Shine Like the Dawn

Maggie and her family are on an outing to celebrate her older sister's birthday when the boat sprang a leak.  When it became apparent that they were not going to be able to get back to shore, Maggie's father told her to swim to shore with her baby sister, Violet, who was only two years old.  Maggie's mother and older sister were not able to swim, but Maggie saved herself and Violet.  Four years later, Maggie and Violet are living with their grandmother making hats in her millinery shop when Violet is involved in an accident when she is hit by a motor car and breaks her leg. Even with Violet's accident, there is nothing Maggie wants more than to find out what happened when her family drowned.  A face from Maggie's past shows up to help.  Nate Harcourt has come home because his father is ill and Nate needs to take over his father's responsibilities.

Carrie Turansky writes incredible novels with intriguing plot lines that make her novels hard to put down.  In Shine Like the Dawn, Carrie has not only given us a novel with an interesting plot, but she's also given us a peek into the daily life of England near the turn of the twentieth century.  She's also shown us the very real human foibles we all have, but entertained us while doing so.  The romance in this novel is not over the top, but more understated--almost taking a back seat to the characters and plot lines.  Her plots move seamlessly through several character points of view and bring a cohesive story to the reader.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and the clues to solve a serious mystery.

My thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.