From the beginning of the story the narrator sets the tone for intrigue and suspicion on one hand and love and faithfulness on the other. Rachel’s friend Sally is getting married, but something doesn’t seem right. Then we meet the Harpes, two brothers bent on cold blooded murder and mayhem. In contrast we also meet brave characters who believe in justice. I loved this book. It moved quickly, it had a sweet love story and a satisfying ending. Nonetheless, some of the scenes were difficult to read because of the Harpe brother’s brutality. These scenes are mentioned, not described in full. I recommend this well researched book. Thank you #NetGalley #TheBlueCloak and #Barbour for sending me an ARC of this book.

“The Blue Cloak” by Shannon McNear is part of the True Colors Series. As my readers know, I am a big fan of this Christian historical fiction series. This book is incredible. I had never heard of the Harpe brothers before. They are considered America’s first serial killers. The author did a great job of portraying the heinous crimes committed without being too descriptive of them. I felt compelled to keep reading late into the night.

I was so impressed by the loyalty shown by various characters in “The Blue Cloak.” The only complaint I had was that the character who married one of the Harpe brothers should have had more fight in her. Beyond that, I loved the various character portrayals and how skillful the author of “The Blue Cloak” was at bringing the setting to life.

"The Blue Cloak” was a darker book than the other books that have been released so far in the True Colors Series. How could it not be, considering the subject matter? Yet, the author managed to make this a story that glorified Christ and the Church community. Another thing that the author did well was to balance the storylines of the main character, Rachael, and that of her best friend who was in the clutches of the Harpe brothers. There is romance, adventure, suspense, and true friendship. There is no vulgar language and the violence was kept “off of the page.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a clean romance with action and adventure. The fact that this is based on actual events makes it even better.

Thank you to Net Galley and Barbour Books for providing me with an ARC of “The Blue Cloak” in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me. It’s too graphic and I felt like it pushed the boundaries of Christian fiction. The subject matter was Heartbreaking on so many levels. I wish Barbour would’ve passed on this one.

1 star

I was so excited about this book! However, it is very dark and disturbing, especially for a Christian book. This is a very disturbing book including rape references. I just couldn't finish it. I truly wish there would be warnings on books saying these types of scenarios are included in the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Based on a true story, this is not an easy book to read. This is not a story of faith tested by having to wait on the Lords time, or trust his choice. This is a story of the true evil that man is capable of, and the redemption of those who believe they are nonredeemable. It takes you to some very dark and horrible places that come about as close as one can get to Hell on earth. But after it all, faith is there. If you are looking for a fun summer read, this is not it. But if you are looking for a thought provoking, soul searching read, this might be for you.

This author did a lot of research into who and what she was writing about, and it definitely shows! I love when you can feel the authenticity of a book while you're reading it. I wasn't sure going in about how I would feel about this book, it had the option to be rather grisly. Fortunately a lot of violence and gore happens kind of off screen and you just see character reactions or the impact it has. I really enjoyed this book. This series has been great. It is listed as Christian, and yes the characters have a faith in God. I am not a Christian but am still able to enjoy these books as it doesn't come off as too preachy or being shoved down your throat like in some other books. It's a realistic fact that the characters are Christian and is as easy to accept as saying the character is a woman, it's easy to handle. I have LOVED this series.

Another great story of American criminal activity, this one by McNear and it will hold your interest right from the beginning. These stories are based on actual crimes that were committed in our early history. Unique stories of historical romantic suspense. This one centers on a lawless couple of men with no conscience, that went through the land taking whatever they desired by force, even to murdering to get what they wanted. Two men with three woman roaming the country side bent on evil. One woman was kept against her will even though she had willingly wed the younger man. Now she finds out what evil really is. The crimes of the Harpe brothers were numerous and very unsettling. The way they treated the three women in their life was very sad. But that is not all there is to the book, there is love and trust and faith in God in the other characters. All in all it makes for a most riveting Historical read……….I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Barbour Books, via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Not for the squeamish. Spoilers will follow but I will try to be brief with those. This is a different type of book for Barbour Publishing, I commend them for branching into a different genre.
Said to be the first documented serial killers this is a tale that will not leave you soon. I read many genres because I can’t always read just sugar and I draw the line at many things. This was an intriguing story for me involving what seemed like a simple wedding that went wrong.
Not long after Sally’s wedding her husband and
brother begin their gruesome reign of brutal murders. I will let you read more on others reviews if you want more details.
I was very interested in the historical background set in the commonwealth of Kentucky since my husband and I are in the process of moving here ourselves. I’m glad that it is now settled and I have nothing to fear from the Harpe brothers
Thank you NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an e-copy of the book and will look for more in this series. The thoughts are my own

3 1/2 rounded up. First of all, this is based on real events. That's terrifying, as this book tells such a gruesome story. Set in 1797, we follow Rachel as she first attends her friend's wedding, then moves North to be with family. We soon find out that her friend married a man who sets out on a serial murder spree with his cousin. This book is so heartbreaking! The author even mentions how hard it was to write a faith book while dealing with this really awful story. Overall is was fascinating, heartbreaking, and just sad. There is some lightly graphic violence, rape, and murder. I am sad that these women actually went through this!

Thank you NetGalley and Barbour books for an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

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.

The True Colors series has been a really interesting group of books, with multiple authors lending their unique voices to fiction books based on true crime events. ( Let me preface the review with this: there are very difficult themes in this book. Murder, violence against children.) Because these stories are based on true events in American crime history, expect a gritty read here. If you are a sensitive reader, this may not be the read for you.

