Bringing Maggie Home ~ Review

Bringing Maggie Home
By Kim Vogel Sawyer

For decades Hazel DeFord has been haunted by a single choice - a choice that altered her family forever - a choice that cost her Maggie.

In series of back and forths from the past and the present the mystery that makes Hazel DeFord the woman that she is. The book opens in 1943 on the fateful day that Hazel lost her little sister Maggie. This loss changed Hazel and her parents forever but losing Maggie was just the first step in many that bring us to the Hazel of today.

Hazel is beloved by her only granddaughter Meghan. But her daughter Diane has nothing but bitterness and resentment for her mother and the bond that she shares with Meghan. Neither woman has any idea of the painful secret that Hazel has been keeping for 70 years. But when the three women all come together at Hazel's home just before her 80th birthday the truth will be revealed.

Determined to help her grandmother find the peace that has eluded her and to shed the guilt that has shaped her perceptions and personality Meghan uses her skills in an attempt to uncover the truth. Meghan never expected her job as a cold case agent to take on a personal motivation. And time is a factor as so much has passed and her grandmother seems to be exhibiting some suspect symptoms that have Meghan and even Diane concerned.

Having read Kim Vogel Sawyer's work in the past I was anticipating another well-written book and my expectations were not disappointed. The characters were believable and one felt so bad for Hazel as scenes from her childhood unfolded following the loss of Maggie. This book is one that will touch the heart as each character's life plays out in little glimpses into the past. This cover is perfect as it captures the key moment of the loss in a subtle way. Another highly recommended book that is suitable for readers mid-teens and up.

I received a review copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review - with no expectations of a positive review - all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Book:

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?