Lynne Hinton is probably best known for her Hope Springs trilogy - a series that explored women's friendships, love, loss and ultimately faith. In her new book, The Arms of God, Lynne further explores these themes but does so on a darker and deeper level. The Arms of God is the richest and most intimate book that Lynne Hinton has ever written. It is the book that she was meant to write.

Alice is making her daughter dinner when her mother Olivia, who left her at a day care center when she was four years old, appears at her door. Although Alice has managed to navigate an unforgiving foster care system to build a good life for herself, she has never really recovered from her mother's disappearance. Olivia's sudden reappearance is like a quiet, unexplained gift. Over the next couple of weeks Alice asks Olivia to dinner. Olivia is always dropped off by a friend and sits peacefully as Alice and her daughter talk over the meal. One afternoon Alice gets a call from the hospital telling her that Olivia is dead. The only identification the hospital could find was Alice's number with the word "daughter" written underneath it. She goes to pick up Olivia's things and finds the key to her apartment. It is here that the mystery of Olivia's past is slowly uncovered and Alice begins to understand how the power of hatred can hold a woman down and how the power of friendship can lift her up again.

Linda McFall
St. Martin's Press

"Lynne Hinton is a born storyteller, here at the top of her form, writing with compassion and understanding."

Lee Smith,
author of The Last Girls

"Through memorable characters and lovely language, Lynne Hinton tells a story of forgiveness and personal transformation with remarkable grace and skill."

Ann Howard Creel,
author of The Magic of Ordinary Days

"Beautifully written and captivating from the very first line, The Arms of God. is one of Lynne Hinton's best novels yet. Long after the last page has been turned, the characters will continue to linger in the minds of all who read this haunting story."

Michael Morris,
author of Long Way Home

"Everyone who has read and enjoyed Lynne Hinton's books, will love The Arms of God . This lovely book will add to her roster of fans. Moving and touching and everything a good book should be."

Philip Gulley,
author of the Harmony Series

"Lynne Hinton has gifted us with a wondrous novel. Sit at the feet of her characters and learn from them. Love and grief, truth and courage bloom wildly in the garden of their lives. Read this book slowly 'like a prayer book'. The poetry of these words will sing to you and anoint your soul with every page you turn. Do not deprive yourself of The Arms of God."

Macrina Wiederkehr,
author of Gold in Your Memories

"If you thought you had Lynne Hinton pegged as a novelist, think again. The Arms of God is a stunning leap for what was already a gifted storyteller. Hinto gives us the profoundly moving story of a woman searching for the soul of the mother who abandoned her years ago and finding, in the journey, frighteningly dark places and ultimately, understanding and forgiveness. The characters are compelling, the writing graceful. You won't find a better book than this one any time soon."

Robert Inman,
author of Captain Saturday and Dairy Queen Days

"A furious literary baptism...

Like a river that whispers, bekons, conjures, and then swallows, The Arms of God seduces us into a spiraling dry ocean of sorrow, reverence, bittersweet remembrance, unconditional love, and shows us the many faces and languages of grace."

Lynne Hinton picks up every nuance, color, taste, whisper and sigh of ache and redemption and serves us a feast of holiness."

Jaki Shelton Green,
NC Poet