This was an interesting book that was based on historical fact. It was my first book by Shannon McNear. It was well done but not my favorite author or story.

The Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear is the new title in the True Color historical story of American crime series. It is the year 1797 in Know County, Tennessee when the US was young, and the west was still wild. Rachel Taylor attends the wedding of her friend, Sally, to Wiley Harpe. Something about the groom and his brother, Micajah, gives her the creeps but her friend seems so happy and she tries to shake it off. One year later, Rachel notices a group, two men and three women, come into town. One woman is her friend, Sally, who hadn’t been seen in a year since whispers of the brothers’ “business” practices started and they disappeared. December 1798, along the Wilderness Road in Kentucky, a young man is found murdered. It is the fourth along the road and it has been linked to the Harpes. A young lawyer, Benjamin Langford, from Virginia comes looking for his cousin, Thomas, and quickly joins the search for the group. Will they find the brothers before they kill again? How is Sally involved? Will Rachel see her friend again?
The Blue Cloak is the third book I’ve read in the True Colors series and this one was creepy. Creepy but I was unable to put it down. Featuring the real-life case of Wiley “Little” Harpe and Micajah “Big” Harpe, the two would begin a horrifying crime spree through Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois from 1797 until 1799 when Micajah was captured and killed. Wiley would continue his killing spree as a part of the Samuel Mason gang until 1803 when he was captured and later hanged in 1804. I was fascinated by this story from history that I have never heard before. It was hard to read at times especially when these men seemed to enjoy their crimes; but I was fascinated how they were eventually caught and what became of the women who were with them. I highly recommend The Blue Cloak, especially if you have enjoyed the other titles in this series.

The Blue Cloak
is available in paperback and eBook

The Blue Cloak is historical fiction that kept my attention from beginning to end! It could have been a true story.

The Blue Cloak is based upon the little-known but true story of Wiley and Micajah Harpe. In the late 1700s, their spree of murderous violence claimed an untold number of lives and marked them as the perhaps the earliest known of America’s serial killers.

McNear deftly captures the horror of the events with grace and sensitivity, offering insight into why Sally—one of the Harpes’ wives—stayed with them so long. The fictional story of Rachel Taylor and Ben Langford binds the Harpes’ story together, and their romance offers sweet respite from the dark tale. McNear’s writing skillfully weaves together fact, fiction, and meticulous research to craft a chilling story that will keep you turning page after page until the end.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Shannon McNear really tackled tough true crime and I was hooked. There is no doubt that the crimes and violence committed by these two individuals was horrific. But in this story, there were also people willing to stand up, sacrifice and fight against evil. As the search for these criminals went on, I found myself caught up in the suspense and turning pages fast. The community soon realized the necessity of prayer and McNear wove short natural prayers throughout the story wonderfully. I liked that different characters with different perspectives prayed from their hearts. Within this well written story, there were tender moments and a genuine romance had a chance to bloom. Even a friendship proved true. This novel was well researched and certainly an interesting read and I’m glad that I did not miss it! I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Blue Cloak was a strong and interesting read. Well-written and engaging, the story evoked emotion teetering on shock and astonishment. The story was beautifully written, with a consistent style and tone, efficiency of description, and complete with authentic dialogue, yielding an even pace. As with all the books in this unique series, The Blue Cloak is original and serves an excellent addition to the historical fiction genre.

I enjoyed the author's notes at the end, almost as much as the story. What a ton of research Shannon McNear did in order to make this so interesting for us, the readers! I don't know where my mind was but somehow I missed realizing that this was a true crime story. Rather, I think I knew when I chose to download it but forgot by the time I actually started reading. I just may have enjoyed it more that way... who knows? Great history involved here; in fact, it led me to look up Nashborough and learn more Tennessee lore that I was unaware of (even though I've been to Nashville several times). Now I'm interested in looking up the others in this series.

And, especially, nice about the book were the prayers and scriptural references throughout! It meant a lot to me. Thank you, Shannon McNear!

