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Breaker's Reef (2005)

Breaker's Reef (2005)

Book Info

Series
Rating
4.33 of 5 Votes: 3
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ISBN
0310235952 (ISBN13: 9780310235958)
Language
English
Publisher
zondervan publishing company

About book Breaker's Reef (2005)

Breaker's Reef by Terri Blackstock is the 4th in a series of mysteries in a Christian vein that take place in Cape Refuge. I received a free eCopy of this novel from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.The mystery here revolves around the murder of a bright, bubbly, teenaged girl whose body is found in a rowboat floating between Cape Refuge and Tybee Island, fictitious places in the U.S. state of Georgia. Over-enthusiastic, 19-year-old rookie policeman, Scott Crown (his first week on the job) carries the body to shore, inadvertently destroying evidence. After being reamed out by Chief of Police Matt Cade, he harbours a deep resentment. When a second body is found and the girl's sandal shows up in the back of Cade's truck, he becomes a suspect in his own investigation. Sheila Caruso, an ex-con living with her son and daughter at Hanover House (a half-way house run by Jonathan and Morgan Cleary), finds herself quite intimidated by the famous author, Marcus Gibson, who has just moved into town and employs her as a secretary despite her background. After she discovers that the first murder matches exactly the murder in the draft for Gibson's new novel, she tells Cade and won't go back to work.This is a well-written and intriguing plot with lots of surprises, suspense, and red herrings, with a touch of romance thrown in. The characters were interesting and realistic for the most part. The police were somewhat territorial and the young cop clearly had a bit of a hero complex, as well as a lot to learn about doing his job properly. I really liked Blair, who ran the local newspaper and was Cade's girlfriend, and her sister Morgan. When Sheila is introduced, she still has some of the poor behaviours that got her into trouble in the first place and I liked the way she developed in the course of the story. I was really surprised when the killer's accomplice was uncovered at the end; I'm not often wrong about "who done it".I thought that some of the Christian message would turn off some non-Christian readers. As a Christian, the outlook and 'jargon' was familiar and believable to me, and I liked the message about rebuilding your life without looking back, but I felt that others might be skeptical -- especially about Sheila's conversion and some of the 'miracle' talk. The mystery itself was riveting; there were lots of strands that wove in and out and kept me guessing.While this book can stand alone without the reader losing anything from not having read the previous 3 books in the series, I must admit that, having read this one, I want to go back to the beginning and read the first three.

I have been a Terri Blackstock fan for some time. Her books always keep me turning pages and Breaker’s Reef was no exception. I must admit that when I received this book and saw that it is book four of the “Cape Refuge Series”, I thought I might be lost because I hadn’t read the first three books in the series. However, that was not the case. I’m sure that many of the characters are part of the first three books as Cape Refuge is a town, but Ms. Blackstock wrote this book in such a way that I could read it and not feel like I was reading a book from a series where I had missed a lot of important information. She gave enough information on the characters that I understood them and the connections between them, and the plot line seemed independent.Breaker’s Reef is the story of Sadie, a young lady who has lived a difficult life, whose mother has recently straightened out her own life though she has a secret that is soon revealed — she had another daughter before Sadie, one she gave up for adoption. When a murder takes place, Sadie’s mom thinks she may have information as to who may have done it. Then, another young girl turns up dead and another missing. Danger seems to lurk around every corner as Sadie decides to try to find the missing girl. In between all of the murders and abductions, the Police Chief is trying to propose to the woman he has loved for a long time, but the case seems to grow more tangled and time consuming every day.Breaker’s Reef is suspenseful and gripping with a touch of humor and romance. It definitely kept me turning pages. The young ladies in this book were impressive characters in the way they showed compassion and wanted to help other young girls in trouble. They encouraged others to take a step to change their lives. The story and its characters were inspiring.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery with an inspirational message. If you love a story that grabs your attention and holds it until the very end, Breaker’s Reef is a book you’ll want to read. I can’t wait to read the first three that came before Breaker’s Reef in the “Cape Refuge Series”.

