Starred review from August 27, 2018
Austin’s phenomenal sequel to Waves of Mercy, set in late-19th-century Chicago, deals with timeless conflicts of love, grief, and forgiveness. When 23-year-old Anna Nicholson’s mother drowns on the Ironsides in lake Michigan, Anna is adopted by the man who rescued her from the sinking ship and his wife. Raised in opulence and now engaged to a wealthy financier, Anna’s life seems to be complete, but she yearns to discover the origins of her birth and to explore her faith (although her friends aren’t receptive to her searching). After a visit with her maternal grandmother, she returns to Chicago and employs the Pinkerton Agency to look into her family legacy. Her parents are wary about what may be uncovered. Her father is depending on Anna’s impending marriage to the heir of a wealthy Chicago family to shore up his own precarious financial situation, while her mother is anxious to ingratiate herself in the social circle that Anna’s engagement has opened for her; a scandal could jeopardize their plans. Varying points of view, well-placed clues, and an interesting subplot about Anna’s grandmother welcoming Dutch immigrants to Michigan keeps the story interesting. Austin skillfully embeds her strong spiritual message into the actions of her characters, creating a wonderful historical tale that is naturally inspirational.