Life on the Tennessee frontier in 1797 is hard, it’s even more difficult when you’re a young woman. We’re introduced to Rachel Taylor who helps her family run a trading post along the Wilderness Road in Tennessee. Rachel is happily (albeit a little jealously) attending her best friend Sally’s wedding. The only people who know what Sally is getting into that day is her husband, Wiley Harpe and his cousin. Sally and the women find themselves witnesses to unspeakable things, in the company of murderers and made to endure the harshness of the Tennessee/Kentucky frontier without a place to call their own. Consistently pursuing the Harpe’s on their lawless and bloody spree is Benjamin Langford, whose only goal is to find out if the rumors of his cousin running afoul of the Harpe’s is indeed the truth. At what cost will the Harpe’s spree be brought to justice?

The Blue Cloak is a book that oddly enough reminds me of my dad and his love of western/frontier type movies/television. If this book were indeed a movie or television show I know that he and my mom would watch it. I grew up watching these kinds of shows, I still have a gigantic soft spot for John Wayne movies; my personal favorites being Hondo, Rio Bravo, Chisum, Big Jake, The Cowboys, McClintock! and of course True Grit. The sheer amount of research that I feel went into making this novel is astounding. I can hardly sort through results received by genealogy websites for my own family let alone someone else’s from over 200 years ago. I also found something personally interesting to me in this book – the Narragansett Pacer. I have an interest in horse breeds and had not actually heard of this one but found out that it is attributed to the founding of modern day Tennessee Walking Horse, Standardbred and American Saddlebred. Sadly the breed is now extinct which is probably why I had not heard of it (that I can recall).

I feel like novels that are placed in a time period where religion was more commonplace than it is today have a better chance of being accepted by the general public than religious novels taking place in our current time. The religious aspect of this novel feels natural for the characters – it doesn’t feel forced or out of place.

This book does contain it’s fair amount of violence and murder, even against children so just be prepared or don’t read it if those are sensitive subjects for you. I would recommend reading The Blue Cloak if you like frontier/western fiction, historical fiction or books about outlaws. Thank you again to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an advance copy of not only this novel but yet another from the True Colors series. I have been not only enjoying them but planning on purchasing the prior novels in the series as well.

A redemptive telling of a truly horrifying tale. I was not at all familiar with this historical crime spree. I appreciated the way the story was unfolded as it built to the terrors that were to come. While Rachel and Ben are the romantic focus, and they have a precious story of their own, a lot of the plot focused on her friend, Sally and her firsthand experience of the cousin’s evil rampage. I appreciated that full descriptions were not given, but rather implied. There were a few times I felt my heart stop and I could not stop reading until a scene concluded. If you have a tender heart, there may be some triggers in this tale, but know that justice is served, and God’s redemption is clearly seen. Another gripping installment of the True Colors series. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

The Blue Cloak was a difficult read in various sections, a gruesome story of wild men: Old Man Roberts, Big Harpe and Little Harpe and the deaths they caused in 1790’s Kentucky. The brutality of the deaths were difficult to read and I was tempted to skim past them but wanting to give an honest review I plunged through. This is not something I would have read as my own selection. The court scenes were much easier reading and were well done and somewhat reminded my of the style of John Grisham. This part had me spellbound and kept me up late at night not wanting to put the book down.

My thanks to Barbour Publishing, Inc. for the opportunity to read this ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review

This book is part of the True Colors - Historical Stories of American Crime series. The story here covers the first American serial killers. In 1797 in Tennessee, two brothers/cousins, Big and Small Harpe, begin a killing spree that has no rhyme or reason. They also kidnap and hold two women as their "wives," while Small legitimately marries the daughter of a minister and brings her into their "family." Her friend Rachel fears for the bride's safety. The story follows Rachel, the killers, and the various groups who try to capture the murderers. Romance is oddly thrown in as Rachel is attracted to the lawyer/cousin of one of the victims. There is a lot of violence described in this story, including a very graphic murder scene, which is unusual for a Christian novel, but since the story is about murder, the violent descriptions are justified. The story is too long, and repeats itself a bit too much. The romance is a bit contrived, and a little Hallmark-like. But the plot of the killers is strong, introducing serial killers who may be unknown to many readers, including me. The author provides an extensive "Historical Note" section which presents much clarifying information. I am enjoying this unusual series and look forward to more volumes. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

