I’m a big fan of murder mysteries, some which include plenty of violence. And I just got finished reading (and reviewing) Ken Follett’s sex-filled Edge of Eternity. I was ready for a change of pace.

I found my change of pace in a lovely, simple story told by author Mary Curran Hackett. Hackett’s Proof of Angels will make you look at the people in your life – both those you know and those you might meet as you go about your day – in a different light.

In Proof of Angels, firefighter Sean Mcgee finds himself facing death while battling a terrible home fire in Los Angeles. Unable to find his way to safety on the top floor of the burning home, Mcgee has nearly resigned himself to his horrible fate. If only he could have one more chance to mend some broken ties, he thinks, he would make things right with many people. Most important, he would apologize to a woman he deserted years before without telling her why.

And then he is given a second chance to mend those ties by what he, though not a religious man, understands to be an angel.This feeling of hope is contrary to all of the emotions he has held in check for many years.

No surprise — Hackett’s lovely story offers no proof of angels as the book’s title promises. What her story does provide is a new way at looking at your life and those people – real, live people – who are angels in their own ways.

During his fight to recover, Mcgee meets a variety of people who become friends and make him realize the importance of relationships in maintaining human dignity. They also make him think about what comes after death and who and what are really important to him.

I have not read Hackett’s first book, Proof of Heaven, and if I have any complaint about this book, it is that the author seems to presume we have read that first book. I knew a bit about that book, so I wasn’t completely at a loss. Still, Hackett made references that were lost on me. Mcgee is the uncle of the main character in Proof of Heaven and apparently played a key role in that book.

Proof of Angels would be a lovely book to read over the holidays, providing the reader an opportunity to pay attention to his or her blessings, and really seeing the angels that are among us, as well as heavenly angels that we encounter daily.

Buy Proof of Angels from Amazon here.

Buy Proof of Angels from Barnes and Noble here.

Buy Proof of Angels from Tattered Cover here.

Buy Proof of Angels from Changing Hands here.