Fox Island

Hidden West #1

by Stephen Bly, Janet Chester Bly

Fox Island is the first in an adventure series by veteran authors Stephen and Janet Bly. Each book revolves around the summer adventures of the Shadowbrooks, a husband and wife team with a knack for uncovering and solving local mysteries.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction

245 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony and Price Shadowbrook are a husband-and-wife writing team who travel to western locales to record their history. They are also parents of twin teenage girls, one stuntman son, and one married son. Tony and Price discover more than they expect in Fox Island, Washington.

April 2020 Reread:
So fun to revisit stories by authors I love. One thing I noticed on this reread is that the POV isn't exactly omniscient but it also is not consistent. Hmm! I enjoyed spending time with Price and Tony again.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony and Price are a husband and wife writing duo. They travel to Fox Island as inspiration for their next non-fiction book. They struggle through the summer with managing their adult children from afar: 18 year old twin girls who can't agree on anything, Josh, a stuntman in the making and married Mark. As they dig through information about Fox Island the pair deal with an unwelcome houseguest, runaway animals, nosy neighbors and a plethora of issues with their own book collaboration. When their research unearths a long buried secret, how will the pair respond? Should they tell others or let the secret remain a part of the past?

As you read, keep in mind the book was written over twenty years ago. When they first mention getting to the airport just a few minutes before their flight, I cringed, then remembered the simpler time before 9-11, when there weren't the security issues of today. And I kept thinking 'why don't you use your cell phone?' Oh, yeah. Twenty years ago cell phones were in their infancy.

[Kathy Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Departing from his Western based books, Fox Island is an enjoyable read

Fox Island written by Stephen Bly and his wife Janet Boy are on a getaway so they can write a book about Fox Island, this being their first get away from their kids the youngest 2 are 18 year old twin daughters Kathy and Kit who are nothing like each other. After receiving frequent calls from home Tony and Price Shadowbrook begin to question leaving home in Scottsdale, Az for Fox Island, Wa.
And what was suppose to be a quite, relaxing retreat turns out to be anything but. For just the short time on the island they uncover a 50 year old mystery and change the lives of some of the locals they had come to know.

[Lugene Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprise to me and a pleasant one. Only a touch of Christian thoughts, not overly religious. An enjoyable story of married writers who find a mystery to uncover when writing about a remote island off the coast. Easy read and one on a series.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about a unique place. However, the story was fairly predictable and the Christian learning overtones were heavy. If you enjoy a Christian mystery, this is your book. If not, leave it on the shelf.