The Blue Cloak

Shannon McNear

Mar 2020 · Barbour Publishing

About this ebook

Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History
 
True, riveting stories of American criminal activity are explored through unique stories of historical romantic suspense. Collect them all and be inspired by the hope that always finds its way even in the darkest of times.
 
Based on real events beginning in 1797 — Rachel Taylor lives a rather mundane existence at the way station her family runs along the Wilderness Road in Tennessee. She attends her friend’s wedding only to watch it dissolve in horror has the groom, Wiley Harpe, and his cousin become murderers on the run, who drag their families along. Declaring a “war on all humanity,” the Harpes won’t be stopped, and Ben Langford is on their trail to see if his own cousin was one of their latest victims. How many will die before peace can return to the frontier?
 

Ratings and reviews

This is an extremely well-written novel based on the first American serial killers and a standalone in the exciting True Colors multi-author series. The author has thoroughly researched facts and worked to portray the crimes while excluding the worst details. At times, it was an almost overwhelming read, but I am thankful I did because of the example of faith, prayer, and God’s love through integral characters. Rachel and Hugh were witnesses at the wedding of her friend Sally in Knox County, TN. Sally and Wiley Harpe had only known each other six weeks, but courtships were short on the 1797 Kentucky frontier. The father of the bride was a preacher. Wiley (aka Little) and his brother Micajah (aka Big) Harpe attended, and Wiley was baptized. Hugh and Rachel were friends since childhood. Recently returned from law school, he thought Ben Langford, a friend from law school, might be a good match for her. She worked at Taylor’s Trading Post, owned by her father, and would soon go to Kentucky to help her brother Dan and his wife Anne with their new child and trading post. The church attendance of the couple waned. Rachel heard business of the brothers was doing well for a while, and that the occasional sighting of Sally was with two other women, one of whom wore the beautiful blue cloak Rachel had given to Sally for her wedding. The brief time Rachel saw her in the trading post, Sally looked shaky and asked Rachel to pray for her. What Sally couldn’t tell anyone is that “Big” lived in their cabin with them, as did two other women, and the men abused all the women. A well-dressed, charming young man, Thomas Langdon, came in at the trading post Dan and Anne own. He was looking for a place to stay. Rachel suggested a tavern with rooms down the road. A couple days later, Ben Langford came to the Post and met Rachel, a surprise since Hugh had written to him about her. While Ben was there, someone came in telling that another brutal murder had just taken place. Horrified, they not only heard what happened, but that the victim was Thomas. Ben had been sent by his uncle to check on Thomas, his younger cousin. Thomas had decided to travel with two scruffy men and three women he met at the tavern for “safety”. The attackers sounded like Sally, Little, Big, and the other two women. Rachel had recently seen them dashing into the woods. Ben spent much of the next year riding in posses to find the Harpes and get justice for Thomas and many others. I am very glad I read this novel of faith, prayer, and second chances! Yes, the serial murders were horrifying, and I wouldn’t recommend this for women sensitive to reading about the aftermaths unless comfortable skipping past those brief paragraphs. Characters are very well-defined. There are times that hope seemed lost, especially when Ben encountered the killers. He and Rachel could not ignore their growing attraction between posse riding, but they will not pursue anything until justice is done – if Ben returns alive. There are real-life twists and turns with definite surprises. With the exception noted above, I highly recommend it to those who appreciate Christian historical novels based on true events that exemplify the faith and prayers of some of the characters rather than the gruesome murders that occurred. From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley, and was under no obligation to post a review.

I absolutely loved The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear. It is an inspirational historical suspense novel based on true events and a book you definitely don't want to miss. Rachel and Ben meet under very unfortunate circumstances when his cousin his murdered by the Harpe cousins who are thought to have been the very first American serial killers. Rachel's best friend had married Wiley Harpe about an year and half before they went on their killing spree. Rachel believed that Sally was being held against her will and needed help getting away from her husband and she intended to help while Ben tried to do everything he could to see that his cousin's killers were brought to justice. I'm not only looking forward to reading more books in this series, but also by Shannon McNear. I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear is a Christian Historical True Crime story of romantic suspense. The author has a disclaimer at the beginning of the book because of all the disturbing details of this true crime. While the evil, sin, and crimes are distressing I felt that the evil characters were much the same as today. God never changes or forsakes us but the world, the flesh and devil will be present until Jesus Christ returns. The Blue Cloak is my favorite in the Christian Historical True Crime stories and may turn out to be my favorite Christian book this year. I loved the scripture, the prayers and the characters dependence on God in every circumstance. I also enjoyed the history and places since this is the part of the world I love the most. The Historical Notes included in this book are also the best because of the concise explanations and references. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Plus Stars

About the author

Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, grammie of two, and a member of ACFW and RWA. Her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® finalist. When she’s not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies. Connect with her at www.shannonmcnear.com, or on Facebook and Goodreads.