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 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. *********************************************************************
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.
**************************************** 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