The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Shannon McNear’s latest historical story is one based on true events and people and will certainly keep readers engaged until the very last page.

I’m going to put a disclaimer at the beginning of this review – this book contains some very heavy content and should be read by mature readers only. That is not to say that this is not a clean book but that themes and material covered in it are not for younger readers. Personally, I found this to be the best book I’ve read so far this year. It had excellent writing, very well crafted characters and a plot line that was extremely engaging. The story begins with a young woman named Rachel Taylor who is attending the wedding of her best friend to a man Rachel is not sure is suitable. He and his mysterious cousin have no ties to the area and although they appear to be upright men, Rachel cannot help having an ominous feeling about them. But her friend Sally seems happy with her match and Rachel tries to be cheerful, even giving Sally the gift of a beautiful blue cloak to mark the special occasion. As Sally leaves, Rachel heads to her brothers nearby general store to help him and his wife with the store and new baby. Rachel doesn’t see Sally often and soon becomes concerned for her friend’s safety. Sally never imagined that the man who claimed to love her so much could have lied about his life. When she arrives home with him and his cousin, she discovers two women already there who, to her incredible horror, are the shared “wives” of the two men. Soon learning she will become the third such wife, Sally’s hopes for a wonderful home of her own are dashed in the wake of the cruelty of the men. So begins the most terrifying two years of her life. Benjamin Langford and his cousin Thomas are setting off to find their futures along the Cumberland Road. Thomas is looking to settle down and Benjamin wants to practice law in a place that is not so crowded. Thomas sets off first with the understanding that Benjamin will follow after a few weeks to give Thomas a chance to make a go on his own. Benjamin arrives at the Taylor General Store along the Road, looking for shelter and supplies before he heads out to find Thomas. While there, devastating news of his cousin’s gruesome murder is delivered, sparking Ben’s need to go after the killers. But his cousin is not the only victim and he soon learns of a posse that will set out in search of the suspected killers, the Harpe cousins. Rachel cannot believe that the man that Sally married is a co-conspirator in such terrible crimes. She suspected them of being different but is heartbroken to know that her friend is in the company of such awful men. The following months will bring a subsequent search for the two men as they make their way up and down the Cumberland Road, killing many more innocents. Rachel longs to help but cannot do anything more than pray – her most used weapon in the fight for her friend’s life. The unexpected capture of the Harpes and their women gives Rachel a chance to speak to Sally again. Unfortunately, the men escape, leaving the women to be the only ones to be tried for the crimes. Their subsequent release after being found “not guilty” will set off another more dangerous set of events that leads to more innocents killed. Rachel turns to Benjamin for help to find her friend once again and see if they can get Sally away from these cruel people. Benjamin sets off with one posse after another as they search for the crazed killers. The culmination of the search will leave several dead, many sickened by what they witnessed and a weary Benjamin bringing hope to Rachel with Sally’s rescue. I loved every chapter of this incredible story. There was so much happening at all times but it was so well written that I didn’t get lost. I felt frustration, anger, sadness, shock, love and relief right along with the characters and could not put the book down until I finished it. Ms. McNear was very realistic and honest with the crimes that the brothers committed and I was glad she was. It was a hard book to read at times but I loved the way the story was crafted. You couldn’t help but feel elation when the killers were captured and anger when they escaped. And Sally’s part of the story was so pitiable that you wanted to despair alongside her. The part about her baby was the most shocking part of the book but it gave Sally a real reason to finally leave the Harpes. The spiritual side of the book was very well done as well with prayer being central to the main characters existence. It wasn’t overly pious or righteous, rather it was real, raw and honest as one would expect in such tough circumstances. The main characters love story was nicely woven into the rest of the story and gave me something positive to remember in the midst of all the unfortunate happenings. I will certainly be recommending this book to others but with the above warning that it is for older readers. I look forward to purchasing my own copy for my shelves and would like to reread the book and discover other things I might have missed the first time.

