THE TIDE ALWAYS RETURNS Caroline Marcum thought she’ d put the great mistake of her life behind her when she left Wellfleet, but is forced to face it when she returns to her childhood home on the bay to care for her dying mother. Ridley Neal thought he’ d put his past— and his prison term— behind him when he returned home to take over his father’ s oyster and clam farm in the harbor. Casual acquaintances long ago, their lives intersect once again during a fierce nor’ easter. But suspicions are soon raised when a lawsuit threatens Rid’ s livelihood and a chance encounter with the woman Caroline most dreads results in threats and vandalism. Each burdened with guilt and struggling with mistrust, they must set aside their fears and take a chance on the possibility of forgiveness and love. Inspired by a 1996 lawsuit, Lynne Hugo transforms the pain and potential of human frailty into a beautifully rendered story of hope.