The Shelter of Darkness

by Marguerite Mooers

The year is 1945 and John Winthrop, a man with leprosy has fled the Carville Leprosarium and is living in northern New York with his thirteen year old step-daughter Jenny. He has fled the leprosarium illegally and is hiding his disease. Into John and Jenny's life comes a young woman, Annie Conroy, who is pregnant and fleeing her abusive husband. John offers her shelter. On the day her baby is to be born, Annie encounters her husband, Al, on the street. When Al tries to take Annie back, John threatens him with a gun and rescues Annie. The next day, after Annie has had her baby, John returns to his farm and finds behind his barn, the body of Al Conroy. Al has been shot with John's gun.

292 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2015

About the author

I spent most of my career working as a teacher in a medium security prison in Upstate New York. Now retired, I live in mid-Florida where I am enjoying life and I continue to write. I have just finished my eighth novel "The Whistleblower" which I think is one of my best.

Reviews

[Hope Irvin Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Winthrop is hiding a secret. If he can’t find the real killer, he will likely be executed for a murder he did not commit. That’s the situation in this masterfully written story that will keep you glued to its pages when you should be doing other things.
This is the most riveting and heartwarming story I have read in a long time.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

This is the third book by Marguerite Mooers that I have read and loved every one of them! Definitely a must read....

[Tina M Wolf-Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Love that the characters are easy to get to know. The plot keeps you on the edge to the very end. A page turner. Recommended to any one who loves a great murder mystery.

[Jae Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Shelter Of Darkness" is a tale of a farmer, John Winthrop, and his stepdaughter Jenny. John is a leper who left The Colony, where he and other leprosy sufferers were forced to stay in the 1940s. He meets a woman named Cathy, who also has leprosy and they escape together when they discover she is pregnant. They pick up Cathy's daughter Jenny from the babysitter and flee to John's parents farm.
Cathy later dies in childbirth, and the baby boy also is lost. Shortly after, John is left alone on the farm with Jenny after losing his mother to a heart attack. They are poor but survive by having chickens and growing things.
While picking apples in an orchard belonging to a friend, they discover a woman sleeping under the trees. Annie Conroy is on the run from her husband Al, who is an abuser. Annie is pregnant, so Jenny and John want her to stay with them until the baby is born.
The day Annie has her baby, her husband finds them, but later turns up dead behind John's barn. John puts the body under the mulch pile and hopes for the best. It is discovered, however, and John gets arrested.
I won't give away the ending, but John did not kill Al, someone else did. The story goes along to capture the murderer, who kidnaps Jenny along the way. The mystery is solved and John is exonerated, follows Annie to ask her to marry him, and finds true love.
Altogether, this book is an excellent read and has plenty of action, intrigue, and heartwarming scenes. Definitely worth a read, and I gave it five stars because of the excellent writing style that brings you right into the story.
I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads, thanks!

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a thought provoking read. The main characters, John, Jenny, Annie, brought a complex dynamic to the central theme of finding acceptance even in the midst of being outcasts. The powerlessness John feels when he is whisked away to Carville Leprosarium is a frighting, little-remembered piece of American history. I loved how John and Annie found new hope in each other, even with the baggage (or disease) that clung to them. Al brought great tension to the story, and when they found his body, well, it only got better until ending on a wonderful heartwarming note. This is a wonderful book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.