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Wow. The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear is another great addition to the True Colors series of historical stories of American Crime written by a variety of authors. The author draws the reader in immediately, as in the first few pages she describes the 1797 Tennessee wedding of a sweet young preacher's daughter to a fidgety, young man who was considerably less than proper for those concerned with proper. Instead of finding herself on the primrose path of married life, Sally finds herself on a dark path with dangerous and ruthless individuals. I loved the suspense as Sally lives out her heartbreaking and horrifying life with the Harpe brothers. Interest was kept high with the intensity of her experience, and wondering how in the world will she get out of these awful circumstances, or even will she get out alive. Would the nightmare ever end and justice prevail? The characters are realistic and either likable, relatable, or despicable. The dialogue flowed seamlessly without sounding forced. The story pulls on the reader’s emotions, shock, horror, anger, sorrow, and compassion. It is a book that kept my interest, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions are my own.

This was a tough story.  It must have been difficult for McNear to write.  It is the history of some very evil activity along the Wilderness Road in eastern Tennessee in the late 1700s.  Wiley Harpe marries and takes his bride to live with him and his cousin and two other women.  They then terrorize the entire area, declaring war on all mankind in the area.  

This story is well-researched and well-written.  It told the story well without being overly graphic.  It isn't light reading, but well worth your time.

The Blue Cloak
By
Shannon McNear


Intrigue, shocking and the unknown is how I would describe "The Blue Cloak". "The Blue Cloak" is a great addition to the " True Colors - Historical Stories of American Crime.

My thoughts - The thought that this actually happened is hard to believe. I feel Shannon McNear did a well written book with a lot of research. It helped for me to understand the content in this book by the information at the beginning.The author did give a note at the beginning to let people know that this might be a trigger for some.

I would recommend a 4 out of 5 because it was very hard to read, but it is true.

I will recommend this book to family and friends.

I received this complimentary copy from Barbour and am under no obligation to write a review.

Based on The Harpe brothers, who might very well have been America's first serial killers, Blue Cloak should have been a fastpaced read. At least, those are the kind of books I prefer when I'm reading a suspense novel or even true crime (although based on really people, this book is a fictional novel). I thought the baseof the story was interrsting, butthe slow moving plot did not retain my interest. I hadn't previously heard of the Harpe Brothers though so now I am aware of an interesting (albeit horrid) piece of American history.

The Blue Cloak is part of the True Colors series which are based on true criminal activity in the United States! The late 1700s history is interesting! Three of the main characters are very well written: Sally Rice who marries a new convert in her father's church, Rachel who is concerned for the welfare of her friend, and Ben who seeks the murderers of his cousin. Sally's husband and his brother (or cousin) turn out to be brutal men who laugh about murdering many people and committing atrocious crimes. While the book was interesting and I learned history that I never knew, the Harpes were so evil and brutal that I would have a hard time recommending it to friends. I received a complimentary e-book through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Warning: I would not recommend this book to younger or sensitive readers due to the nature of the crimes mentioned in this book. Even though the author gave just enough information (no detailed description) it could still be too much for certain readers.

Even though this book was about serial killers and their crimes, the author did a great job of balancing the dark crimes with hope and faith through Racheal and Ben.

My heart broke for Sally and the situation she found herself in. There was one scene that totally broke me. Even though she experienced darkness and hopelessness, she still held on to her faith and that God will help her.

Ben and Rachel’s relationship was a sweet development and both characters had personal hurdles they had to overcome before they could truly be free to commit to each other. I also loved how their hope, faith and prayers broke light through the darkness of the crimes.

I would recommend this book to readers who like shows like criminal minds.

Where is God when you live through Hell? 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I read Shannon McNear's Riveting, Historical, Christian, Romantic Suspense Novel, "The Blue Cloak", as the Corona Virus continued to spread around the world. I came away from it, with Hope for the Future! I'll tell you why in this Review.

This Story is Fiction, but it's based on True Facts that happened in Frontier Tennessee & Kentucky in the late 1790s. The 2 Harpe Cousins/Brothers terrorized/murdered many people along the "Wilderness Road". These fugitives lived & traveled together, with their 3 wives.

Rachel & Ben meet, & fall in 💗 in the midst of these murders. Lawyer, Ben feels he needs to help bring the Harpe Brothers to Justice. Rachel & Ben seek God's help, protection, & strength, as tragedy after tragedy occurs. I Highly Recommend You Read this Engrossing Story, to find out how God Brings Justice to the Harpe Family, as Ben & Rachel make it to their Frontier Forever 💞!

