Detours to the Good Stuff

It had been ten long years since Katie Munson divorced her husband, Darren Munson. In the wake of his rage and violent abuse, the 32-year-old single mother of four young children had, at last, found the peace, happiness and stability that had eluded her during all those years of fear, dating disasters, loneliness and uncertainty. In the summer of 1977, Katie married her soul mate, 34-year-old Burt Pomerance, who brought joy, security, love and kindness into their lives. Katie's children finally had the kind of father they deserved and could be proud of. Those first months together as a blended family were the happiest days of their lives...but how long will the family's euphoria last? Sadly, all good things must come to an end. As the children grew older, they were being bussed to school in Lumberton, where their parents also worked. Thus, a move to the city was imminent, despite the kids' defiant and outward objections. Having vacated their home town of Stone Valley, Minnesota, which was as much a part of them as their clothes, the small-town Munson kids faced many new challenges and people in this foreign land known as "the big city." Soon after moving to central Lumberton, some strange things started happening, which triggered a chain of events that most would find impossible to believe. In this heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, dramatic family saga, the young Munson children learn some harsh realities as they assert their independence as teenagers. Then, in the summer of 1983, a terrible tragedy befalls one of the teenaged Munson children, turning all of their lives completely upside down. The Munson/Pomerance clan are forced to start over yet again, but in ways they never could have imagined. Life as they knew it would never be the same. Katie took solace in her wonderfully supportive husband, Burt, who remained steadfast and true throughout the entire ordeal. Unlike her first husband, Katie now had someone to lean on and hold her up when her world was crumbling down. For better or worse, the strength of their marriage will be sorely tested, and the family ties strained to the limit. Through the years, as they strive to become happy, stable, responsible and principled citizens and adults, the Munson siblings realize that their battles have only just begun. Katie Pomerance worried that her tumultuous relationship and marriage to their biological father might impact her three young daughters' choices when it came to boyfriends and, ultimately, a husband. During this gripping journey of self-discovery, it will be revealed to some that true love, once attained, is often contaminated with heartbreak, disappointment, betrayal, abandonment, fear and grief. In this epic third installment in the "Detours" series of books, the Munson/Pomerance family encounter one obstacle after another, weathering their storms together as a family, and independently from one another. Set against the scenic backdrop of the Upper Mississippi River Valley in Southeastern Minnesota, this exhilarating drama is overflowing with nostalgia, history, music, suspense and shocking events. Whether you're young or young at heart, there's something for everyone in this thrilling joyride back through the 1980s (the decade of AIDS, MTV and "yuppies") as the Munson/Pomerance clan navigate the river of life, with dogged determination, to restore their happiness and rebuild their shattered lives...in search of "the good stuff."