Welcome the Little Children (Appalachian Mountain Mysteries: Book 3) by Lynda McDaniel

4 Stars

Publisher: Lynda McDaniel Books

Date of publication: November 15th, 2018

Genre: Mystery

Series: Appalachian Mountain Mysteries

A Life for A Life—Book 1 (review here)

The Roads to Damascus—Book 2 (review here)

Welcome the Little Children—Book 3

Where you can find Welcome the Little Children: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis:

Missing mother. Neglected children. Lost love. Abit and Della have their work cut out for them.

Meet Astrid, a sprite of a girl whose mother goes missing from her isolated log cabin. Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid get entangled in the investigation, searching for answers from the mountains of N.C. to the streets of D.C. Along the way, they come face-to-face with the lies and secrets plaguing their own families. Meanwhile, Abit struggles with a decision that could cost him everything he holds dear.

Welcome the Little Children is the third book in Lynda McDaniel’s internationally acclaimed Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Reviewers have compared her work to To Kill a Mockingbird and her storytelling style to that of Fannie Flagg. If you like page-turning dramas without over-the-top violence—but packed with suspense and character-driven stories—you’ll love this series.

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My Review:

Welcome the Little Children is the last book in the Appalachian Mountain Mystery series. Abit has graduated from The Hicks and is doing well for himself. Della is wondering if she should pack up and move to Washington D.C. with Alex. That is when Astrid appears. An eight-year-old who seemed years older, she tugs at Della’s heartstrings. Then Della finds out that Astrid’s mother has disappeared. Using her investigative reporter skills, Della tries to find her. Along the way, Della is forced to face secrets that are haunting her own family. Will Della find Astrid’s mother? What are the secrets that Della will uncover?

Welcome the Little Children was a fantastic end to the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries. I was excited to read it. I couldn’t wait to see what Della and Abit would get themselves into. I wasn’t disappointed!!

The storyline that involved Della, Astrid, and her family was heartbreaking. I liked that Della was going to find out where Astrid’s mother was. And when she did, man did the fireworks start. I loved it. I also liked that the storyline was resolved in a way that made sense to me. It was realistic.

The storyline that involved Abit and Fiona was a heartbreaker. I cried more during that storyline than I did in the other books. I felt awful for Abit. The decision he had to make was a painful one. But he wasn’t going to be pressured into doing anything he didn’t want to do. What I liked about this storyline is that it came around full circle. I’m not going to say what but I will say that Abit and Fiona did get their happily ever after.

The characters in Welcome the Little Children were wonderfully written. From the main characters to the secondary, they all added depth to the storyline. Della’s crisis at the beginning of the book struck me. I have had similar situations before, and I have questioned myself too.

The end of Welcome the Little Children was good. The storylines were wrapped up in ways that I liked. I will say that I agreed with Della on Abit’s mother’s deathbed confession. I would have contemplated the same thing.

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I would give Welcome the Little Children an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is mild language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Welcome the Little Children. I would also recommend this book to family and friends

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

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Have you read Welcome the Little Children?

What are your thoughts on it?

Let me know!!