Strange Child

Marvin Johnson was an influential author before his daughter was murdered nearly three decades ago, and now with the death of his wife, he is contemplating suicide.Until Samantha Wilkins, a homeless 16-year-old, invades Murphy's sheltered existence in an impoverished neighborhood in Boston and forces him to face parts of his past he would rather forget.Known as the neighborhood recluse, Marvin is a man whose mystery and eccentricity border on the mythical, especially when he begins...
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Marvin Johnson was an influential author before his daughter was murdered nearly three decades ago, and now with the death of his wife, he is contemplating suicide.Until Samantha Wilkins, a homeless 16-year-old, invades Murphy's sheltered existence in an impoverished neighborhood in Boston and forces him to face parts of his past he would rather forget.Known as the neighborhood recluse, Marvin is a man whose mystery and eccentricity border on the mythical, especially when he begins talking to a small child no one else can see. When Samantha-a quiet girl looking for her mother and a way back to her life--breaks into his apartment and leaves something behind important to her, an unlikely friendship emerges. That friendship is challenged, however, when he finds out that she has been lying to him and stealing from him.When a psychopathic police officer becomes infatuated with Samantha and begins stalking her, Marvin must face his past and decide if he will withdraw back into his safe and private world or try to protect her the way he was unable to protect his own daughter. Fans of Mitch Albom and John Irving will enjoy STRANGE CHILD, where sometimes family, second chances, and Death come from where you least expect them.