quick-tempered and passionate, he exudes a rough-and-tumble energy. LOVE OF A STONEMASON is a story about the struggle of two artists with their pasts, their families, their creativity, and their love for each other. It takes the reader on a journey full of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds from the south of Switzerland to Italy and the Peruvian Andes.

Three people with a troubled past meet in Zurich, Switzerland. Six-year-old Karla longs for her dead mother. Anna struggles with her former husband's deception, and Jonas mourns the death of his wife. While caring for little Karla, Anna and Jonas fall in love but sinister events in their past threaten their budding romance. AN UNCOMMON FAMILY is a story about loss, lies, and betrayal but also about the healing power of love and forgiveness. It takes place in Switzerland, New York City, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Standing at her father's grave in California, Sofia Laverne mourns his untimely death. Henry had not only been a loving parent but Sofia's best friend and mentor. Imagine her shock and grief when she finds out her father had lived a double-life, that she has a ten-year younger sister and inherited a vineyard in Tuscany. Torn between anger about his betrayal, grief for her loss, and hopeful anticipation, Sofia packs her bags and takes off for Italy to meet fourteen-year old Julietta. Arriving in the small hill town of Vignaverde, she is greeted by olive groves, neat rows of grape vines, and picturesque houses. Some of the inhabitants of this beautiful estate are, unfortunately, less welcoming and resent her intrusion into the family business. Soon, strange occurrences begin to frighten Sofia. When a suspicious accident lands her in the hospital, Sofia fears for her life.Part family drama, part romantic suspense, THE ITALIAN SISTER takes us on a wild journey from California to Tuscany and provides glimpses into the exciting world of winemaking.

A hidden diary and a crumpled envelope, postmarked in Italy, are the only clues Martin Segantino has to what happened to his younger brother Angelo, the black sheep of the family, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances twenty years ago. When the police find the skeleton of Angelo's close friend buried in one of the fields on the Segantino vineyards, the hunt for Angelo begins. Is he the killer or is he himself a victim? Sofia Segantino, great-niece of Angelo by marriage, embarks on her own search for the missing man. On her trip through the Piedmont region of Italy, she uncovers clues of Angelo's whereabouts, which puts her in grave danger. The local gangsters are equally interested in the elusive Angelo and are ready to do whatever it takes to find him. Will Sofia be able to outsmart them? Part family drama, part suspense, Finding Angelo takes the reader on a thrilling journey from California via Chicago and New York to Italy.

When bottles of wine disappear from the Segantino Winery in Paso Robles, California, and an arson fire kills his close friend, the owner of the estate, Robert Segantino, is faced with the toughest ordeal of his career as winemaker: someone intends to destroy what he has built over the years. As it becomes increasingly clear that members of his staff and of his family are among the suspects, the ambitious wine tycoon is forced to reevaluate his goals in life, and, above all, his relationship to his son and future heir. Part family drama, part suspense, FIRE IN THE VINEYARD, the third book in The Wine Lover's Daughter series, takes the reader on another thrilling adventure through one of California's wine countries.

F r die junge Malerin Karla Bocelli geh rt Verlust zum Alltag. Mit f nf Jahren verlor sie ihre Mutter bei einem Autounfall im S den der Schweiz. Ihr peruanischer Vater lebt am anderen Ende der Welt und vor einem Jahr starb auch die Tante, die sie gro gezogen hatte. Jetzt, im Alter von vierundzwanzig Jahren, wird sie beinahe von einem rasenden Auto angefahren. Als ob das allein nicht schicksalhaft genug w re, ist der Fahrer des Wagen, Andreas, ein Bildhauer und Gestalter von Grabsteinen. Trotz seines Berufs ist Andreas alles andere als morbide. Hitzig und intensiv, strahlt er eine wilde Energie aus. Nach dem st rmischen Anfang ihrer Beziehung wird Andreas f r Karla zum "Felsen" ihres Lebens, das perfekte Antidot zu ihren ngsten des Verlassenwerdens und den Depressionsanf llen. Andreas hat jedoch mit seinen eigenen Problemen zu k mpfen: einem alkoholkranken Vater, der ihn als Kind misshandelte, und seiner Neigung zu Wutanf llen. Gemeinsam m ssen sich die beiden K nstler mit ihren D monen auseinandersetzen.DER STEINMETZ UND DIE MALERIN handelt vom Kampf zweier K nstler mit der Vergangenheit, ihren Familien, ihrer Kreativit t und ihrer Liebe zu einander. Die Geschichte f hrt den Leser auf eine Reise der Sinne vom S den der Schweiz nach Italien und in die peruanischen Anden.

Ein zuf lliges Treffen zwischen einer alleinstehenden Frau, einem Witwer und einer Halbwaise in der Stadt Z rich bringt drei Menschen zusammen, die mit einer Vergangenheit von Verlust und Verrat k mpfen. Die sechsj hrige Karla, deren Mutter bei einem Autounfall ums Leben kam, kann den Verlust nur schwer verkraften. Anna, ihre Tante und Betreuerin, ringt mit dem Verrat ihres fr heren Ehemanns und der Maler, Jonas, trauert seiner verstorbenen Frau nach.Anna und Jonas versuchen der talentierten aber leidenden Karla zu helfen. Dabei entwickeln sie mehr als rein freundschaftliche Gef hle f reinander. Die wachsende Liebe droht jedoch im Keim zu ersticken, als Anna ein finsteres Geheimnis in Jonas' Vergangenheit entdeckt. W hrend die zwei Erwachsenen mit ihrer Beziehung in eine Sackgasse geraten sind, nimmt die junge Karla die Sache in die eigenen H nde. Zusammen mit einer Freundin entwickelt sie einen Plan, mit dem sie die zwei unkooperativen Erwachsenen wieder zusammenbringen will. Der Plan verursacht jedoch ein heilloses Durcheinander und als er zu scheitern beginnt, ist Karla gezwungen, wichtige Lehren daraus zu ziehen. EINE UNGEW HNLICHE FAMILIE ist eine Geschichte ber Verlust, L gen und Verrat, aber auch ber die Kraft der Liebe und der Verzeihung. Sie spielt sich in der Schweiz, in der Stadt New York und in Guadalajara, Mexiko ab.