The Innocent

"The Innocent"
by Ann Gabhart

Carlyn Kearney does not want to admit that she is a widow. She still wants to hold out hope that your husband will return home after fighting for the Union Army; however, her husband has been reported has missing. After the war has ended without any more word about her husband, Carlyn find herself penniless, in debt, and being forced out of her home. She has nowhere to go and nobody to turn to for help, so she seeks refuge at the Shaker village of Harmony Hill. Carlyn believes that she can live among the Shakers without having to conform to their beliefs. She does not believe like they do, but remains with the Shakers so that she can have food to eat and a place to sleep. When strange things begin happening among the Shakers and people begin to die under mysterious circumstances, Carlyn falls under intense scrutiny. Carlyn keeps insisting that she is innocent, but the Shaker leaders do not want to believe her. Will she finally be able to prove her innocence before it is too late or will she meet with an untimely demise herself?
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I had a very hard time getting interested in this book. This was the first time that I read a book about the Shakers and it will probably be my last. The Shakers beliefs are very strange and they don’t believe in the Bible or God at all. I was kind of frustrated with Carlyn because she knew that they did not believe like she did, yet she still went to live with them. She kept pushing aside her mother’s words of wisdom especially about praying. There is a hint of suspense and mystery in the book, but it was so scarce and spread out that it didn’t really capture my attention.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for my honest review.