A Stillness of Chimes

 

About the Book:  What if the pain of the past revealed an unknown sacrifice that changes everything?  When teacher Laura Gantt comes home to Prospect, Georgia to settle her recently-deceased mother’s household, the last thing she expects to encounter is a swirl of rumors about the father she lost to the lake twelve years ago—that he has reportedly been seen around town. Elliott Gantt’s body was never found and he was presumed dead. Reeling from the sharp loss of a parent, Laura must now grapple with painful memories surrounding her father’s disappearance and the sense of abandonment she experienced after his death. Life-long friend and former beau Sean Halloran wants nothing more than to protect Laura from the far-fetched stories of Elliott’s resurrection and to care for her, but he has his own reasons, troubling echoes from his childhood, to put Elliott’s disappearance to rest.  Working together, Laura and Sean begin to uncover the truth, one mired in the wooded peaks and deep waters of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding Prospect. Can they fathom how many secrets the steep hills hold? With surprising facts revealed, will Laura be able to understand the sacrificial choices made that forever changed her life? And can love and a peace with God be rekindled in her heart after so much time has passed?

About The Author: Although Meg Moseley has lived more than half her life in other states,  she still considers herself a Californian at heart. Moseley loves vintage bungalows, twisted oaks on rolling hills, and the rocky beaches of the Central Coast. A few blocks away from her childhood home stands a Lutheran church where she came to faith, first through Sunday School teachers whose kindness drew her to the kindness of God, and then through confirmation classes. The Bible verses that had been drilled into her head came to life in her heart.  After moving away from home as a teenager, Moseley worked at a variety of jobs, from candle-maker in a tourist town to administrative assistant at a Christian college. She married a wonderful man from Michigan, and they lived north of Detroit for seventeen years. That's where she started homeschooling their three children, an endeavor that she finished in Georgia when the youngest graduated from high school in 2009.
Moseley and her husband  live near Atlanta, close to the foothills of the Southern Appalachians. Her husband's motorcycle often carries them to the mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, or the Carolinas. Sitting on the back of the bike, she can pray, enjoy the beautiful views, and plot new stories. Fiction makes her world go 'round, whether she is writing it or reading it.

My Thoughts On The Book: A Stillness of Chimes is the first book I have read by author, Meg Moseley.  Moseley is an amazing author and I can assure you that I will read her again.  I was spellbound by the plot revolving around Laura Gantt's return to Prospect, Georgia to deal with her mother's estate.  While in town she is reunited with her friends and sightings of her long dead father begin to occur.  This book will definitely hold your attention.  As a southerner who lives on the Georgia line I was delighted with the setting and the presentation of pure southern charm as it should be.  I could almost hear the voices of the characters lilting in my ear as I read the book. I really appreciated the fact that the characters were not made to look like backwoods hillbillies.  Many times I get irritated when writers portray their southern characters as uncouth, redneck, ruffians.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys clean, Christian, - southern fiction that surrounds relationships and mysteries.  It was one you cannot put down until it is over.  I loved the fact that there was no cursing, nothing sexual, and very little violence in the story. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book through Waterbrook Multnomah and their Blogging for Books  Program. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*