"The Blue Cloak" finds Tennessee native Rachel Taylor readying for her friend Sally's upcoming wedding. While things seem wonderful on the surface, Rachel can't help but be concerned. Something doesn't feel right about the Harpe family. Rachel wishes her friend well and gifts her a beautiful blue cloak for her wedding. However, Sally's new husband Wiley and his cousin are not who they seemed to be, much to Sally's horror. She is thrown into an unimaginable situation fueled by violence and fear. How will she overcome this challenge to her very life?

Benjamin Langford is a man on a mission-- to uncover the truth about his cousin's disappearance, said to be at the hands of the Harpe family. He has his suspicions, but he needs proof. He is going to find out what happened to his cousin, no matter how dark the answers may be.

As these books are based on true American crime stories, be aware that this is not your typical CF book. However, there is a light of hope throughout this dark tale, which makes it a little easier to bear. There are stark reminders of the great cost of sin at someone else's hand but there is also room for restoration and new hope.

I was an early reader, thanks to Barbour Publishing and #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I knew this book would not be an easy read due to the content and was thankful for the warning that the author gave at the beginning. While the content was difficult to read, the writing was extremely well done. This book drew out my emotions from start to finish; sympathy for Sally, anger at the senseless killings, anxiousness when men went in pursuit of the killers, anguish over one death in particular, delight in the side romance. There was one scene that would have had me tossing this book across the room had it not been on my Kindle, the emotional reaction was that visceral. BUT, after a brief pause in reading, I picked the book back up because ultimately, I wanted to know what became of the characters. I was invested in how they would come through this story. I liked that this book made me uncomfortable while still offering the reader hope that despite the evilness of the killers, God was still good and does not ever leave us. It bothers me when readers of Christian Fiction think that authors should not handle certain topics or insist that everything has to be rosy... this world is full of evil and I appreciate when authors cover the difficult things and are able to show God's goodness through it. Shannon McNear has done that with this book.

"The Blue Cloak" tells the violent true story of the country's first serial killers Wiley and Micajah Harpe/Roberts. In 1797 wilderness Kentucky, the cousins murder over two dozen people. Along the way, they drag three wives, including the daughter of a preacher Sally. Throughout the ordeal, Sally's friend Rachel prays non-stop for the owner of the blue cloak and for Ben Langford, Rachel's boyfriend.
The story is gruesome, but fans of True Crime will enjoy it. I like the story of redemption that weaves through the book's pages. God is always near and hears us even when deliverance is not yet at hand, and no one is too far removed from His grace, mercy and love. At times, there are too many actions that occur off-screen and I was left feeling blindsided or questioning what just happened.
Note: this book is a romance with plenty of lovey-dovey parts I skipped. There is no graphic sex - it occurs "off screen" as does the majority of the violence and murders. Generous end notes explain the author's research and intent with this book.

I loved this book!! Great story!! Received this book from barbour publishing inc. from netgally!! 1st book I have read by this author!!

The True Colors-Historical Stories of American Crime has become one of my favorite series which is penned by different authors. They have all contained elements of a love story but have a grittier side to them, too.
The Blue Cloak is much more on the gritty side than I expected but that was fine because it heightened the desperation and the plight that Sally Rice faced with her new husband shortly after they were married.

Needless to say her marriage got off to a horrendous start as she moves in with her husband, his cousin and a couple of other people she had never met. But in the midst of the crime spree that Sally finds herself in, she has the love and concern of her dear friend Rachel Taylor. Unfortunately, their paths rarely cross but this is where a sweet romance develops between Rachel and Ben Langford
There are some difficult parts to read due to the violence but I thought Ms. McNear added enough tender moments for her other characters that it balanced rather well.
This book is a good read but would not be appropriate for younger readers due to the mature content.

I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publisher. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't familiar with this crime spree and it's obvious the author did a great deal of research on the topic. The pacing of the narrative is rather slow but the characters are interesting. The story seems part mystery, part romance novel, and part western - but it all comes together nicely.

There is a lot of violence and the overall feeling of the book (to me) is sadness. It was horrifying what Sally went through and the reign of terror from the brothers was creepy and gruesome.

A good book for those who enjoy true crime.

This series has been up and down for me but this was BY FAR the BEST of the series. It was gritty, disturbing and extremely well researched. It is very hard to comprehend that people can be so evil to each other but the author does an excellent job of trying to help us understand. A really wonderful piece of historically accurate fiction.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

I think The Blue Cloak is my favorite books so far in the True Colors series. I enjoyed the story line between Ben and Rachel. And I loved that the story seemed to stick so close to the true events that involved the Harpes. It was a very enjoyable book!

In the front matter the author describes how difficult it was for her to write this book. She touches upon that again at the end of her Historical Notes section. Each True Colors book, of which this is number five in the series, centers around a true American crime or criminal. The Blue Cloak focuses on the story of Micajah and Wiley Harpe, AKA Roberts, serial killers that plagued Tennessee and Kentucky in the late 1700s. It is also the story of Susan, Betsey, and Sally, three women who were controlled by the Harpe men and who served as wives to them both. Susan and Betsey were stolen by the men as young girls in or near their teens. Wiley, living up to his name, tricked Sally, a Baptist preacher's daughter, into marrying him before she learned of the lifestyle they would be living. McNear successfully tackled the daunting task of writing a Christian fiction piece that could truly claim that descriptor while telling of the horrors perpetrated by Micajah and Wiley. Having the name of my current hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, mentioned several times made the story all the more real to me, horrifyingly real.

This book will appeal to those who like historical fiction as well as those who like thrillers. I am grateful to have received a copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.

Heart wrenching and complex story with interesting characters. Will capture you on the first page. Lots of twists and turns and events that will stay with you long after you close the book. A must read.