Echoes of Mercy by Kim Vogel Sawyer, ©2014

The chocolate factory story!!
1904

Caroline ~*Carrie*~ Lang is sent to Dinsmore's World-Famous Chocolates Factory to investigate the death of a previous agent found at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Accident or pushed? There is another undercover protagonist in the story, Oliver ~*Ollie Moore*~, very thorough and amusing as he checks out the shifts at Dinsmore's. In fact, he gets Carrie in a little bit of a muddle when he says it's okay to take the candy from the tray ~ vanilla cream filled chocolate candy ~ that would eventually be tossed in the garbage because of showing or imperfection. Carrie is reminded of this as she is telling a little girl about thievery as she takes crackers from a grocer display.

Carrie's big push for being there is to check on child labor with management feeling it is fine for their profit. Carrie is insistent they should be in school, not working to support families.

Ollie, the new janitor, sides with Carrie on all views except this one, child factory workers, giving them a few coins and keeping them off the streets. He keeps tabs on Carrie to keep her safe among the workers. Little does he know he will have to keep his heart safe from her. As he joins Carrie in looking out for the children she has met ~ the "cracker-taking" girl and her two younger brothers, will he find his views might change toward schooling?

A wrench in the story is in the person of Gordon Hightower, the hirer, firer, and overseer at the chocolate factory. Bullying to the employees, will Ollie see enough to warrant reporting him and have evidence supporting his claim? Out of fear of losing their much needed jobs, factory workers are sticking close together.

A highlight in the story is Kesia, the owner of a café, who watches out for those she serves. She is a true trustworthy friend.

Exposure of underage hiring and a conniving manager sets this story on a quick venture into the early 1900 factory and the views of those for and against labor practices. Very informative and necessary despite the era portrayed. Regulations used for the good of workers and management to balance the need of the people and their positions. A very interesting story!
Kim Vogel Sawyer ~
is a best-selling, award-winning author with more than one million copies of her books currently in print. Awards include the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Sawyer lives in central Kansas, where she and her retired military husband, Don, run a bed-and-breakfast inn with the help of their feline companions. She savors time with her daughters and grandchildren.

***Thank you to WaterBrook Multnomah blogging for Books for sending me a copy of Echoes of Mercy for this book tour. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***