Do You like book Breaker's Reef (2005)?

A teenage girl’s body is found in a boat between Tybee Island and Cape Refuge, mimicking a scene in one of famous mystery writer, Marcus Gibson’s books. Shelia Caruso, his secretary and ex-con, thinks he is eccentric enough to be a murderer but police chief, Matthew Cade isn’t completely convinced Marcus is the murderer. When Cade and Blair Owens, a newspaper reporter, fine another murdered teenage girl and Shelia’s daughter Sadie goes missing, Cade finds himself a suspect when evidence is left in his truck. I love MS Blackstock’s Cape Refuge Series. Her books have fast-paced plots and loads of suspense that will keep you turning the pages. This novel is filled with twists and turns that you won’t see coming. At one point I had it all figured out only to be surprised at the end. All throughout her book she subtly inserts God’s love, faith and forgiveness, without being “preachy”. Even though this book is about murder it leaves you filled with hope because of God’s love. In my opinion it is a great book. You do not have to read the previous books in the series, but after you read this, you will want to go back and complete the series.Disclosure: I was given a copy of this Book by the publisher, Zondervan, through Book Look Bloggers blogger program for review. I was not required to write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in this review are my own.
—Sally

Terri Blackstock in her new book, “Breaker’s Reef” Book Four in the Cape Refuge series published by Zondervan gives us another adventure with Blair Owens and Police Chief Cade.From the back cover: The murders occurring on Cape Refuge mirror scenes in a local writer’s novels. Could the killer be a copycat or the author himself?When a teenage girl’s body is discovered in a boat between Tybee Island and Cape Refuge, all evidence points to a famous mystery writer who has taken up residence in the small town: Marcus Gibson. After all, ex-con Sheila Caruso discovers that a scene in one of his books perfectly mirrors the brutal crime scene, and Gibson seems just eccentric enough to be murderous.Police Chief Cade works to confirm the evidence—but more devastation is just around the corner. He and Blair Owens discover a second dead teenager, again paralleling a scene in one of Gibson’s books. Then Sheila’s daughter, Sadie, goes missing.In a race against time, there are many questions to be answered. Can Cade find the killer before Sadie is murdered too? What connection does Sheila have with the crimes? And is Marcus one of the killers—or is the murderer still walking free, ready to prey on his next victim?Ms. Blackstock makes us hit the ground running and just does not let up with the suspense. There is a murder that looks as though it was copied from a mystery writer’s book. Then a young girl goes missing while another murder occurs that also looks like a scene from a mystery. Could the mystery writer himself be committing these murders? Once the action gets going Ms. Blackstock revs up the thriller quotient considerably which will have you reading and flipping pages as fast as you can. I think it takes a highly skilled author to pull of something like this and let me tell you I think Ms. Blackstock is one highly skilled author. Blair Owens and Police Chief Cade are well-defined characters that know what they are doing and whom we root for to figure out just what is going on. Don’t start this book late at night because it will be very difficult to put it down or stop thinking about it. I recommend this book highly.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
—Victor Gentile

This review is also posted on Book by Book.Terri Blackstock’s Breaker’s Reef provides another wonderfully suspenseful trip to Cape Refuge. I loved the chance to revisit characters I had grown to love in River’s Edge and see them in the midst of yet another murder mystery. From the start, I thought I had the identity of the culprit figured out and spent most of the book just waiting for the revealing to play out. However, Blackstock proved my original guess completely wrong with a few unexpected twists and turns. Though the ending seemed a bit abrupt to me and left me feeling betrayed by a character I wanted to like, Breaker’s Reef is still a very satisfying and surprising read, and I would recommend it along with River’s Edge. I can’t wait to read more from Terri Blackstock very soon.Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of Breaker’s Reef and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
—Hallie Szott

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