The Innocent
Carolyn Kearney is waiting for her husband, Ambrose, to come home from the Civil War, which ended a long time ago. Now she has no money to pay the mortgage on her home, and Curt Whitlow, the owner, is determined to evict her. Luckily, the town sheriff, Mitchell Brodie, is not as hard-hearted as Whitlow and gives Carolyn some time to plan where she will go, for she cannot afford to stay where she has been living. She needs a miracle! For now she turns to the nearby Shaker community for help in desperation. The remainder of the story is a blend of surviving in the regular world and surviving within the Shaker community. The tension is tighter than watching someone walk across a tightrope, as the Shakers are a deeply loving and caring people but abide by a set of rules that demeans an independent woman such as Carolyn. The novel is also a tribute to the Shaker ways of singing, cooking, and more all-too-human troubles that are as fascinating as a mystery. Interesting historical, inspirational fiction!
