Southern Storm is book two in Terri Blackstock’s Cape Refuge series. The series is centered around a small fictional island, named Cape Refuge, off the coast of southern Georgia, near Savannah. The month is April.
One of the central “characters” of the Cape Refuge series is the Hanover House ministry. Created by Joe and Miranda Hanover who willed it to Wayne and Thelma Owens, the ministry has now been passed down to the Owens’ daughter and son-in-law, Morgan and Jonathan Cleary. Hanover House is a halfway house for “down-and-outs.” Many residents are former convicts who have made a commitment to Jesus Christ and are now eager to learn and live by Christian tenets.
Mysterious Pedestrian
Southern Storm begins with a massive tropical storm. Police Chief Matthew Cade is besieged with urgent problems in the downpour. As he is speeding, as fast as conditions permit, to a downed power line, a pedestrian steps out in front of his vehicle. Cade slams down his brake pedal, but the streets are slick with water. His car skids into the man.
Instantly, the fallen man becomes Chief Cade’s focus. He dispatches his troops to handle the various problems and heads to the hospital in Savannah where the man has been taken. At the hospital he learns two distressing facts: the unknown man has no identification on him, and he has a fresh gunshot wound. Unfortunately, the man dies in surgery, leaving Chief Cade with many questions and a boatload of guilt.
A Story of MIA’s
The next day, Chief of Police Matthew Cade disappears. He has left no clue where he might have gone, but most people think he is trying to deal with his sense of self-blame for the death of the stranger. Blair Owens, however, feels certain Chief Cade would not ignore his responsibilities no matter how miserable he is.
Blair, Morgan, and Jonathan are long-time friends of the police chief. But Blair’s feeling for him may run deeper than mere friendship. She’s the first to realize the chief is missing. And she makes it her own personal mission to locate him.
Meanwhile, Jonathan and Morgan have a new resident at Hanover House. A VERY pregnant Karen Miller arrived, needing help urgently. She has left the abusive father of her child and is determined to escape from him. She hasn’t completed the paperwork and convinced the Clearys of her commitment to Christ, but Morgan can’t turn this young, pregnant mother away. A few days later, the baby is born and kidnaped right out of the hospital.
Storm Clouds
Blair believes Chief Cade is being held in a house in Savannah. And since she can’t get any help from the Savannah P.D., she spends her nights, staking out the house. As a result, her beloved job as the Cape Refuge librarian suffers. Soon her employment is in jeopardy.
Jonathan and Morgan have more problems than a new, grieving resident with a missing baby. Their foster daughter, Sadie Caruso, has a crush on a handsome football player, Trevor Beal. Trevor’s family is involved in dealing drugs and loan sharking. Morgan has heard that Trevor, himself, is an enforcer who beats up clients who are late paying. Sadie cannot believe Trevor is guilty of such violence, and she sneaks out to meet him several times.
A Bright Spot
Perhaps the only bright spot in the storm is that Blair is feeling desperate. Although she was raised in the church by dedicated Christian parents, she has long resisted surrendering her life to the Lord. But now, unable to help Chief Cade or even to find him, she needs a place of refuge. And she needs help. Slowly, she begins to realize why her parents, sister, brother-in-law, and Chief of Police Cade have always clung to the Lord, even during times of hopelessness. Or maybe, especially during times of hopelessness.
Character List
This list carefully avoids spoilers. Names and descriptions below reflect the original information given about each character. Main characters are listed, along with most minor players, more or less in the order they appear in the story.
Cape Refuge Police Department● Matthew Cade – 33-year-old Chief of Cape Refuge Police Dept. – nephew of the former mayor – has a cat named Oswald
● Sal – dispatch
● J.J. Clyde – uniformed officer
● Jim Henry – uniformed officer
● Alex Johnson – uniformed officer
● Joe McCormick – 28 years old – detective – 2nd in command
● Georgette – office clerk
Melba Jefferson – (closest friend of Morgan’s late mother) – takes Cade to police station, a little round woman from the church and a comforter type
Blair Owens – Morgan Cleary’s sister, the town librarian – half her face is disfigured because she was injured in a fire at a very young age
A group that tries to persuade Blair to run for mayor● Morris Ambrose – member of City Council
● Jerry Ann Shepp – runs Cape Refuge Racquet Club
● Matt Pearl – proprietor of most expensive restaurant in town
● Gerald Madison – owner of Madison Boat Shop
Mayor candidates● Sam Sullivan – stupid, according to Gerald Madison
● Ben Jackson – hates big business, also according to Gerald Madison
Gray Foster – library patron, a college student
Residents of Hanover House● [Wayne and Thelma Owens – were murder victims in first book – parents of Morgan and Blair]
● Morgan Cleary – 28 years old – helps her husband run Hanover House, a B&B that serves as a halfway house for down-and-outs – an Earth Mother type
● Jonathan Cleary – Morgan’s husband, a fishing tour guide and preacher – Chief Cade’s best friend
● Sadie Caruso – the Clearys’ 17-year-old foster daughter
● Caleb – Sadie’s baby half-brother – 17 months old – also a foster child of the Clearys
Jason Geddis – a reporter with Channel 3 news – a friend of Blair’s
Charlie – waiter at Cricket’s, a rundown diner at the docks
More Residents of Hanover House● Mrs. Hern – suffering from dementia
● Gus Hampton – a Jamaican and an ex-con
● Felicia – a big woman – has been at Hanover House a few weeks after spending 10 years in jail – 50 years old – works for the city’s sanitation department
Creflo King – owns most of the parking lots in Cape Refuge – saw Chief Cade talking to the unknown woman at Cricket’s before he disappeared
Harris James – native of Cape Refuge – found and reported the abandoned car
William Clark – the injured man struck by Chief Cade’s police car
Ann Clark – William’s wife
Savannah Police Department● Sergeant Tim Hull – detective
● Officer Coleman
● Officer Gray
Crystal Lewis – classmate of Sadie’s – leader of a group of girls who are snobs
Trevor Beal – a high school senior – star linebacker on the football team
Karen Miller – a nearly full-term pregnant ex-con who wants to live in Hanover House – she gives birth to Emory shortly after arriving at Hanover House
Mr. Jenkins – Mrs. Hern’s boss at Goodfellow’s Grocery
Craig Haughton – works in police forensics
Jeffrey – father of Karen’s baby
Sharon Zeal and Beth Walker – two of Sadie’s classmates who, she claims, invited her to a dance at the Methodist Church
Sue Ellen Jargis – library client who wants to learn to speak Italian
Jack Dent – now deceased – formerly the romantic interest of Sadie’s mother
Members of Cape Refuge City Council● Art Russell
● Doug Shepherd
● Sarah Williford
● Morris Ambrose – the lone conservative
Jason Wheater – officer of Island Bank
Agent Tavist – FBI agent on the missing baby case
Brandy – prisoner in Savannah jail
Jasper Beal – Savannah attorney
Happy Ending
Sometimes, it seems impossible that Southern Storm could have a happy ending. But it does. The mysteries are resolved, and the MIAs come home. You don’t want to miss this exciting Christian mystery novel!
Here’s a link to Terri Blackstock’s Southern Storm.
If you haven’t read Cape Refuge, the first book in the series, here’s a link to my review of the book.
Here are links to my blog indexes, which will make it quick and easy for you to find another post to read.
Blog Index – Lists blogs 1-35
Blog Index 2 – Lists blogs 36 to the latest post
Here is a downloadable character list in case it might be more convenient for you.