THE BEST OF US gives us a happy reunion with some of Robyn Carr's absolutely best characters -- and that's saying something since I don't think I've met one yet that I don't love. In THE BEST OF US, Robyn Carr sets out to complete some families that probably didn't even realize they were missing something but this author did. And one of the stars is none other than Sully, a character who has been in the supporting cast in previous books, who I was glad to see as a lead character.

We know that Robyn Carr is a hopeful romantic but in THE BEST OF US many of the characters are busy with life and careers. They are busy with the mundane daily rituals. And then life takes some unexpected turns and rituals are thrown out the door.

Sully Sullivan is still busy overseeing Sullivan's Crossing which changes with the seasons just like the leaves on the trees. Dr. Leigh Culver has settled in town and runs the emergency clinic. In small towns, people run into one another all the time, but that doesn't mean they know each other well. This is the case with Dr. Culver and Rob Shandon, the owner of the local pub. Both Leigh and Rob have hectic lives, between busy jobs and in Rob's case, also raising his teenage sons.

An accident involving Finn's hand leads to Leigh and Rob spending more time together, and both are surprised to find themselves looking forward to seeing each other more. Neither Leigh nor Rob feel they have time to devote to a relationship, but they're enjoying spending time with someone other than Leigh's older Aunt Helen or Rob's sons.

Aunt Helen brought up Leigh, and it's just been the two of them most of their lives. Helen is a mystery author and has the flexibility to visit Leigh often. Her latest visit has her spending quite a bit of time at Sullivan's Crossing, where it seems she and Sully have more in common than most folks would expect. Sully just can't get over that sweet Helen writes very detailed sometimes gruesome murder mysteries and never fails to poke fun about it. A strange couple for sure, but wondrous all the same.

Robyn Carr likes to end chapters with quotes. Here's one I loved: "There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way, and not starting." It's something we can all learn from. Don't miss THE BEST OF US!