The sequel to R. A. Comunale's highly praised first novel Requiem for the Bone Man follows the continuing story of Dr. Robert Galen and his friends, Robert and Nancy Edison, as they adjust to semiretirement on a mountaintop in northeastern Pennsylvania, raising and caring for the three orphaned Hidalgo children they rescued and adopted. Along the way, the six residents of the mountain interact with a variety of individuals—human and animal—who also are seeking sanctuary, and even redemption, on the property that becomes known as Safehaven. In ways mystical, magical, and even heroic, Comunale once again envelops readers in a fictional world that is often harrowing, but always captivating.

Requiem for the Bone Man is a moving, compelling first novel, told with the assurance and skill of a born storyteller. It is also a meditation on the art of healing, as seen in the adventures of its unforgettable central character, Dr. Robert Galen. From his youth as a street-smart son of immigrants to his career as a gifted physician, Galen is tough-minded yet compassionate. Above all, he is deeply human, willing to risk the pain of loss and failure that inevitably comes to those with an unshakeable commitment to a vocation and to friends and loved ones.

The chance discovery of a dead woman on a dingy river bank in New Jersey changed the life of 8-year-old Robert Galen forever; it propelled him into a lifelong study of medicine, beginning under the sage counsel of his mentor, Dr. Agnelli. In turn, his medical career led him to two ill-fated marriages and one would-be recaptured romance. Then, alone and in near despair, Galen found a new reason for being, in his old friend Bob Edison, along with his patient wife, Nancy, and in the three, orphaned Hidalgo children, whom he rescued from the wrath of a hurricane. Together, the six—and a host of other injured souls—attained solace living at Safehaven, the often-miraculous refuge perched on the side of a mountain in the endless hills of northeastern Pennsylvania. R.A. Comunale chronicled this deeply human saga in his first two novels, Requiem for the Bone Man and The Legend of Safehaven, both of which won him widespread praise for his vivid characters and sharp...