Shaker Run

by Karen Harper

After unexpectedly inheriting a fortune upon her wealthy employer's baffling death and finding herself a suspect in her death, divorcTe Kate Marburn struggles to build a new life as a gardener at Shaker Run, but dark plots continue to pursue her, forcing Kate into the arms of Jake Kilcourse, a mysterious furniture builder. Original.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Novels, Romantic Suspense

408 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen Harper is a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books. Besides her American settings, Karen loves the British Isles, where her Scottish and English roots run deep, and where she has set many of her historical Tudor-era mysteries and her historical novels about real and dynamic British women. Karen's books have been published in many foreign languages and she won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2005. Karen has given numerous talks to readers and writers across the county. Her most recent books include THE SOUTH SHORES TRILOGY (CHASING SHADOWS, DROWNING TIDES and FALLING DARKNESS.) Her latest historical is THE ROYAL NANNY. Please visit her website at www.KarenHarperAuthor and her fb page at www.facebook.com/KarenHarperAuthor

Reviews

[Janet]

Good mystery and characters. It was nice reading this as one of my summer reads.

[Jjean]

Romantic suspense mystery - many twist & turns - I don't know anything about Shakers religion or the furniture, the background on this was interesting - some slow reading but did not figure the plot until the end - Everytime, I thought I had it figured out , the next chapter would prove me wrong...... suspense & mystery was the main theme with little romance......

[Dawn]

Good suspense story, but not one of my favorites from Karen Harper. This took me quite awhile to read. I thought the story dragged during some parts. I did not really know anything about the Shaker Community.

[Janie R.]

Wow, I like a mystery like this book- fast paced and intense! I enjoy reading fiction and nonfiction about the Shakers, and this book was certainly one of them! I have read several books by Karen Harper, and have enjoyed them immensely!

[Candy]

I did not know anything about the Shakers or the furniture. The background on this was interesting.

Several people could have been the bad guys. It definitely keeps you guessing since the plot changes as the story develops.

[Ayny]

The story would have been better if less time was spent on characters second guessing themselves. Just couldn't get into it, and lost interest about 1/3 the way in. There are other books by this author I will try though.

[Rosie]

didnt finish

[Holly]

Not one of Karen Harpers best. Had potential but just didn't hit the mark.

[Bells Thompson]

I started this before I went on vacation and didn’t read a word until I got back so my review is a bit suspect. I couldn’t get into it. As my “fall to sleep book” I read it and couldn’t get into it. Often the book I read to fall asleep to I’ll read about 50 pages and want to read more. This one I kept putting down long before I hit 50 pages. So a bit of a slough. I’ve been to a half dozen or so Shaker Villages and they fascinate me so I thought this would be a good one. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I think this might have been considered a series as I’m left wondering a bit about her step daughter and ex-husband. The mystery was pretty straightforward so I wasn’t surprised by the ending.

[Maryann]

What did I like about this one? The information about the Shakers. Fascinating.

However, the author claimed to have researched colleges in the 1990s, but as a student then, I can tell you that one is not required to check in/out of the dorm, classes (especially English classes) don't happen Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday, no one has class on Saturdays (except Grove City College), and a parent can't go question the professor about the student's grades/attendance.

Also, this was supposed to be romantic suspense. Was there suspense? Yes. Was there romance? Somehow the 2 end up together but almost never do they interact through the whole story, so...?

[Patti Prevost]

This book was an ok read, not great but not horrible. The storyline was a great concept, but the characters were easily confused and the story didn’t make sense at times and could be long and boring. . I loved the ending, though, really well written and kept you guessing until the very end.

[jgurillo]

Publicada en español bajo el título de Huida desesperada, es la tercera novela de Karen Harper que leo y esta me ha gustado mucho. Un Thriller ambientado en la secta shaker, conocida entre otras curiosidades por ser fabricantes de muebles de gran calidad y sencillez.

[chrisa]

Pretty good mystery. I found it enjoyable and it had enough twists and turns to keep me interested. I enjoyed the use of the Shaker settlement as a setting.

