Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The memorable scenes are powerfully drawn. . . . A spiritual mystery . . . both moving and brave.”—The New York Times Book Review The acclaimed author of the phenomenal bestseller The Road Less Traveled adds a natural gift for storytelling to his spiritual insight and profound awareness of human nature in this mesmerizing, deeply moving new work. Among those within the self-contained world of the Willow Glen nursing home are two extraordinary people. One is there to give care, the other to receive it. Yet together they form a bond of love and trust that transcends their expectations and changes their lives. Stephen Solaris—Imprisoned in a helpless body since birth, unable to even speak, he has an incredible ability to touch the hearts and minds of those around him with the power of his personality. Heather Barsten—a nurse whose devotion to her patients surpasses her ability to fulfill her own needs. From Stephen she learns the importance of being true to one’s heart—and she finds herself falling in love. Then violence shatters Willow Glen. Now a murderer roams the halls of the home, and the residents and staff must confront a truly terrifying evil and face their innermost fears, suspicions, and darkest secrets. . . . A Bed by the Window is an exceptional work, a gripping psychological thriller and a luminous synthesis of Peck’s thinking on good and evil, spiritual growth, and the miracles worked by love. “Scott Peck . . . [is] a born storyteller. . . . His unique insights and wisdom [come] through pin] pure story. This is . . . a page-turner, a book that you start and can’t put down.”—Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle of Time