‘We Expect Better Things provides it all: fabulous storytelling, an psychological effect that lingers lengthy after you change the last web page, and a establishing that immerses you. I haven’t go through such a robust, moving story since I browse To Eliminate a Mockingbird in high school. This reserve will change how you go through the world we live in. Highly recommended!’–Colleen Coble, USAToday bestselling author of the Rock and roll Harbor series as well as the Watch From Rainshadow Bay ‘A timely exploration of race in America, We Expect about We Hope for Better Things Better Things can be an exercise of empathy that may shape many a soul. Erin Bartels navigates this sensitive topic with compassion as she shifts her readers backwards and forwards between past and present, nudging us to examine the secrets we keep, the grudges we keep, as well as the prejudices we may help create also without purpose.’–Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling writer of Perennials ***** When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James High, his unusual request–that she research a member of family she didn’t know she had to be able to deliver a vintage camera and a container of photos–seems like it isn’t worth her time. However when she manages to lose her job after a botched analysis, she suddenly finds herself with only period. At her great-aunt’s 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and concealed graves. As she looks for answers to the riddles around her, the impressive tales of two females who lived in this extremely home emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage when confronted with war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth shortly discovers, the past is never as past as we would like to believe. Debut novelist Erin Bartels requires readers on an psychological trip through time–from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad through the Civil War–to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love would go to hide.