Promise of Lumby    by Gail Fraser Order:  USA  Can New American Library, 2009 (2009) Softcover      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Yesterday was a good day. A new book about Lumby arrived and I dug right in. What fun. Author Gail Fraser has a real knack for taking everyday people – all, right, maybe not as everyday as the rest of us – and writing a book about them that is really hard to put down. Sheer delight. A little quirky is how the citizens of Lumby in the Pacific Northwest are described by Mac the carpenter to the new resident veterinarian, Tom Candor. The reader renews acquaintance with Pam and Mark, owners and operators of the Montis Inn. Pam finds that what she dearly wanted may not work out so well after all. Mark still has problems with not making bad decisions. I won't tell of his recent acquisitions. Don't want to spoil the story. Just rest assured that they are worth reading about. One of the storylines is the question the town fathers have about Tom. He seems evasive about his background and this prompts some investigation. Hank, the pink flamingo, continues to turn up dressed appropriately for the moment. The moose who seems to have adopted the town persists in wreaking havoc. The good brothers of Montis Abbey are faced with a drastic change in their lives and an important decision must be made by them collectively. The Promise of Lumby is character driven, wonderfully so. Most of the residents of Lumby are not anything like my next door neighbors, unfortunately. Maybe my little village would perk up some with an injection of blind Jeremiah and his horse Isabella. The Lumby series is always a breath of fresh air and one that is appreciated by this reader. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews