Grandaddy was a Thief

Reviewed by Phee Paradise

All Things Hidden
By Tricia Goyer

Do you have a heritage you’re proud of – or one you’re not proud of? Do you wonder if the things your grandparents and great-grandparents did have anything to do with you?

In All Things Hidden, Charlotte Stephenson ponders these questions when her Women’s Group decides to clean out the church basement. They find a newspaper article about her great-grandfather who was convicted of stealing money from the church. She doesn’t think he did it and decides to find the truth about the incident.

At the same time, two of Charlotte’s grandchildren, whom she is raising, face typical teenage issues. At first the three stories don’t seem to be related. The book reads a bit like a slice of life in Charlotte’s family. But when Charlotte reads her great-grandmother’s journal, she discovers a Godly woman who faces heartache with spiritual strength. Charlotte wishes she could tell her that what she did mattered. Her thoughts then turn to her grandchildren and she sees how the generations are connected. God’s blessings do extend through the generations.

On its surface, All Things Hidden seems like a light, easy to read book. But it introduces some deep themes and some very likeable characters. They make mistakes, and don’t always trust each other, but their love prevails. Even the three, seemingly unconnected story lines, are just different views of a loving family. In the end, Goyer ties the three stories together to give the reader a heartwarming ending.

You’ll spend a happy afternoon reading this one. It’s short and sweet.

Pros: Easy style that introduces a loving family who matter to each other.

Cons: The style is simple and barely above young adult level.


About the book:

The past is brought to light...

Charlotte is cleaning out the basement of Bedford Community Church when she comes across a tattered and yellowed newspaper article. The clipping, published more than a century ago, implicates her great-great-grandfather in the loss of funds intended to help finish building the church. Charlotte has heard stories about the incident through the years, but now it seems the past has come back to haunt her. Is it just her imagination or are people treating her differently now that they think she's descended from a crook? Will Charlotte be able to clear her family's name once and for all?

Meanwhile, Sam is spending time with a new girl in town-and is keeping secrets from his grandparents about where they go. Christopher is trying to get an article published in the local paper, and Emily reluctantly partners with a foreign exchange student on a class project and eventually comes to see that they're not that different after all. As old secrets are brought to light, the whole family is reminded that the truth is often more complicated than it seems.

Come home to Heather Creek. Get to know Charlotte Stevenson, who is raising her grandchildren on the family farm after a tragic accident changes all of their lives forever. With the help of her husband Bob and a close-knit circle of friends, she will do whatever it takes to keep this fragile family together. See how God, who makes the sun rise and the crops grow, watches over our lives too.

About Home to Heather Creek:

Charlotte Stevenson's world is turned upside down when her daughter, Denise, dies in a tragic car accident. She ran away at eighteen and Charlotte has never forgiven herself. Now, Denise's children, abandoned by their father, are coming from California to live on Heather Creek Farm in Bedford, Nebraska.

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Tricia's first book in the Home to Heather Creek series was Sweet September (book two) followed by Every Sunrise (book seven) last spring and Sunflower Serenade this summer. All Things Hidden is book eighteen in the continuing story of the Stephensen family!

About the author:

Tricia Goyer is the author of several books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the ACFW's Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Goyer lives with her family in Montana. To find out more visit her website: www.triciagoyer.com