In the tradition of Nicholas Sparks, Charles Martin makes his mainstream debut with a heart-tugging novel about one man’s unshakeable love for his dying wife. Where the River Ends (Broadway Books) by Charles Martin chronicles a love-filled, tragedy-tinged journey and a bond that transcends all. They’re an unlikely pair:  Doss Michaels grew up in a trailer park in southern Georgia and works as a fishing guide and part-time artist in Charleston; Charleston native and current supermodel Abbie Coleman is the only child of the senior senator from South Carolina.  For her family, it was not a match made in heaven.
    After a decade of happy marriage, Abbie discovers a lump in her breast.  That leads to four years of non-stop medical treatments, toxic drugs, and unending nausea – in short, the end of life as Doss and Abbie knew it.
    When even her doctors throw in the towel, Doss still refuses to give up.  But rather than let his wife waste away at home in the care of hired strangers, Doss packs their bags and slips out with Abbie in the middle of the night.  Together they start a 130-mile river trip down the St. Mary’s River – fulfilling a promise Doss had made to Abbie years ago.
    To spur Abbie to finish the trip, Doss brings along her wish list – 10 things she hoped to accomplish in life.  There is nothing extraordinary on the list.  No Mount Everest climbs, no ultra-marathons, no tours of remote corners of the globe.  The wishes are simple, which is exactly the point.  Because after all the hospital visits and excruciating treatments, ‘normal’ is a fleeting memory.  Doss and Abbie want nothing better than to steal back some time together.  
While the Senator searches to find his daughter – along with most every major news network and law enforcement agency in the South, Doss makes a somewhat heroic push for the river’s end.  He encounters two problems: the river has a mind of its own and Doss has a secret he has not shared, not even with Abbie.
    Charles Martin has written a powerfully emotional and beautiful story of heartbreaking loss and undying love. Martin is also the  acclaimed author of Maggie, The Dead Don’t Dance, When Crickets Die, and Wrapped in Rain: A Story of  Coming Home.
    Charles Martin will sign books at Bay Street Trading Company on  Thursday, August 7 from 5:30 – 7 pm. For more information, call 524-2000.