Bringing Maggie Home


I'm going to be brutally honest: I've never been a fan of Kim Vogel Sawyer's books before. Not that there's anything wrong with them, or her writing - there isn't - they just aren't my usual fare. They tend toward the Hallmark sappy style, and while I love Hallmark movies, I don't prefer them in my reading material. However, I decided to give Bringing Maggie Home a shot because the plot sounded so interesting and is in my generally enjoyed genres (Christian, mystery, suspense, police procedural), and I'm glad I did. The back cover says:

"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?"

I love the interweaving of the stories of grandmother, mother, and granddaughter. This book really shines in its opening scenes in 1943, its character and world building, and its easy reading, soothing feel. This is a great balance of mystery, sweetness, family drama, and suspense. My only complaint about this book is that the pace is a bit slow in the middle, but it picks up toward the end. The book is very slow moving until things pick up and much time is spent on the character building and scene setting. I was able to (mostly) enjoy that for what it's worth, but this definitely isn't a thrilling page turner - it's more of a slow and winding journey to the finish line. It's the type of book you want to pick up and read at the beach or on a sleepy rainy day with a cup of coffee. Overall a good book and I recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse in order to provide an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

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