The Lost Letter

In Cantor's latest novel (after The Hours Count and Margot), a mysterious letter with an unusual stamp reveals a family secret from World War II. Katie Nelson's life is not going well when she delivers her father's stamp collection to an appraiser in 1989 Los Angeles. Her father is suffering from Alzheimer's, and she has spent the past year getting him settled into an assisted-living facility. Her husband, who also happens to be her boss, has filed for divorce. The appraiser, Benjamin, however, does find one possible treasure—a letter with a German stamp from Nazi-occupied Austria, containing a hidden edelweiss flower. When Katie mentions this letter to her father, his agitated reaction propels her and Benjamin on a search for its meaning. Little does Katie realize that the quest for both the intended letter recipient and the stampmaker will lead her to her own family history.