After suffering the loss of his fiancée, musician Rob Quillan encounters a mysterious man who tells him that the Tufa, a race of people who live in the Mountains of East Tennessee, have a song that can mend his broken heart. That’s all it takes to send Rob on a journey to the deep mountains in search of a cure—no matter how ridiculous it may sound—for his grief.
Folks in Cloud County, whether Tufa or not, are mostly friendly. It’s just pure bad luck that sets Rob in the path of Rockhouse Hicks, a powerful member of the Tufa with secrets that are threatened by Rob’s search for healing. Their first meeting leaves Rob bruised and bloody, but it also changes the way this outsider sees the town and its inhabitants—literally. More importantly, it brings Bliss Overbay into Rob’s life. A high-ranking member of the Tufa, Bliss is able to provide Rob with access to the musical venues where he is most likely to find what he seeks.
Locals are reluctant to share what they know of the Tufa, a mysterious lot who are rumored to have inhabited the mountains even before the Native Americans and to have mystical powers at their command. The one thing that Rob learns for certain is that the Tufa, without exception, love music as much as he does, and they are happy to play, sing, and dance at every opportunity–but none of them will admit knowing of a song that has the power to heal a heart.
As quickly as he makes friends in Cloud County, Rob becomes entangled in the mysteries and the danger that surround them all: a wild girl in the woods, a tourist who disappears, and a woman who is literally dying of desire. Determined to dig until he unearths the song that will set him free of grief, Rob becomes a target of the darkest powers in the mountains.
Wisp of a Thing follows Bledsoe’s acclaimed The Hum and the Shiver, but this latest tale is not a direct sequel to the first book. Wisp of a Thing is, in fact, much better, with a more lyrical writing style to complement the musical background. While the earlier book hinted at Tufa secrets, Wisp of a Thing is more open with the mystical elements and unveils the history of the Tufa as it explores the ongoing power struggle between factions and the true nature of the mysterious beings who live between and among the worlds. As all the storylines converge, Bledsoe gives readers a denouement that both satisfies and leaves us eager for more books in this clever series.