The "Classic Catherine" Anniversary Edition of WALTER'S PURPLE HEART is now

available for sale, with a new Author's Note by Catherine Ryan Hyde!

"Hyde still soars, turning out another heartwarming tale. Hyde has a sure

touch with affairs of the heart." -Publishers Weekly

"Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde's unwavering brilliance, 'Walter's Purple

Heart' is a clear-cut gem." -Kelly Milner Halls, The Denver Post

From the bestselling author of DON'T LET ME GO, SECOND HAND HEART, WHEN I

FOUND YOU, and PAY IT FORWARD, comes a flight of sheer imagination: the

story of a love affair that spans two lives, two incarnations—and the many

repercussions of a young life cut short by war.

Michael Steeb is an aimless twenty-one-year-old pot farmer in Central

California in the 1980s. He has no real plans or interests...until the day he

connects with memories of a life that seems to belong to someone else. That

"spirit" is Walter, a young American soldier killed in World War II.

Michael's task is the near-impossible: to lead Walter's family to closure

and peace, to deliver the real truth behind Walter's Purple Heart, and to

somehow achieve the forgiveness absent for so many years so Walter can move

on. Michael sets out to find Walter's best friend Andrew, and Mary Ann, the

fiancée Walter left behind. Mary Ann recognizes Walter in Michael

immediately. But Andrew sets out to prove that Michael is the worst sort of

con man.

Narrated in large part by Walter from beyond the grave, WALTER'S PURPLE

HEART is a fast-paced war drama and a deeply felt romance, with a unique

twist on the prospect of multiple lives. Catherine Ryan Hyde paints an

enduring portrait of a life prematurely lost, and the endless ripples of

consequence to those who loved him, in a microcosm that sheds light on the

true gravity of war.

"Hyde is a remarkable, insightful storyteller, creating full-bodied

characters whose dialogue rings true, with not a word to spare....it's

compelling enough that readers may find themselves finishing it at a single

sitting." -Library Journal