"The Rocking Horse" by Gloria Zachgo

 
Title: The Rocking Horse
 
Author: Gloria Zachgo

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published Date: August 18, 2011 

Buy on Amazon: Paperback / Kindle 

Synopsis:

Can a family that has been savagely ripped apart find healing and redemption? Are the mysteries hidden in the human heart destined to reveal themselves? The Rocking Horse, Gloria Zachgo’s spellbinding suspense novel, charts the harrowing emotional journey of one family that is torn asunder, then magically drawn together again. 

 

Jenny Preston has been missing for twenty-two years after being taken at the age of two on the very night her mother Amanda, Aunt Ruth, and Uncle Don were brutally and senselessly murdered. While Jenny's grandparents learn to cope with the tragedies, the sheriff, Will Barclay, must grapple with his own guilt and secrets involving the murders. The crime, which rocked the small town of Shady Creek, Kansas, has never been solved. 

 

More than two decades later, a woman who calls herself Julie Hendricks is led by a childhood toy to Shady Creek, where she finds refuge from an abusive husband. Living on her own for the first time in her life, she starts to regain her self esteem and make new friends. Her life is then turned upside down again when she discovers she may be the child that was abducted from this very town so many years ago. With the encouragement of her new friends, and a very special someone, she returns to Chicago to learn the truth of her childhood history from her father. After a gripping turn of events, Julie returns to Shady Creek to wrestle with the emotional complexities of her new life and how her past life is starting to catch up with her. An unexpected hero comes to Julie’s aid. A story of family, home, and the grave consequences of actions, The Rocking Horse explores the aftermath of the most unimaginable heartache: the disappearance of a child. Fast-paced and full of intrigue, this riveting read mines the depths of the human heart on its road to recovery.

My Thoughts:

 
Gloria Zachgo's novel, The Rocking Horse, is a wonderful story that I enjoyed from the first page until the last.  On the day I started the book, my husband and I decided to head to the gym.  I LOVE gym time.  Not because of the great work out, or the sweating, or knowing I can come home and eat a cookie guilt free.  No, I love going to the gym because Exercise Time equals Candace's Reading Time.  With a book in hand I can literally walk an entire evening.  I perch myself on a treadmill, raise the incline, and read away.  This particular evening was no different from the others: I placed my novel in the treadmill book/magazine holder, started some soft music on my iPod to drown out the background noise, and started to walk.  

I had no idea that The Rocking Horse would captivate me to the point where I had to finish it the same evening I first opened it up.  Zachgo's The Rocking Horse is a wonderful mystery that has a little bit of romance and multiple thrills mixed in.  The novel begins twenty-two years in the past, in the small town of Shady Creek, Kansas.  The close knit community is shocked to learn that three of their loved citizens were brutally murdered with no suspect in sight.  The mystery of the fateful night deepens when it comes to light that a two year old little girl, Jenny, was kidnapped from the murder scene.  Two decades pass and the town has yet to forget that heinous night.  The hope is still alive that little Jenny is safe somewhere.  

Fast forward to present day where Zachgo introduces her readers to Jennifer, a young woman who finds herself running from an abusive husband in Chicago.  In her suitcase she carries a new identity, cash, clothing, and a toy rocking horse that she has had since she was a child.  Staring at a map, trying to decide where to start her new life, Jennifer's rocking horse suddenly loses its button eye which falls right onto the city of Shady Creek.  Taking it as an omen, Jennifer, or Julie according to her new identity, heads to Kansas.  What Shady Creek has in store for Jennifer will leave her life greatly altered.

Gloria Zachgo's, The Rocking Horse, is a truly wonderful story.  It is well written, has a great plot, believable characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.  I believe my favorite character is Barbara, the mother of the murdered young lady and grandmother of missing Jenny.  Barbara lived through her own personal Hell and was still able to grow from the experience and live her life to the fullest.  The close bond that Barbara and Julie formed was a joy to read.   

I absolutely recommend The Rocking Horse to all fiction lovers.  It has the perfect combination of suspense, sadness, romance, and true friendships.  Get ready to have your heart strings pulled, and good luck putting the book down for the evening!  Hat's off to Mrs. Zachgo for weaving a story that will stay with me for days to come.

Gloria Zachgo

Gloria Zachgo has provided me with a complimentary copy of her book, The Rocking Horse, for the purpose of review.