Meet Amy Pendino

A tree in rural Iowa bears witness to generations of human experience—and deadly secrets.

Dani Holden thinks moving to an old farmstead will help her forget her past. She agrees to help neighbors take down a strange double-headed tree that has stood alone between two fields for almost a century. Unexplainable accidents begin haunting those who help, and Dani must uncover a community's secret before tragedy claims her as its next victim.

Dani's not the only one running from her past—two generations ago, young Lilly Bradstreet is not the person her small town wants her to be. She falls in love with a Mexican migrant worker and is forced to choose between her family's wishes, her passionate romance, and the life of freedom she's always dreamed of.

Lilly's long-forgotten quest for independence and Dani's search for answers intertwine at the foot of the Witness Tree, whose secrets are darker and more unnerving than either woman ever expected. Vivid depictions of small-town bonds, young love, racism, and women who've dreamed and been denied make The Witness Tree a moving, page-turning debut novel.

Amy Pendino is a Minnesota native. She works as a middle school teacher by day and a horse midwife by night. Formerly a keyboard player for a local band, she's also waitressed, worked as a secretary, sang backup for an international star, and horseback rides a new mountain range every summer. She belongs to the Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime. Her writing has been published in several magazines and reviews; this is her first published novel. For more information or to read her blog, please visit amypendino.com