The Blue Cloak, set on the Wilderness Road in the Cumberland Mountain area of Tennessee and Kentucky in the late 1700s, fictionally chronicles the horrific murders and mayhem perpetrated by real- life serial killers Wiley and Micajah Harpe and their abusive relationships with their captive “wives”. Alongside the dark story runs the romance story of fictional characters Rachel Taylor and Ben Langford. This thread of romance helps to lighten the weight of the narrative in its descriptions of the heinous evil inflicted along their “trail of woe”. Rachel’s best friend, Sally, has the misfortune of being married to Wiley Harpe and is as much a victim as those he murdered. Ben’s cousin, Thomas, is one of the victims of their murderous rampage so Ben joins a posse and sets out to bring the Harpes to justice and to rescue Sally. An arrest, a prison break, a journey, a trial, a manhunt, and more carnage add to the suspense and resolution of the drama. The role the blue cloak plays in the story is stirring.

Ms. McNear handles well the darkness of the gruesome, abominable acts of the Harpes. She gives just enough detail to reveal the degree of evil but not enough to be too ghastly or difficult to read, and the story flows at a fitting pace. It is evident that Ms. McNear did extensive research and does an excellent job of incorporating the real-life events into her fictional narrative evoking a myriad of emotions—sadness, disbelief, anger, sympathy, and disgust.

The Blue Cloak is unlike any story I have ever read in the Christian fiction genre, but it definitely belongs there. The faith element is strong despite the darkness of the plot. Sally holds on to her faith in the midst of unspeakable treatment, and prayers and scripture abound. As the author states in her notes, “I am encouraged that the Light truly is greater than the dark…and no circumstances are ever so terrible or hopeless that His love cannot reach us.” I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley but am under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Shannon McNear is definitely one of my most favorite authors ever. I’ve said it in previous reviews, I will say it again: McNear cannot write a bad story if she tried. With that said, I struggled with The Blue Cloak. Not because it’s a poorly written novel. It’s actually superiorly written. I found The Blue Cloak highly engaging and fast-paced. I didn’t struggle with the characters per se. In fact, I’ve never rooted harder for a character than I did for Sally Roberts … er, I mean Sally Harpe (you’ll understand once you read this story). And, I didn’t struggle with the themes. They are timely and seriously thought-provoking. In all honesty, I 1000% recommend The Blue Cloak. McNear took a supremely ugly topic and penned an honest, historically accurate story that ends with grace and hope. And yet, I still really struggled. The ugly is so ugly, I find myself at a loss for how to reconcile Sally’s horrific experiences with the notion that God has a plan for good for His people.

Genesis 50:20 is the famous verse where Joseph tells his brothers, “…You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”. When I read Joseph’s story I totally get this verse. When I look backward, I can easily see God’s hand orchestrating Joseph’s story and keeping him from great harm. Joseph does endure sad, rough moments, but God is there. After reading Sally’s story in The Blue Cloak, and looking backward, I’m struggling so hard to see God’s hand. I can see it clear as day for almost every other character, but I just can’t for Sally and that scares me. What does this say about me? Is my faith in God fake? Can I only see God’s hand when things are rosy and sunny and good? OR, are there just some stories we won’t understand until we get to Heaven and God explains them to us? I know God is good all the time. I know He is pure, perfect love. But today I don’t understand how He allows certain things. How do we stay faithful when very, very, very bad things happen to good, innocent people? I feel like knowing the answer to this question is pivotal, but today all I can do is go to God and tell Him that I am struggling to understand. Today, I’m a little angry, a lot brokenhearted, and downright unsure. I will have to take all these feels to God and let Him help me sort them out.

