Cape Refuge

by Terri Blackstock
382 pages

Cape Refuge, a Georgia island, has always been a safe place for the broken and downtrodden.  Many people come to Hanover House to start a new life, including many convicted felons.  Thelma and Wayne Owens have dedicated their lives to the Hanover House ministry and helping those who are broken and downtrodden.  When they are found murdered, the whole community is shocked, especially their daughters Morgan and Blair.  Morgan's husband is soon arrested when the police discover that he is the owner of the murder weapon, though there are serious doubts about his guilt, especially since Hanover House is currently housing other potential suspects.  Blair, who is also the town librarian, and Police Chief Cade work to solve the murders and make Cape Refuge safe again.

I now understand Terri Blackstock's popularity.  This novel is definitely a page-turner.  I do have a few quibbles about her portrayal of public records all being easily accessible in electronic databases, but other than that, it was a good novel.  Christian mystery is definitely a good choice for people who don't like the coarse language of regular mystery novels.  However, Blackstock's characters weren't all squeaky clean like you see in some Christian fiction novels, either.  I liked her engaging writing style and will probably read more of her novels in the future.