The Sunlight Through the Clouds: A Novel

On a cold evening just before Christmas, after eighty-two-year-old curmudgeon André Furlong makes the disturbing decision to kill his wife, a series of unfortunate events and a chance encounter with an insightful stranger change the course of this World War II vet’s life. Set against the blue-collar, post-WWII cultural diversity of Hartford, Connecticut’s south end, an aging and dwindling immigrant community, The Sunlight Through the Clouds settles into an authentic and frank story of a man’s dead marriage alive only out of habit. The dark humor found in the daily existence of André’s life and how he cynically views the world provide a unique backdrop for his diabolical mission. As André shuns the world, confining himself to his apartment, sketching his deadly plan, a tragedy occurs. Then André uncovers a devastating secret about his wife—a secret that will upend André’s miserable existence. Suddenly, a man who’s had every decision made for him is forced to make a choice that could change everything.

"One of America’s finest ... crime writers.” —Vincent Bugliosi, #1 NY Times bestselling author

“I’m known for my true crime books,” author M. William Phelps says. “I write nonfiction focused on serial killers and murderers. This novel is no doubt a major departure in that respect, and yet there are elements of my day job stamped all over it.”