“Unveiling the Past” by Kim Vogel Sawyer – Review

Newlyweds Sean Eagle and Meghan DeFord are no strangers to pain and loss. As cold-case detectives, they know intimately the anguish family members endure after the murder or disappearance of a loved one. But when a new case hits too close to home, it threatens to pull loose the fragile cords of their young marriage.
 
Sheila Menke was just a girl when her father left for work and never returned. An investigation revealed he had embezzled enough to start a new life elsewhere, but Sheila could never accept the court’s criminalization of her father. Meghan reluctantly takes the case, secretly fearing it will stir up buried feelings about her own biological father. And while Sean investigates the mysterious death of two young brothers, he longs to start a family. But Meghan worries that with a negligent mother and an absentee father as her parenting examples, she might never be fit for motherhood.
 
As they delve deeper into the past, both Meghan and Sheila must choose to either stumble along the road of bitterness and resentment or walk the difficult path toward forgiveness and healing. When the cases begin to break wide open, these young women are poised to discover that while earthly fathers may fail, there is one in heaven who is a father to the fatherless.

Sawyer brings DeFord and Eagle into a new story in a fantastic way! I love the fresh look at how each character has grown since they were introduced back in ‘Bringing Maggie Home,’ but Sawyer builds on their weaknesses again and creates a compelling story of faith and how your past affects the vision you have for your future. I enjoyed the parenting advice, the stories of personal responsibility, but especially the idea that we need to look beyond people’s actions to see the person underneath – the one whom God created. Our actions often don’t reflect our intentions, and this is important to understand. Sawyer shades in layer upon layer for each character, developing a real and dynamic cast of characters that are truly fantastic.

I loved the way that Sawyer wraps such deep truths in funny anecdotes. Each character had a bit of comedian in him, and that brought much needed relief to the weightiness of the story.

That humor, along with their determination to advance despite fear or uncertainty is why I’d like to know these characters. They seem like really great people, and they pick fantastic places to eat! I was wanting to go to DeFord’s favorite pizza place throughout the whole book! Seriously, though, their caring and compassionate nature would make anyone lucky to have them as friends, and I love reading about great friendships.

It would be tough to say which book I liked better, “Bringing Maggie Home’ or this sequel; but they’re definitely my favorite Sawyer stories thus far. If you haven’t read her books or are looking for your next meaningful read, give ‘Unveiling the Past’ a try. It won’t disappoint.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Curious about the book that started it all? Read my review for Bringing Maggie Home here!