[Kathi]

Did not like this at all. Disliked it so much that I also gave away two other books on my shelf by this author.

Week 20 of the Around the World in 52 Weeks challenge: The 20th book [on your TBR]

[Wendy Forsyth]

Not Ms Harper’s best novel. A few too many characters for my liking, but it had enough in the plot to keep me interested.

[Lois]

Learned quite a bit about the Shakers……

[Sheila Myers]

A very good suspense novel. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep the story interesting.

[Kelly Kapp]

Didn’t know much about the shaker history and also had some slow parts. Had a good mystery though

[Skye]

I enjoyed the mystery and the romance. Learning about plants was one of my favorite parts.

[Kathy]

Good mystery.

[Anita]

This is classed as a Romantic Suspense. NOT! False advertising. No sex in this one, romance, sort of. It is a pretty good mystery and the suspect pool keeps changing and the plot expands as the book progresses. Lot of background on the Shakers that is fascinating. I will admit to being a reader who likes background. In that way this is like an Elizabeth Lowell book.

Kate has survived the scandal her ex, Mike, left in the wake of his financial fraud and "suicide". She works with roses and lives with Sarah. Sarah is killed (murdered) and Kate inherits her Shaker furniture collection and comes under suspicion for her death. Enter Jack, a expert on Shaker furniture. Kate takes a job at Shaker Run, a Shaker museum village. Jack is the nearest neighbor, but is not very friendly with the natives at Shaker Run. He has good reasons not to be as it appears that someone there is forging Shaker furniture to replace with the real thing.

[Patsy]

Kate Marburn thought her recovery from her former husband's betrayel was a new beginning. A quiet and controlled life as the gose gardener on the estate of Sarah Denbigh, a wealthy widow, seemed the perfect escape.

But when Sarah dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving Kate the unexpected heir to Sarah's vast fortune in Shaker furniture, the police suspect Kate might have had something to do with Sarah's death. Looking for a refuge again, Kate accepts a job as gardener at Shaker Run, a historic and once celibate Shaker village.

But something strange and deadly dangerous is going on beneath the flawless surface of the idyllic town. Kate's hoping Jake Kilcourse, the mysterious and rugged furniture builder who also lives at Shaker Run, can help her figure out what — but is he only using her to pursue his own agenda?

[Jeanne]

This "who dunnit" had me going right up to the end. At various times throughout the plot I thought I had figured it out but I was wrong. Kate, the main character, often irritated me by going off half cocked trying to figure things out on her own even when she could have relied on others to get to the bottom of the mystery with a lot less stress but then, of course, the story would have had a much different ending. I enjoyed my introduction into the Shaker religious sect and their eccentric lifestyle. I was not familiar with Shaker furniture but feel that I have a new understanding of it's beauty and value.

[Brooke]

I agree with some of the other negative reviews here; the only interesting part was the Shaker history. The story was mostly pointless and contrived, complete with those typical "suspicious things happen but the lead character doesn't want to tell the police" moments. Why? Just lame. Two dimensional characters and stilted dialogue. Does too much telling and not showing. Either there is melodrama for no reason (some of the Kate & Erin conflict) or dull passages where nothing is moving along.

[Cindy]

Kate Marburn is resigned to leading a quiet life, following the disappearance of her husband, after he stole millions of dollars from their friends and clients. Losing herself in her love of roses, she finds a new life, and a new friend in Sarah Denbigh, a wealthy widow. When Sarah is found dead, Kate is determined to discover how her friend died, as she is ready to stand up for herself instead of hiding again.

A great cozy mystery for a winter day.

[Pam]

Takes place in Shakertown Ky. Mystery.

[Pat]

A girl takes over a gardening job while recovering from a nasty marriage. Only to get herself into a web of suspense and intrigue. Nice read, but not a page turner.

[Janet]

Light reading. Good story. I will share with family in Ohio.

[Deb]

Reprint.

[Deb Mj]

Horrible. I read the entire thing just because it was the only book I had with me on vacation. I would have been better off reading the local phone book.