Sadie's Song (A Tale of Three Mysteries #2) [Paperback]

Linda Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2001

Linda Hall's thrilling fiction, which confronts the toll domestic violence takes within American homes and explores how the church might address it, melds contemporary characters with a powerful story's punch. Sadie's Song opens with the disappearance of nine-year-old Ally Buckley, which bears too much resemblance to two recent and chilling events. As fear spreads throughout the New England fishing village of Bowden's Landing and the local church that Sadie and her family attend, she discovers a drawing by Ally among her abusive husband's possessions-and odd evidence that danger may be closer to home than she'd ever known.

A mysterious disappearance...A family in tumult...Volatile surroundings...Can one woman connct the pieces in time?

When nine-year-old Ally Buckley turns up missing, fear spreads throughout the New England fishing village where Sadie and her family live and worship. But when Saide discovers one of Ally's drawings among her husband's possessions, she suspects danger may be closer to home than she had ever known.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this haunting tale, a seasoned author (Margaret's Peace) explores the mind of a domestic violence victim, inviting readers to peer in at Sadie's "marriage full of secrets." When Sadie married Troy, she was impressed by his ministry of "righting wrongs." But even as she longs for them to be a normal Christian couple, Troy's smothering control gradually sucks her into a horrifying spiral of abuse. Sadie comes to believe the problems in her marriage are her fault. "Maybe," she thinks, "all I need is to buckle down, start making lists, learn to manage my time better, watch what I eat, pray more, have devotions every morning." As she struggles with Troy's escalating anger, which spills over into the lives of their five children, she befriends Judith, whose only child, Ally, has disappeared. When she finds Ally's paintings in Troy's workshop, Sadie is tormented by the question: is his dark side even darker than she knows? Hall is adept at giving the reader just enough information to build suspense and using symbols to add dimension to the story. The church is portrayed evenhandedly as both an imperfect entity that aids the abuser and a caring group of people that comes to the aid of the victim. Although several fine novels dealing with domestic violence and the church have been released recently (Velma Still Cooks in Leeway; Serenity Bay), this title adds a fresh and welcome voice to the chorus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In Sadie's Song Hall turns from her contemplative mysteries to the finely wrought character of Sadie Thornton, a stay-at-home mom with an obsessive, rule-bound husband who, when his job goes sour, begins to beat her. Wife abuse within Christian families has become a common theme in Christian fiction. Hall's effort is distinguished because of her understanding of the dreary minutiae of Sadie's life, expressed subtly and lyrically: "Crocuses are finished and the daffodils are up and blooming, and two little girls have disappeared, one was found dead, and everything is perfect and fine in this life of mine." Nothing much happens in Hall's novel, and her mystery plot is vestigial, but Sadie is believable and affecting. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Publishers; First Edition edition (May 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576736598
• ISBN-13: 978-1576736593
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome to my amazon page! I hope you will browse my list of books. Almost all of my books are available for your Kindle, so load up your Kindle with lots of good reading! If you like mystery, thriller or romantic suspense, you've come to the right place.

Most of my novels have something to do with the sea. I grew up near the ocean and my love of the ocean was born when I was a child. When I was a little girl I remember sitting on the shore and watching the waves and contemplating what was beyond. I could do that for hours.

One of the things my husband and I enjoy is sailing. In the summer we basically move aboard our 34' sailboat aptly named - Mystery.

Both my husband Rik and I have achieved the rank of Senior Navigator, the highest rank possible in CPS. The U.S. sister organization is the U.S.P.S. My Senior Navigator diploma hangs proudly on my office wall.
What this all means is that I know how to use a sextant and can 'theoretically' find my way home by looking at the stars.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believable fiction about a serious problem, February 15, 2002

By 

Denyse O'Leary "design or chance?" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sadie's Song (A Tale of Three Mysteries #2) (Paperback)

After I had bought and read this book for myself, and given it to someone to read, I went and bought two copies for a therapist friend to give to religious women patients who had abusive husbands. Written from a Christian perspective, Sadie's Song allows the heroine to wrestle with the question of how God could let her be so miserable. Or is God waiting for her to take the first step out of the seemingly hopeless situation? Among the book's many virtues is its honest portrayal of abuse in a seemingly normal churchgoing family. There are no angels or devils here, just people making wrong choices and sometimes pulling back from the brink.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't put this one down, September 9, 2003

By 

Teresa Slack "Fiction Author" (http://www.teresaslack.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sadie's Song (A Tale of Three Mysteries #2) (Paperback)

Ms. Hall weaves a tight, exciting, and suspenseful tale from the first page. Written in the first person, Sadie's Song, artfully puts the reader into Sadie's head as she goes about "this little life of mine" as she refers to it. Sadie lives with an abusive husband and five kids and the insurmountable task of looking like the happy, contented wife of a godly husband. The signs of abuse are all around her, from her comments about hoping dinner will come out just the way Troy likes it to a son who sits under furniture and growls. A missing child, mysterious music that only Sadie seems to hear, and a friend with enough secrets of her own, will keep the reader turning pages. I loved reading this book and wondered as I neared the end how everything would be wrapped up in the few remaining pages.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another One Difficult To Put Down!!!, May 30, 2002

By 

Elaine K (Hooksett, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sadie's Song (A Tale of Three Mysteries #2) (Paperback)

If I thought Bette Nordberg's "Serenity Bay" was a fast-pace suspense, this one is catchy from the go - another one difficult to put down! We need a wider range to rate these books - one to five stars just isn't enough.

The writer, I'm sure, has a real feel of what having five small children would be like - the busy schedule and the constant interruptions, the whining and fighting. Sometimes, it probably would be tempting and easier to just give in to their tantrums. That would take care of the issue for the short term but it would cause a problem in the long run.

Sadie is just such a mother in this story with a grouchy husband who is one way in front of church members but totally different with his family. He's mean-tempered but that's not all. Sadie has a nagging feeling about her husband's involvement in something but she doesn't know if and who to talk to about this - afterall, it's just a feeling - maybe just a coincidence. Then she finds out something else and that "coincidence" is looking more like a reality and less like a "feeling".