Decades of Loss, an Unsolved Mystery, and a Rift Spanning Three GenerationsHazel 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 … 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?
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I got this book back in 2017 when it released, but with everything going on in my life, I didn’t read it until now. I’ve loved Kim Sawyer and her books since I first met her many years ago. Her stories are always deeply emotional. This one was no exception. It’s set in Northwest Arkansas, where I spent most of my growing up years. So the setting pulled me in as did the story of a lost little girl and the sister still remember her and longed for her 70 years later. You don’t want to miss this story.
“Bringing Maggie Home” is a powerful and poignant tale of heartbreaking loss and ultimate healing and redemption through love and abiding faith. This is a beautifully-written tale, enriched by author Kim Vogel Sawyer’s exquisite storytelling. Hazel DeFord knows that a moment’s mistake can lead to a lifetime of regret. As a ten-year-old girl in 1943, Hazel lost sight of her of three-year-old sister, Maggie, and the toddler vanished. Seven decades later, still eaten up by an unrelenting guilt, Hazel is distanced from her own daughter, Diane, but close to her granddaughter, Meghan, a cold-case investigator. When an accident forces Meghan to take a leave of absence, three generations of DeFord women find themselves in one another’s company, with Meghan the mediator between her mother and grandmother. This is a chance for family secrets and personal issues to be aired and for cobwebs of doubt to be swept away. Will it also lead to a final resolution of the unsolved case of Maggie’s disappearance? “Bringing Maggie Home” is a wonderful and inspiring read for those who enjoy family drama with added elements of mystery.
Book Copy Gratis via Blogging for Books
If you haven’t read this, stop what you’re doing and go get a copy. Sit with your favorite hot drink and enjoy this book by Kim Vogel Sawyer. And yeah, it’s that good! I listened to the audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator did an excellent job.
This story, and these characters, caught my attention immediately and never let go. With a dysfunctional family, depth of characters, and a mystery to solve, I will be returning to this story!
I enjoyed reading this book from the beginning! It brings to light the misunderstandings that can tear a family apart. Seeing the mother and daughter seek a relationship with God and how it brought them all back together was inspirational. A great book about three strong women and their lives.
It was a little slow in story line
Loved, loved, loved this book.
A beautifully woven story of how 3 women from different generations learn to forgive, trust, and love each other in spite of their differences and wounded pasts.
This story has a little of everything: mystery, romance, crime solving, character development and inspirational encouragement for the soul. It has a balance of tender moments as well as humorous episodes, plus a happy ending!!!!
Loved the characters in this book. Liked the way the author took the time to build the story – loved the ending
Characters felt real.
I Enjoyed reading this book.
Its sad that our world really has not changed same things have been going on from the beginning. We must stay alert and be ready to help those around us.
I book which kept my attention and was very enjoyable
I just loved this book, it is so sad that this really happened many years ago (and I guess still today at some degree). Kim Vogel Sawyer knows how to draw you in and keep you there until the very last page.