Pages: 352
Publisher: Waterbrook
Pub Date: September 5, 2017
About the book (from Amazon):
Decades of Loss, an Unsolved Mystery,
and a Rift Spanning Three Generations
Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.
Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.
When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?
and a Rift Spanning Three Generations
Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.
Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.
When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?
My thoughts...
Oh my goodness...I LOVED this book! I'm not a follower of Kim Vogel Sawyer, so it was by chance I picked up this novel to review. Anyone that knows me knows how much I adore covers, and choosing to read a book by it's cover is often how I roll (shh....I know you're not supposed to do that, but I just can't help it). I fell in love with this cover the moment I saw it, and actually the title also (I've always loved the name Margaret, it was my grandmother's, and I wanted to name one of our twins that with the shortened nickname of Maggie. But alas my husband didn't agree. But that's a story for another time).
I love the characters in this story. Besides being likable and intriguing, they are very well developed and have a depth to them that not all authors take the time to create. Hazel, Diane, and Meghan have unique family dynamics that are not uncommon in the real world today. And while Meghan's co-workers are rarely mentioned, Sean does play an integral part in the story.
The disappearance of young Maggie, in 1943, reminded me of Lisa Wingate's recently released novel, "Before We Were Yours" (which I reviewed for Library Journal). Sawyer does not mention that her story is based on actual events (as Wingate's was), but it's easy to imagine that something like that did indeed take place.
The pacing of the story is spot on, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I give this book 5 stars and highly recommend adding it to your reading pile. In fact, I'd love to give away my copy to someone located in the continental US. Enter my rafflecopter giveaway to win this book...stop by each day during the contest to enter!
**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion**
I love the characters in this story. Besides being likable and intriguing, they are very well developed and have a depth to them that not all authors take the time to create. Hazel, Diane, and Meghan have unique family dynamics that are not uncommon in the real world today. And while Meghan's co-workers are rarely mentioned, Sean does play an integral part in the story.
The disappearance of young Maggie, in 1943, reminded me of Lisa Wingate's recently released novel, "Before We Were Yours" (which I reviewed for Library Journal). Sawyer does not mention that her story is based on actual events (as Wingate's was), but it's easy to imagine that something like that did indeed take place.
The pacing of the story is spot on, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I give this book 5 stars and highly recommend adding it to your reading pile. In fact, I'd love to give away my copy to someone located in the continental US. Enter my rafflecopter giveaway to win this book...stop by each day during the contest to enter!
**I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion**
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