Book Review: Sold on a Monday

Sold on a Monday is a tender tale inspired by an actual newspaper photograph. Kristina McMorris thrusts us into the world of the 1930's and teases out the troubles of single parents in a time of economic uncertainty. It, again, visits that intriguing idea I have recently wrestled with: how seemingly insignificant actions can have unintentional and long-reaching ramifications.

When Ellis Reed stumbles onto a pair of young boys holding a sign that reads "2 children for sale," he cannot imagine the chain of events his small snapped photo will instigate. He doesn't even bother to pitch the photo to his editor at the paper where he works, but someone else finds the photo in the darkroom and passes it along. Could it be the break of a lifetime? His editor requests a story to go with the photo. Lillian Palmer, the editor's secretary, encourages Ellis to find a personal angle to the story. It doesn't take much to stir the pain of the past within him, as he thinks of the brother he lost as a child.

Lillian battles her own scars. She hides her young son's existence (he lives with her parents in another town) so she can maintain her job at the paper. Her hopes of landing her own column seem out of reach until the Lindbergh baby is stolen. As a mother, she recognizes the agony faced by both Mrs. Lindbergh and the mother of the two young children affected by the scandalous photo Ellis took. Can Ellis and Lillian find a way to right the wrongs?

I loved the cover and the premise. Although the pacing flagged a bit, I continued to listen. I would give the book three stars. It didn't bowl me over, but it was still a worthwhile investment of time.