A solitary man finds his quiet world turned upside down when a precocious young girl shows up on his front porch during a thunderstorm.

Meet Theo Gruene.

Theo is a quiet man with basic needs, preferring phone calls to text messages and books to movies. As a retired, seventy-year-old botanist, he spends his days preserving plant specimens for future university research. He appreciates a dependable routine and prefers solitude.

Enter Penelope.

During a spring thunderstorm, a girl Theo has never met appears at his front door. Despite an oversized lime green raincoat, the child is drenched, and her eyeglasses are rain-splattered. "Please, can I come inside? I missed my school bus by two measly minutes, forgot my apartment key, and don't want to be struck by lightning!" Stunned and a bit suspicious -what if she is a scammer?-Theo invites her inside. He has no idea his life will soon be unrecognizable.

Enter Ivy.

Ivy is a single parent struggling to raise Penelope alone, juggling nursing classes and a low-paying job at the local VA hospital. She's remarkable, and with such a determined spirit, Theo believes she might set the world on fire given different circumstances. He also wonders if there might be more to Ivy's story. Theo suspects everyone has at least one secret closeted away like a scratchy, ill-fitting sports coat.

Enter Covid.

As the pandemic spreads across the globe, even touching Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Theo has lived for almost four decades, Theo slowly opens his comfortable life to infinite possibilities. With an unforgettable cast of endearingly flawed characters, The Third Act of Theo Gruene is a poignant and humorous portrayal of love after loss and a joyful celebration of human connection, even during unprecedented times.

Early Praise: The Third Act of Theo Gruene is a beautifully crafted novel set in the Ozarks during the 2020 pandemic. A poignant exploration of love, loss, and the unexpected connections that shape our lives, this story resonates deeply in a time when many have turned inward. With lyrical prose and heartfelt storytelling, Boerner reminds us of the profound joy found in human connection, making this novel not only a compelling read but an essential one.

Sean Fitzgibbons, author of What Follows is True: The Crescent Hotel