I appreciated the Sensitivity SM used in this Novel! It reminded me of Psalm 23's promise: "Ya though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Ben & Rachel kept bombarding Heaven for God's Help to see them through to Victory; they persevered! It Reminded me, that I don't have to let Fear Overwhelm me! I can look to the future with Hope! The Corona Virus Pandemic will be Conquered by God! ❤️📖

True crime + historical fiction + Christian romance = fantastic. The Blue Cloak is another installment in a series published by Barbour, all bringing actual events from American history to life, and I read a NetGalley preview e-copy of the novel. (Here’s an article about the series.) I read a NetGalley preview copy of The White City and loved it (see my review here), but I somehow missed the releases of The Pink Bonnet (historical background similar to Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate), The Gray Chamber, and The Yellow Lantern. They’re on my to-read list now, for sure, and they’d be excellent purchases for my school library where I have many true crime readers and teachers who assign historical fiction for quarterly choice reading.

What I liked:

The omniscient 3rd person narrator sets up an exciting plot. As events unfold, the reader sees through one character’s perspective, then another’s, then another’s — all building up suspense and tension.
The characters are rather flat in their development, but they’re still intriguing in their predictability. I wish I could’ve known more about the backstory behind the two women traveling with Sally, and I want to know more about what all 3 of the women did with their lives after the novel ends.
Wow, she tackled a difficult historical topic! In spite of my love of historical fiction and history in general, I had never heard of the Harpes. Now I’ll be looking for other books/resources about them.
I wouldn’t say I “liked” this aspect, necessarily, but I always want the books I read to make me FEEL, and this one does. None of the plot events were a true surprise because I was reading up on the real history ahead of where I was in the book, but it made me cry nonetheless as I watched the events through the characters’ eyes.
What I didn’t love:

Normally, I love a good romance and it will drive me to read through any book, but in this case, the romance was far less compelling for me than the hunt for the Harpes. The romance felt almost too basic and predictable.
At some points, the shifting-narrators setup leads to some gaps in the timeline. The flow between watching the Harpes commit a crime and watching the pursuit doesn’t always go smoothly or connect clearly. Of course, maybe that’s part of the intended effect; Sally’s life most certainly wasn’t connecting smoothly.
Verdict: Yes, buy it/check it out/whatever!

The Blue Cloak was pretty interesting. However, I did find it a little dark in places. Sad to realize that this book is based off of a true story.

The True Colors series are a reader's dream. Really great stories by authors who have researched the back stories and are obviously readers themselves. The Blue Cloak is written around a series of horrific murders committed by the Harpe Bros just for the fun of it. These murders took place in the late 1700's when crimes had to be graphically violent to be recorded since print materials were scarce. The author includes information on her research which make a great book even better. If you have not read the True Colors series, you are seriously under privileged.

****Review****

Warning this book has contents some will find disturbing.

I love this series and I was ecstatic when they came to me to other this book without me asking. The one thing bad I say is this book should have a contents warning, some of the writing containing young children and babies may upset some.

This is another book I will be keeping so I can re-read it at a later date. With most books with several main characters it usually hard to read because it doesn’t flow with the rest its just a mishmash but this one flows and I hope to read more from this author and publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley/Shannon McNear/ Bourbon Publishing Inc for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Received this book through Net Gallery to read and review! This was a fantastic story of mystery,drama,murder and love,what more do you need? Back in the late 1700's,the story plays out in Virginia ,Tenn. And Kentucky about two horrible men called the Harps or last name Roberts, they are on a killing spree of anyone who comes in their way or just for the fun of it! I didn't know until the end of the story that this is a really true story!They take their terror of killing through the hills of Kentucky and Tenn with three women and then three babies! Ben from Virginia, who's cousin was killed by these men, he goes after them full time.Ben tries to help Rachel who he is falling in love with help her find Sally who is married to one of these killers and get her to leave and go back home to stay but he has to find All of them first! Are they ever found and stopped ??The adventures he has tracking theses men,you go with him and hope against hope he succeeds! In the story you start to relate to All of the characters and feel their struggles of just trying to survive in the untamed hills of Kentucky and then on top of it all,you have two killers on the lose. So much research and history went into this story and you can tell it by the excellent story telling and writing. You will really enjoy this book and how it was written,the characters come to life for you and you really feel like you are right there with them on the adventures of finding and tracking down these two men and feel how these women who were forced to go with them,and the aftermath of sorrow the family had once they found out what happened to one of many of their love ones who died at the hands of these two monsters!! I don't usually do 5 stars but to me it so deserves more! The only thing that got me was I never ever thought they would find these men or did they? Read the book!

