Diane L

Louise is an octogenarian with an illness that she hasn't disclosed to her children. Her children are worried about her and think that she should move into an assisted living facility. Louise wants to stay in her home so the compromise is to have someone live with her, take her to appointments and run errands for her.

Enter Tanner, a promising scholarship athlete who has an unexpected accident that changes the trajectory of her life. She leaves school, returns home and becomes a video game playing couch potato. Her parents want her to get out and on her own. Tanner does too but doesn't have the means to do so. Through a mutual acquaintance Tanner and Louise are brought together.

What Tanner, or even Louise's children, do not know is that Louise has a criminal past that she's kept hidden for over 40 years. When the past comes back to haunt Louise, she decides to go on the run. Tanner feels an obligation to make sure Louise is going to be okay, plus Louise dangles a large sum of money in front of Tanner. Enough to enable her to return to college, which is her dream. So the two head out on a cross country journey.

Tanner and Louise aren't exactly bosom buddies at the beginning of their trek, but as the journey continues across the country they find that they both need one another more than they think they do and a friendship of convenience becomes one of true regard for one another.

Their adventure eventually takes them to California to see a friend named George who may have a connection to Louise's mysterious past. What is George's connection with Louise? Will Louise's mysterious past ever catch up with her? Will Tanner ever return to college?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little mystery mixed with a dose of comedy and a side of artifice.