Handle With Care
- Judith D Collins
- Mar 16
- 3 min read
Narrator: Jane Oppenheimer
ISBN: 978-1400345069
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Fiction
Publication Date: 04/14/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Three women walk into a post office. No, this isn't the beginning of a joke. It's the beginning of a hostage situation.
On an ordinary spring afternoon in a small-town post office, a domestic dispute spirals out of control. The husband pulls a gun and barricades himself inside with four hostages--his wife, a young woman searching for her purpose in this world, a midlife mom facing her only daughter's graduation and imminent departure, and an elderly woman hiding a secret about her life at home. Outside, even the negotiator is forced to put aside her own personal baggage in order to find a peaceful resolution to a volatile situation . . . using exclusively words.
Each of the three women who walked into the post office is carrying something that, if mailed, would profoundly change her life. Through the course of the daylong siege, these strangers will forge unforeseen bonds and reveal things to each other they haven't even told those closest to them. And none of them will ever be the same.
Praise
'HANDLE WITH CARE is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride in the most everyday of settings--a local post office, a place where humanity intersects, where we usually keep our heads down, unaware of each other's private pain. Marybeth Mayhew Whalen crafts a gripping story around this idea, rich with complex characters, a tightly woven plot and natural suspense that will keep readers hooked until the very last page.'
-- Belle Burden, author of STRANGERS: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE
'I am a huge fan of Marybeth Mayhew Whalen and will read everything she writes! HANDLE WITH CARE manages to be a pulse pumping thriller but also a women supporting women heartwarming tale. I can't wait to sell this gem at Fabled.'
-- Elizabeth Barnhill, adult book buyer at Fabled Bookshop and Cafe
'In HANDLE WITH CARE, Whalen delivers a heart-thumping story with her signature warmth and insight. This moving novel reminds us that every life is a balance of hope and heartbreak, resilience, and regret. With each twist and turn, Whalen reveals that life is fragile, love is fierce, and we are far more alike than we imagine.'
-- Elizabeth Bass Parman, author of BEES IN JUNE and THE EMPRESS OF COOKE COUNTY
'On an ordinary afternoon in a small Southern town, four women's lives collide at the worst possible time. In HANDLE WITH CARE, Whalen delivers an emotionally charged hostage drama where no one's walking out the same. Cleverly written and unexpectedly tender, this one's unforgettable in all the right ways.'
-- Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of THE EXPAT AFFAIR
'This beautiful novel gives readers what we most need these days--a deep breath of humanity and hope. It's a story taught with suspense and uncertainty, but it's also filled with bursts of joy, kindness, and connection. You will love these women. You are these women.' -
- Gin Phillips, author of FIERCE KINGDOM and RUBY FALLS
About the Author
Photo by Kristee Mays Photography
Marybeth Whalen is the author of Every Moment Since and nine previous novels. Marybeth received a BA degree in English with a concentration in Writing and Editing from NC State University a long time ago and has been writing ever since. She is the co-founder of The Book Tide, an online community of readers where "a rising tide raises all books." Marybeth and her husband Curt are the parents of six children, with only one left at home. A native of Charlotte, NC, Marybeth now calls Sunset Beach, NC home. Visit her online at: www.marybethwhalen.com; Instagram: @marybethwhalen; Facebook: @marybethwhalen
