Lester’s Gift is a new novel by Sunshine Coast author Judi Lees. As a travel writer, she has written six guide and travel/outdoor books and has journeyed to 70 countries. Not surprisingly, one of the main characters in this self-published novel (Friesen Press) is also a travel writer. Rachel is a free spirit, a talkative, sunny woman who meets a grieving, withdrawn Lester in an airport one day. She befriends him and encourages him to enjoy his trip to Mexico, his first foray after the sudden, mysterious death of his wife. Sometimes the enjoyment takes unusual forms, as when the two pay a visit to a Mexican shaman who performs a frightening ritual.
The book is part travel yarns and part touching account of a man mourning the loss of his beloved wife. The author adds a dash of mystery/suspense to the mix since the reader – and the police – do not know why Lester’s wife was murdered or what she was doing in the wrong part of town.
Rachel, who travels to a variety of exotic locations around the globe, is increasingly attracted to Lester although she leaves her options open for other interesting men that she meets on media trips. As she is childless by choice and from a single parent family, she doesn’t always understand Lester’s devotion to his daughters, who have also suffered from the loss of their mother, but she’s learning.
Given the subject matter – grief and loss – the book is surprisingly upbeat. Lester discovers the joy of travel and a side of himself that he didn’t know existed. Yes, he does learn more about the murder of his wife but that won’t be revealed in this review. For an engrossing story and some armchair travelling, you had better buy the book.
Lester’s Gift is available at Talewind Books in Sechelt, on Amazon, Goodreads and Chapters/Indigo.
