Rating: Summary: Suspenseful and Intriguing Review: This is the first book that I've read by Terri Blackstock, and I can promise you it won't be the last. This book was filled with action and suspense. It was quite amazing the way she made the entire story come together. The characters were great and the dialogue was superb. This book was so suspenseful, it made me feel like I was actually at Cape Refuge. This a great Christian suspense novel. I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good christian read. It will knock your socks off! I can't wait to read the second installment of the series.
Rating: Summary: Riveting, High-quality story telling!! Review: This is the first Terri Blackstock novel I have ever read. I noticed one previous reviewer giving negative remarks because of the presence of religion in the book. (...) Each character is introduced in a way that gets you emotionally involved with their lives. There are some places that are slower than others, but I didn't find it boring at all because it helped the story to come together very nicely. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a great mystery - regardless of your religious beliefs:-)
Rating: Summary: christian reading Review: this was an eccellant book. It really brought the reality of being a christian out. The first review was way off base what did James something think a christian writer would write about?? God would be the answer. At the end of the book her acknolages were very touchimg. It made me cry, thinking about my own life and how God protects you through tradegy. I loved this book
Rating: Summary: Good Draft But Needs Editing Review: This would be an excellent first draft if presented to a publisher which has the potential to be great with some editing out of religious obsession by the author. It however snuck through in it's current form which results in it's poor rating. It is a good basic plot, religious fanatics who run a shelter for rehabilitating ex cons are murdered while fighting the local council who want the place shut down. Evidence points to the husband (Jonathan Cleary) of one of the daughters (Morgan). The husband suspects an ex con named Gus but the husband is behind bars. The religious police chief suspects everyone and seems more concerned with the daughters than solving the case. Meanwhile a teenage runaway Sadie is on the run from her violent step father and comes to Cape Refuge. The main problem with this book is that religion is rammed down the reader's throat at every opportunity. Every character in the book says at some time I'll pray for you or has a scene where they are actually praying. One or two characthers would be believable but a whole town, come on. God's plan is mentioned by most characters and all are trying to convert the other sister Blair who does not believe in their faith to mend her ways. Obviously you can work out what happens here. Without the constant religious cramming this would have been a great book but with it, it isn't too good. The author maybe needs to get out a bit in the real world and meet people in other social situations besides church.
Rating: Summary: With a Bit of Editing Good Basic Plot Could be aGreat Novel Review: This would be an excellent first draft if presented to a publisher which has the potential to be great with some editing out of religious obsession by the author. Obviously the author is really into what she believes in but when you buy a novel you want it to be believable. The characters making up this town by all being obsessed with religion just don't represent any small town society on the face of this planet and do not make for a believable novel. It shouldn't matter what an author's interests, hobbies, beliefs or any other characteristic are, they need to be able to set their books in the real world, not their ideal one. If the town people had been more realistic then this would have been a sensational novel. The basics are there, somehow this slipped through without the editor seeing it. Having snuck through in it's current form results in this books poor rating.
It is a good basic plot, religious fanatics who run a shelter for rehabilitating ex cons are murdered while fighting the local council who want the place shut down. Evidence points to the husband (Jonathan Cleary) of one of the daughters (Morgan). The husband suspects an ex con named Gus but the husband is behind bars. The religious police chief suspects everyone and seems more concerned with the daughters than solving the case. Meanwhile a teenage runaway Sadie is on the run from her violent step father and comes to Cape Refuge.
The main problem with this book is that religion is rammed down the reader's throat at every opportunity. Every character in the book says at some time I'll pray for you or has a scene where they are actually praying. One or two characters would be believable but a whole town, come on. God's plan is mentioned by most characters and all are trying to convert the other sister Blair who does not believe in their faith to mend her ways. Obviously you can work out what the author had happen here. It is a real shame the author cannot separate her fantasy world to the real one. You should be able to pick up a novel written by a Christian, Jewish person, Atheist, Hindu, Muslim or whatever without them constantly cramming religion down your throat. If you wanted this you'd buy the bible or biblical character fiction. This would have been a great book but with the unrealistic setting it isn't too good. The author maybe needs to get out a bit in the real world and meet people in other social situations besides church. The editor needs to do their job as well. Like I said, I don't care what religion an author is, I don't discriminate in who I read. She's got the basics right, and with more realistic characters representing the broader range of every day society and this would be a great read. At the very least, a warning of the author's religious obsession needs to be put on the cover, so readers are aware of the obsession, before they pick the book up off the shelf and part with their hard earned money.
Rating: Summary: A Gripping Whodunnit! Review: Well, after deciding I needed to expand my repertoire of authors that I read, I happened to see Ms. Blackstock on a talk show--and she discussed briefly this new book. I had heard of her previous pseudonyms, used in the secular market, but never read her--they were romance. This book sounded perfect, and I was not disappointed! The characters are well developed, the storyline moves at a good pace, and as the reader approaches the end...you can't wait to find out...whodunnit? And what a twist! I read this over the span of 24 hours--I had to sleep and take care of my little ones, you know--and boy, was it satisfying! And I see it's Book 1 of a new series! Well, now I need to go back and read her Newpointe 911 series, as I wait for the next installment of Cape Refuge! If you like suspense, mystery and a "clean" read, you won't be disappointed with this one!
Rating: Summary: I could hardly put it down! Review: Well, I've been reading Terri Blackstock's books for several years now, first the Sun Coast series then the Newpointe 911 series. After reading Cape Refuge, I think I may have to bump Sue Grafton from the top of my favorite contemporary authors list. Blackstock is a consistent winner. The characters in this book are all well developed, even the minor ones. The pacing is great. It doesn't suffer from that "plod along for 200+ pages then hurry up and solve the crime" problem that many modern mysteries do. I really can't recommend this book, and Blackstock, highly enough. If you like Christian mysteries, start reading this woman's work!
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