A true testament of a novel’s amazingness is how it sticks with a reader well after the final page had been turned, and how that novel forces a reader to wrestle with complex topics. Well, The Blue Cloak must be one of the MOST amazing novels ever because I will never forget it, and I’m definitely wrestling with some tough emotions and facts. As I stated earlier, I highly recommend this novel, but understand that reading this story may very well wreck your heart. I had ALL the feels with this one!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Barbour Books, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a dark story from the reign of terror, and follows America’s first serial killer brothers in Kentucky. The novel starts in 1797, the year the brothers began their notorious killing spree, at the wedding of Wiley Harpe and his bride. The novel weaves history and fiction seamlessly and doesn’t shy away from the gruesome truth of the wickedness of these two murderers.
I can’t imagine how difficult this story was to write. Just reading through the author’s notes, it’s shocking how much of the story was actual fact. It piqued my curiosity enough that I checked other sources that affirmed the author’s notes. YIKES!
There is a faith element that continues to show through the details and plot. The young bride at the beginning of the story is a Baptist minister’s daughter who ends up clinging to her faith through the traumatic experience she has as one of the Harpe’s wives. Her friend, Rachel Taylor is a woman of faith, though not without her own challenges in understanding what is going on with her friend.
I’m just not sure what to think. It’s a tough book to read, but Ms. McNear did a great job with handling a dark subject matter.
The descriptions are fabulous and the author is able to pull the reader into the time period.
If you like true crime stories, this is one to check out.
If you do not like dark, upsetting, or stories about murder, you might want to try reading another book.
(I’m giving this a four star rating: the author did a superb job, but the subject matter was disturbing – serial killers).
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

The history brought to light in the True Colors Series has been fascinating. The Blue Cloak takes readers back to 1797 Tennessee and a spree of crimes by two relatives (there is debate if the two men were brothers or cousins) that were heinous. The author does a spectacular job of painting the setting. Historical figures and facts are brought to life in the words of the novel.

While the details of the crimes are carefully penned, the brutality described is difficult to read and there is one part in particular that left me speechless and staring in to space before reading on.

The afterward was an excellent companion to the novel and it's amazing how much of the novel was based on actual events and people.

Amazing story of the horrendously dark trail of murder that followed the Harpe Brothers in the late 1790's.I have found this series of true crimes, True Colors:Historical Series of American Crimes to be intriguing.

McNear's historical research and attention to detail is apparent in this fictional account. I found the historical setting of the frontier of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1790's to be fascinating. McNear's skill as a storyteller brings light in the form of faith, family and friendship as a beacon of hope amidst tragedy. The characters seemed so real, the tension, danger and raw emotions so vivid that I was immediately drawn into the story.

Sally's, along with Susan and Betsy, role as a bystander these horrendous crimes tugged at my heart. How many women were/are abused, suffering intolerable situations, afraid of the consequences if they sought escape? I would highly recommend this story for fans of historical fiction, but not for younger readers.McNear's talent with the pen and integrity in her research, even with such a dark story, will land her books at the top of my TBR.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a quick book for me. It was a rather dark and twisted story. I was drawn to the cover and really was expecting a different story all together. It was a page turner! Thanks to the publisher for the early copy

Exciting story based on true, heinous events. The characters are well-developed and produce responses from the reader as only an excellent novelist can do.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

"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."

The True Colors series are fictionalized accounts of true crime stories. Nicely written story. The footnote was interesting where the author talks about how and where she researched this true crime.

2.75☆

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A fictionalized account of a true crime—the Harpe duos’ killing spree in Kentucky and Tennessee after the Revolutionary War. This is a very dark story about the women affected by them. The women were terribly abused, and the crimes committed by the men were particularly gruesome. Some of the scenes were so hard and I wanted to just stop reading. However, the writing was so compelling I just kept on. I have read all the True Colors novels, and this one was the toughest by far. McNear has done a stellar job of painting a picture of life on the frontier after the Revolutionary War. All that said, I highly recommend the story.