About the Book

Book: The Blue Cloak
Author: Shannon McNear
Genre: Christian Historical/Suspense
Release Date: March, 2020

Evil Incarnate Leaves a Trail of Destruction across the Frontier

Book 5 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Rachel Taylor lives a rather mundane existence in 1797 at the way station her family runs along the Wilderness Road in Tennessee. She attends her friend Sally Rice’s wedding only to watch the marriage dissolve into horror has the groom, Wiley Harpe, and his cousin Micajah 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?

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MY THOUGHTS.....

This isn't the first book that I've read by this author but it is certainly one that I will long remember! The Blue Cloak is historical fiction and some may consider it hard to read but in the end, it is a story that proves God's providence in our lives. McNear has based her book on true facts that occurred in Tennessee and Kentucky during a two year span that began in 1797. Two men known as Big and Little Harpe began a reign of murder and terror and took with them three women who were victims themselves. These women were accused of these heinous crimes but were ultimately acquitted of any wrongdoing. Their punishment had certainly been in the treatment that they themselves endured.

This was a time when frontier settlements were miles apart and it took months to receive news and McNear clearly shows the fear and uncertainty along the Wilderness Road. The Harpes have been called some of America's first serial killers and she explains in her author's notes how she struggled with presenting these true facts in her fictional story. She admits that she considered giving the project up because of the truly evil deeds of these two men but she decided to show that "God is truly stronger than evil". As I read McNear's account, I found myself wanting to stop but unable to do so. Yes, there is violence but the author avoids offending readers and through it all, she is quick to remind us that there were Godly people praying for guidance and for God's protection as they feverishly worked to stop this evil. I also appreciated that she shows forgiveness as a central theme through it all.

The Blue Cloak is the latest book in The True Colors Crime series from Barbour Publishing and I am giving it 5 stars. It is beautifully written and McNear's attention to historical detail and her efforts to share God's presence in her story makes it a wonderful historical Christian novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

My rating: 5 of 5 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.

More from Shannon

How dark is too dark for a Christian to write?

That was the question I wrestled with when deciding whether or not to take on the story of the Harpes. The histories in Scripture itself aren’t rated G, but writing fiction requires a level of detail and depth of emotion I wasn’t sure would be wise, or helpful, to explore in this case. But as I prayed and sought the counsel of those whose discernment I trust, the answer came back, overwhelmingly …

Is God stronger than the darkness, or not?

Well, of course He is. And nothing in human history has ever escaped His notice, or taken Him by surprise.

So, was there something redeeming to be found in the tale of the Harpes?

For the first few weeks of research, I walked around in a state of shock at the horror of the historical accounts, but details surfaced that helped me shape my fictional characters Rachel and Ben. With Rachel working in her family’s trading post near the wild frontier town of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Ben a lawyer who recently passed the bar, the real-life Hugh Lawson White provided a handy connection point between them. Many other details fell together in ways I had not foreseen when I began developing the story. Sally Rice Harpe, however, rose to the forefront. This was more her story than anyone’s, but realizing I couldn’t properly write the book without using her point of view? That was scary. I knew the moments I’d have to visit, some of them in real-time.

Despite the tragedy, however, I could see an overarching story of spiritual warfare. Felt a growing conviction that prayer must have played a vital role in bringing the Harpes’ reign of terror to an end. So it is my hope that against the backdrop of one of the most chilling episodes of our country’s early history, the hand of God shows clearly, and that yes, the reader finds it redemptive.