Synopses & Reviews
To Save a Victim, Camille St. James May Have to Become One Herself.
Seven years ago, tragedy ended the troubled marriage of Camille and Jack Vermillion. Now, as head of the Truth Project, her life safe and orderly, she focuses her lawyerly skills on freeing wrongly incarcerated individuals on death row.
Jack paid a bitter price for his mistakes. No longer a high-powered corporate attorney, he's now pastor of a small church in Blood Bayou. Unsure of her own beliefs, Camille is highly skeptical of the conversion of this man she hasn't seen in seven years.
Then tragedy strikes again. Jack's sister is murdered, apparently by a prisoner Camille has set free. To prove his innocence, Camille must return to Blood Bayou. But that means facing the hostility of the town -- and Jack.
And as She Works to Find the Real Killer, Someone Is Determined to Stop Her...by Any Means.
Review
"Karen Young is a writer of rare emotional power and conviction, exploring the darkest corners of the human heart and finding redemption there. This is storytelling at its finest, the kind that stays with you long after the last page is turned." -- Susan Wiggs, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Fireside
Review
"Blood Bayou kept my heart beating overtime with its perfect blend of romance and suspense. This was my first Karen Young novel, but her compelling characters, snappy dialogue, and a gorgeous bayou setting that had me fanning myself on a winter day in Kansas, land her permanently on my must-read list. One of the best books I've read this year!" -- Deborah Raney, author of Yesterday's Embers and Almost Forever
Review
"Master storyteller Karen Young has written a gripping tale of second chances, rescue, and redemption. I became absorbed in the story, the characters, and the mystery from the very first paragraph. This is a page-turner that will long linger in my mind." -- Debbie Macomber
Review
"Karen Young's Blood Bayou grabs the reader by the throat from the beginning and does not let go until the last page. More importantly, along the way the reader enters into a significant faith journey with the characters, one that begins with sin and ends with repentance and love. It is a rare book that can offer a superb story, wholly believable characters, and a heart-wrenching narrative of evil and redemption. Yet Karen Young has written just such a book. I simply cannot wait for her next one!" -- Diane Mott Davidson
Synopsis
Camille St. James and her ex-husband are reunited by the murder of Jack's sister. The suspect is a prisoner who was recently exonerated and freed through an organization Camille runs. Jack blames Camille for his sister's death, and as she works to find the real killer, someone is determined to stop her by any means.
About the Author
Karen Young is the international bestselling author of thirty-eight novels.
She has more than ten million books in print and is the recipient of the coveted RITA award from Romance Writers of America and the Career Achievement and Reviewer’s Choice awards from Romantic Times magazine. She is known as “a spellbinding storyteller who writes with sensitivity about issues facing contemporary women.” Karen's career in writing fiction for women has run the gamut from traditional romance to mystery thrillers to inspirational fiction. In her relationship-driven plots, she creates characters that could easily be her readers, and then places them in extraordinary circumstances while adding suspense to the mix.
Reading Group Guide
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which character did you like most? The least? Why?
What personality traits did you find most appealing in the character you liked most? Which trait(s) did you like least?
Did you guess the killer? When?
Ray Wyatt was a retired cop. Did you find it believable that he abandoned his principles for money? Or was the inclination for evil always there?
Cops see the dark side of humanity every day. Some "go bad." Why? Do you think that is rare or not so rare?
Secondary characters can add richness to a story. Which character(s) did you like?
Camille's father was a controlling parent. What traits in her behavior might be traced to her controlling father?
Jack's father was an alcoholic. Did he display characteristics of the classic "adult child of an alcoholic?"
Did you find it believable that Jack could overcome his many character flaws?
Camille worked diligently to free Chester. Statistics show that there are people on death row who might be innocent of the crimes for which they are incarcerated. Do you think the death penalty is right?
Camille divorced Jack when he caused serious injury to a boy while driving drunk. Was her decision legitimate? Was it moral?
What about her marriage vows? What about sticking through sickness and health, through good times and bad?
When a marriage is in crisis, what are some of the ways to resolve issues rather than to resort to divorce?
Jack caused great pain and suffering to others. How do you feel about those individuals when they have attempted to make amends?
Do you think Jack did all within his power in hoping for and praying for Camille's conversion to faith? Name things he might have done, but didn't.
Once Camille and Jack are reunited, what do you feel their future holds? Will Camille have difficulty assuming the role of a minister's wife?