I have learned so much through this true crime series... two of the stories actually take place in my home state of Tennessee, including this one.
Several people have complained about the content of this book, however I would say all things considered, the subject matter was superbly handled. Shannon McNear doesn't sugar coat the truth of what happened to the women held captive by the Harpe brothers - however she does not use graphic details in any way. The only "details" that are given are more in relation to some of the murder victims of the men, just to tell that they were found in pieces, or the skull split. Very matter of fact, without any terrible details. I think she gave the information needed to tell the story without giving anyone images they won't be able to get rid of.
I have read other books by Shannon McNear, including her installments in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, and always enjoy her characters and their faith. She does her research carefully and brings a vivid sense of time and place to her historical novels. This book just goes to show she's more than capable of writing in a variety of genres. I will keep an eye out for more of her books in the future!

This was my first read by Shannon McNear and I thought it was a very well-written story about the Harpe brothers and quite possibly the first known serial killers in the U.S. I loved how detailed the author was at the ending of her book with regards to the research for this book. I was drawn to this story because of the prior reviews that I saw on Goodreads. The characters were well-drawn, I liked the characters of Rachel Taylor and Ben Langford and how they formed a friendship through their mutual acquaintance of Hugh White. Rachel and Ben are further affected by the murder of Ben's cousin Thomas Langford because Rachel is friends with Sally Rice who married Wiley Harpe, unwittingly not knowing who her husband really was. Even though there are some gruesome details about the victims of the Harpe brothers, I felt it didn’t detract from the story that Ms. McNear is clearly telling. My gratitude to NetGalley and Barbour Books for a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have read and enjoy all of the books in the True Colors series. It's a fictional series based off of true crime happenings in the past.
This one dealt with some tough subjects and didn't play out as I expected it to.
It was interesting to read the author's notes in the back of the book explaining the story based on fact and read about it more in depth. Not for the faint of heart there is brutality and a crime spree. Get ready for edge of your seat action.

Published March 1st 2020 by Barbour Books
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

A dark account of the Harpes trail of death in the late 1700s lightened by the unwavering belief in God by Rachel, Ben and, Sarah.

This is an exciting account of the devastation caused by Big and Little Harp. Their gory story is tempered by the potential romance of Ben Langford and Rachel. The reader can feel the attraction between the two in the superb writing. The fact that they turn to God in times of need and praise only enhances the story and makes the characters more believable.

I was enthralled by this book and read it in less than 24 hours. I am on my way to find the other books in this series. Definitely recommended.


I received an ARC from Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating. I am submitting this review voluntarily and am under no obligation to do so.

Wow, where do I begin. This is a very emotionally draining story, and yet very well written. The history of these ruthless men is mind boggling. Ms. McNear was very thorough in her research. Hence, between her research and talent for writing, this was an exceptional read. Even though it can be a bit graphic, it can hold your attention to where you cannot put it down. I very much enjoyed the Historical note she wrote attractive the end. She was able to explain what was fact, according to history, and what was fiction. I will definitely read more books from this author. I received this book from the publisher through net galley for an honest review.

I have enjoyed this series very much which is based on true crimes, but this one was very dark and gritty. The brutalities committed by the two brothers in this story definitely made me cringe throughout this story. Serial killers are difficult to understand and even harder to read about. McNear's obvious research shows throughout the book and is detailed in the epilogue. Using not only historical tools but also genealogical tools to make sure her work was as accurate as possible must have been vastly time consuming.

My heart went out to Ben as he spent weeks and months attempting to join others and catch the two brothers whose first known kill was his cousin. The circumstances that Sally found herself in were beyond imagining, and it is difficult to see how someone during that time period could ever recover from their experiences. Her own prayers and those of Rachel and her own family had to have kept her from losing her sanity.

Overall, a difficult book to read due to its darkness and cruelty; yet it showed how Satan is at work, but God can help us walk through the most difficult times.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Books through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

Little known serial killers, the Harper brothers terrorised Tennessee and Kentucky in the late 1700's to early 1800s. Fictionalized characters help bring this true story to light in a sensitive way. The crimes and treatment of people by these brothers were horrific and not easily forgotten. The author's note at the end emphasized all the research that went into this novel to sort out facts from rumors and tales. Recommended for readers who love true crime without all the gory details.