In the first book of the Cape Refuge series, tragedy strikes when Thelma and Wayne Owens, owners of the local bed and breakfast for refuges, are murdered. Main suspect is their son-in-law, Jonathan Cleary, but other suspects include questionable tenants of Hanover House. Daughters of Thelma and Wayne must put aside their differences and memories and work together to solve the mystery of their parents' killer as well as stop an innocent man of going to prison. Terri Blackstock, paperback, 395 pages.
ISBN-13: 9780310565680 UPC: 025986565688 Availability: In Stock Series:Cape Refuge
Publisher's Description
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 & 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.
Author Bio
Terri Blackstock (www.terriblackstock.com) has sold over six million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Downfall, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series.
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.
Publisher's 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.