In the fall of 1919, Thea Hansen’s world seems to spiral out of control. First, her dearly loved father dies suddenly from the influenza epidemic sweeping across the globe. Then her brother, Lloyd, returns from The Great War transformed into a brooding stranger. Could it get any worse? Yes, indeed. With a brutal murder close to home and her brother as chief suspect, Thea’s wildly spinning world … spinning world doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon. She’s lived in bucolic Blessing, Kansas, all her life, after all, and hasn’t had much experience with out-of-control worlds.
Still, the bright and level-headed Thea knows a good thing when she sees it, and she sees it in the person of Augustus Davis. As her brother’s former commanding officer, Gus Davis knows Lloyd is no murderer and as a skilled attorney, he’s determined to prove it. Together, Thea and Gus will deal with unexpected malice and obsession, with assault and fear, with secrets and suspects, and in the end, ordinary little Blessing will hold a lot of shocks for Thea Hansen. Passions revealed. Lies uncovered. Murderers exposed. But what Thea is willing to do to keep her world balanced and her future settled may be the most surprising thing of all.
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Smiling at Heaven concludes where the first novel of Hasley’s Laramie Series began —in Blessing, Kansas. With 40 years between events in the first book and last, the story of the Davis family and their extended lives comes to a satisfying conclusion.
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The Laramie Series
1. Lily’s Sister 2. Waiting for Hope
3. Where Home Is 4. Circled Heart
5. Gold Mountain 6. Smiling at Heaven
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I learned a lot of history about ww11 & the flu epidemic during that time, also about the effects of shell shock & how it was treated. The murder mystery was very involved, but east to follow. The love story was wonderful!
A good story… well written…
I liked the story and didn’t guess the real killer until he/she was actually unmasked.
There, I didn’t give you a spoiler!
It’s a sweet story of post-WWI small town midwest America wrapped around a crime story, a bit of a mystery, and a period love story. The characters are engaging and easy to like or dislike. And the story ends on a happy note, making it a great read for a rainy day or an afternoon at the beach.
This was a great mystery read with really great characters. I would recommend this book to all.
Charactefs are one dimensional. Too good or too bad, no shades of gray here. The p!ot is too simplistic and predictable. However the prose is very good and makes an easy read
probably wonderful for someone. I personally would rather NOT feel dragged down when reading for recreation
A good read. Suspenseful and with interesting characters.
This novel gave me a feel for the time and place it features. Good story line!
Good read!
Good story.
Enjoyed this one book in the series. Found this one first so didn’t read the others but enjoyed the characters and the story. Good read.
I enjoyed this book very much. Loved the characters and the story line.
Hope to read more of her books.
It set the stage as really happening in the 1920’s. I was impressed by the writing and the plot.
Interestingly I thought I knew the murderer so went to the next to last chapter to be sure i was right. I don’t know if I was or not, still reading because a brief scanning of a few lines on a few pages made me realize there had been more hooks and turns than anticipated. Now staying up later than I need to read. The characters don’t seem to be …
Good book.
This book was an easy read, but had it’s twists and turns. Listening to a time in the past where many things were thought of in a different way. Very enjoyable.
readable
I didn’t find the characters engaging or the events true-to-life. I read about half the book and felt I would rather read something else, so didn’t finish it.
I loved the main character, Thea Hansen. She was a no-nonsense girl. I enjoyed reading her thoughts. She was honest and open when she talked to others and tried to see the best in everyone. It also made me think about the effect that war has on people’s lives and how you don’t always know what challenges others are going through.