This was my first ever Teri Blackstock read!
Two bodies, one spear gun, and a murder suspect. But did Morgan Cleary’s husband really kill her parents?
A brutal double-murder has struck fear into the heart of the peaceful Cape Refuge community. The crime weapon belongs to the victims’ son-in-law, but Police Chief Cade remains unconvinced that his best friend took the lives of Thelma and Wade Owens. The Owens’ ministry, a halfway house, shelters individuals far more questionable than Jonathan Cleary. Now people are concerned that it may house a murderer who could strike again.
Shattered by her parents’ deaths, Morgan Cleary struggles to keep Hanover House running while her husband sits in jail. Her sister, Blair, is no help. Blair wants no part of her dead parents’ ministry or their Christian faith. She wants to sell the house — until her determined search to find the true killer uncovers some startling findings. A lethal race against time ensues for Morgan, Blair, and Cade, with far more than Hanover House at stake.
Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I began this book, I was quite intrigued. After all, it is a Christian mystery. That is a genre I have never read. I grew up reading Erle Stanley Gardner and Agatha Christie where everyone jumped into bed with each other and used foul language right and left. How refreshing this book was in light of that!
First of all, the author is a fantastic writer who certainly knows how to develop believable characters and plots with intriguing twists and turns. I was drawn into the book from the very beginning–which is quite refreshing.
Furthermore, I absolutely loved that there were no bedroom scenes and no foul language! Yes! I could certainly handle reading more books like this. While the gospel was there, the reader did not feel as though he/she was being beat over the head with Christianity.
And finally, I pride myself in the fact that I partially solved the crime. I could follow the author’s clues, and that really was exhilarating. Rarely could I ever solve an Agatha Christie or Perry Mason case, but I have a chance with Terri Blackstock. I certainly look forward to reading more of her books. It looks as though this is the first in the series, and it would be nice to read the sequel.
About the Author
Terri Blackstock is a New York Times and USA Today best-seller, with over seven million books sold worldwide. She is the winner of two Carol Awards, a Christian Retailers Choice Award, and a Romantic Times Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, among others. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in an Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual “new kid,” her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.
In 1994 Terri was writing romance novels under two pseudonyms for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dell and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening prompted her to switch gears. At the time, she was reading more suspense than romance, and felt drawn to write thrillers about ordinary people in grave danger. Her newly awakened faith wove its way into the tapestry of her suspense novels, offering hope instead of despair. Her goal is to entertain with page-turning plots while challenging her readers. She hopes to remind them that they’re not alone, and that their trials have a purpose.
Terri has appeared on national television programs such as “The 700 Club” and “Home Life,” and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.
“Blackstock is absolutely masterful at bringing spiritual dilemmas to the surface and allowing readers to wrestle with them alongside her characters.” Romantic Times, Melissa Parcel
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2 Comments
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I love these books. Idk if it’s this series or not (been awhile since I’ve read it) but in one of her series she changes someones name from book to book. My sister and I got a good laugh out of that. Keep track of your characters! I love her though even if she is forgetful 🙂
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Well, I”m glad things worked out for you! I would’ve gone crazy without the internet.
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