The Guardian

Julie Barenson’s young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died – a puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years later, twenty-nine year-old Julie is far too young to have given up on love. She may be ready to risk caring for someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the sophisticated, handsome engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband’s best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she’s had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire . . . The Guardian contains all the qualities readers expect from Nicholas Sparks. But here, he adds a new electrifying intensity – and page after page of riveting suspense.

Did You Know?—

The Guardian was the first of Nicholas’s novels that is not inspired by true events?

Julie Barenson and Officer Jennifer Romanello got their names from two people on Nicholas’s publishing team?

The Guardian required extensive revisions (and the publication of another book entirely — Nights in Rodanthe), and then went on to spend five months on the bestseller list?