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.
Cape Refuge
Narrated by Renee Raudman
Terri BlackstockUnabridged — 11 hours, 6 minutes
Cape Refuge
Narrated by Renee Raudman
Terri BlackstockUnabridged — 11 hours, 6 minutes
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Overview
A gripping tale from New York Times bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock. When the kindest couple in Cape Refuge is found murdered at their church, their daughter will have to find the killer . . . before her own husband is convicted.
Wade and Thelma Owens run a halfway house on the small island of Cape Refuge that caters to wayward souls just out of prison. So when Wade and Thelma turn up brutally murdered, the town goes into shock, concerned that one of the Hanover House residents is a murderer who could strike again.
Shattered by her parents' deaths, Morgan Cleary struggles to keep Hanover House running while her husband, Jonathan, has been arrested for the murder.
As the killer runs free, a lethal race against time ensues, with far more than the halfway house at stake.
- Full-length suspense novel with a thread of romance
- Part of the Cape Refuge series
- Book One: Cape Refuge
- Book Two: Southern Storm
- Book Three: River's Edge
- Book Four: Breaker's Reef
Editorial Reviews
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.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172490705 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Zondervan |
| Publication date: | 08/19/2008 |
| Series: | Cape Refuge , #1 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 1,006,507 |
Read an Excerpt
The air conditioner was broken at City Hall, and the smell of warm salt air drifted through the windows from the beach across the street. Morgan Cleary fanned herself and wished she hadn't dressed up. She might have known that no one else would. The mayor sat in shorts and a T-shirt that advertised his favorite beer. One of the city councilmen wore a Panama hat and flip-flops. Sarah Williford, the newest member of the Cape Refuge City Council, looked as if she'd come in from a day of surfing and hadn't even bothered to stop by the shower. She wore a spandex top that looked like a bathing suit and a pair of cutoff jeans. Her long hair could have used a brush.
The council members sat with relaxed arrogance, rocking back and forth in the executive chairs they'd spent too much money on. Their critics--which included almost everyone in town--thought they should have used that money to fix the potholes in the roads that threaded through the island. But Morgan was glad the council was comfortable. She didn't want them irritable when her parents spoke.
The mayor's nasal drone moved to the next item on the agenda. "I was going to suggest jellyfish warning signs at some of the more popular sites on the beach, but Doc Spencer tells me he ain't seen too many patients from stings in the last week or so"
"Wait, Fred," Sarah interrupted without the microphone.
"Just because they're not stinging this week doesn't mean they won't be stinging next week. My sign shop would give the city a good price on a design for a logo of some kind to put up on all the beaches, warning people of possible jellyfish attacks."
"Jellyfish don't attack," the mayor said, his amplified voice giving everyone a start.
"Well, I can see you never got stung by one."
"How you gonna draw a picture of 'em when you can't hardly see 'em?"
Everyone laughed, and Sarah threw back some comment that couldn't be heard over the noise.
Morgan leaned over Jonathan, her husband, and nudged her sister. "Blair, what should we do?" she whispered. "We're coming up on the agenda. Where are Mama and Pop?" Blair tore her amused eyes from the sight at the front of the room and checked her watch. "Somebody needs to go check on them," she whispered. "Do you believe these people? I'm so proud to have them serving as my elected officials."
"This is a waste of time," Jonathan said. He'd been angry and stewing all day, mostly at Morgan's parents, but also at her. His leather-tanned face was sunburned from the day's fishing, but he was clean and freshly shaven. He hadn't slept much last night, and the fatigue showed in the lines of his face.
"Just wait," she said, stroking his arm. "When Mama and Pop get here, it'll be worth it."
He set his hand over hers--a silent affirmation that he was putting the angry morning behind him--and got to his feet. "I'm going to find them."
"Good idea," Morgan said. "Tell them to hurry."
"They don't need to hurry," Blair whispered. "We've got lots of stuff to cover before they talk about shutting down our bed-and- breakfast. Shoot, there's that stop sign down at Pine and Mimosa. And Goodfellows Grocery has a lightbulb out in their parking lot."
"Now, before we move on," Fred Hutchins, the mayor, said, studying his notes as if broaching a matter of extreme importance,
"I'd like to mention that Chief Cade of the Cape Refuge Police Department tells me he has several leads on the person or persons who dumped that pile of gravel in my parking spot."
A chuckle rippled over the room, and the mayor scowled.
"The perpetrator will be prosecuted."
Blair spat out her suppressed laughter, and Morgan slapped her arm. "Shhh," Morgan tried not to grin, "you're going to make him mad."
"I'm just picturing a statewide search for the fugitive with the dump truck," Blair said, "on a gravel-dumping spree across the whole state of Georgia."
Morgan saw the mayor's eyes fasten on her, and she punched her sister again. Blair drew in a quick breath and tried to straighten up.
"The Owenses still ain't here?" he asked. While Morgan glanced back at the door, Blair shot to her feet. "No, Fred, they're not here. Why don't you just move this off the agenda and save it until next week? I'm sure something's come up."
"Maybe they don't intend to come," the mayor said. "Don't you wish," Blair fired back. "You're threatening to shut down their business. They'll be here, all right."
"Well, I'm tired of waiting," the mayor said into the micro-phone, causing feedback to squeal across the room. Everybody covered their ears until Jason Manford got down on his knees and fiddled with the knob. "We've moved it down the agenda twice already tonight," the mayor went on. "If we ever want to get out of here, I think we need to start arguin' this right now."
Morgan got up. "Mayor, there must be something wrong. Jonathan went to see if he could find them. Please, if we could just have a few more minutes."
"We're not waitin' any longer. Now if anybody from your camp has somethin' to say . . ."
"What are you gonna do, Mayor?" Blair asked, pushing up her sleeves and shuffling past the knees and feet on her row. "Shut us down without a hearing? That's not even legal. You could find yourself slapped with a lawsuit, and then you wouldn't even have time to worry about jellyfish and gravel. Where would that leave the town?"
She marched defiantly past the standing-room-only crowd against the wall to the microphone at the front of the room. Morgan got a queasy feeling in her stomach. Blair wasn't the most diplomatic of the Owens family. She was an impatient intellectual who found her greatest fulfillment in the books of the library she ran. People were something of a nuisance to her, and she found their pettiness unforgivable.
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