Mystery and suspense combine in this first book in an exciting new 4-book series by best-selling author Terri Blackstock. Thelma and Wayne Owens run a bed and breakfast in Cape Refuge, Georgia. They minister to the seamen on the nearby docks and prisoners just out of nearby jails, holding services in an old warehouse and taking many of the 'down-and-outers' into their home. They have two daughters: the dutiful Morgan who is married to Jonathan, a fisherman, and helps them out at the B and B, and Blair, the still-single town librarian, who would be beautiful if it weren't for the serious scar on the side of her face.
After a heated, public argument with his in-laws, Jonathan discovers Thelma and Wayne murdered in the warehouse where they held their church services. Considered the prime suspect, Jonathan is arrested. Grief-stricken, Morgan and Blair launch their own investigation to help Matthew Cade, the town's young police chief, find the real killer. Shady characters and a raft of suspects keep the plot twisting and the suspense building as we learn not only who murdered Thelma and Wayne, but also the secrets about their family's past and the true reason for Blair's disfigurement.
Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Although Blackstock, a former bestselling romance author in the general market, is now well-known in the CBA for her writing partnership with Beverly LaHaye, her most successful books belong to the inspirational suspense genre, and this novel is no exception. On a small barrier island east of Savannah, Ga., lies Cape Refuge, the site of Hanover House, a halfway home for ex-cons and derelicts run by the island's most beloved no-nonsense Christian couple, Thelma and Wayne Owens. But when the Owenses are found spear-gunned through their throats in their warehouse church, the island and its inhabitants get turned upside-down. The Owens's daughter Morgan's husband, Jonathan, is charged with the murder, but former drug addict Gus Hampton and Hanover House resident Richard Dugan also fall under suspicion. As the Owenses' other daughter, Blair who has spent a lifetime rejecting faith and love because of facial scars from the mysterious burns she suffered as a young child examines her parents' papers, she discovers that Thelma and Wayne had a very shady past. Also drawn into the web of intrigue is a homeless teenager who comes to Hanover House seeking shelter from an abusive family. The pacing is a bit slow at the start, but good writing, well-honed descriptive details, compelling characters and a conclusion that doesn't succumb to pat answers keep the pages turning, making this an engaging novel for fans of Christian nail-biters. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Cape Refuge is a peaceful island off the coast of Savannah, GA, a place where the weary and the persecuted retreat to find themselves again. Nothing bad happens here until Wade and Thelma Owens are murdered. Prior to their deaths, the couple had been under pressure from the town council to shut down Hanover House, their bed-and-breakfast for lost souls, because some of their clients had criminal records. And Jonathan Cleary, the couple's son-in-law, had wanted to move his wife, Morgan, out of the house, fearing for her safety. Blair Owens, the second daughter, had moved out years ago and become the town librarian, seeking refuge in books from scars incurred during a fire. When motive and means point to Jonathan, the sisters band together to find the true killer. As Morgan takes over running Hanover House, her example reawakens Blair's interest in God even as they discover that their perfect parents were keeping secrets that may have killed them and endangered everyone at Hanover House. Because of her strong and lengthy publishing history, Blackstock (Emerald Windows) belongs in library collections as a standard purchase; this first book in an new series is an excellent starting point. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.