Customer Reviews

Island of Refuge

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lamb's Island, Maine is a small community of close-knit people who watch out for one another. In the abandoned church on the island lives an unusual mix of people who are escaping from society for one reason or another. When one of them turns up murdered, they all fall suspect. Is it Jeremiah, running from his old life as a minister, or Peter, escaping a murder charge? Colin seems to have a dark secret in his past as well, and Philip does not appear honest to anyone, except the wife and daughter that he has abandoned in the old church. As Hall weaves this tale of suspense, you will be enthralled with the twists and turns that it takes. Every time I thought that I had it figured out, something new would crop up, like a nosy ferryman, an upscale dress designer, or a strange rowboat parked on the sand. Hall has once again shown that she is a master of the suspense novel. You will not be able to put it down.

Linda Hall is a master story teller. She skillfully weaves the plot of this book creating a story filled with intrigue and suspense that only intensifies with each chapter. The characters are tragic figures who eventually triumph over their painful life experiences by finding ultimate truth and love through a relationship with God. Linda Hall speaks to the problems that not only exist in society today, but also ones that infiltrate the Christian community. The theme of this book is poignant and clear. It is a must read for all fans of mystery and suspense!

This was one of the best books I have read in quite some time. I enjoy christian fiction, but get tired of some of the sugary- sweet dialog and how everything is just a little too perfect in the end. Linda's books are really true-to-life and they have a good message too. I have read Margret's Peace and Katheryn's Secret (both excellent books), but Island of Refuge is my favorite. It keeps you guessing right up until the end.

While reading this book, I absolutely could not figure out what in the world was going on. It was confusing because you are reading about all these different characters and strange things going on, BUT I was truly impressed by the writing ability of Linda Hall because its all neatly connected at the end for a satisfying conclusion. Not my favorite of her books, but its worth reading if you like her style, and I absolutely believe it takes talent to write this kind of story.

Easy and light reading. Characters were very interesting and the plot unfolded well.

Island of Refuge is a subtly drawn together story of a rag-tag group of down-and-outers coming together in an abandoned church on Lamb's Island, a rocky, wind-blown patch off the coast of Maine. Lamb's Island is very much off the beaten path with only one way on and off the island. You have to really want to be there to get there. The living is plain and hard, close to the land and the ocean.

The aimlessly wandering, searching souls arrive one at a time and find shelter and peace until the death of a young mother shakes the island refuge and reawakens the pain of the loss of another young woman twenty years earlier. With the stoicism inherent in the islanders, life continues as normal, but with suspicion towards the group of church-dwellers who have wounds enough that need to heal.

With delicate intricacy, Hall has interwoven the lives of the characters from the island, the mainland and Canada. Very well done. I had a hard time laying aside this well-plotted mystery, so full of expression.

This book is skillfully written to weave the characters stories together and take you with them. Linda Halls stories are psychological christian mysteries with real characters!

Having thoroughly enjoyed all of Linda Hall's books so far, I have found this one to be a bit strange, but I still recommend it. The setting is fairly primitive--an old abandoned church which houses homeless people and how they interact with each other is not exactly my cup of tea, but it still held my interest to some degree. The person guilty of committing murder seemed obvious to me, but there were a couple of twists to the plot that held my attention. Don't expect this to be the best one you've read, but it's okay.