Blood Bayou

This book was a fun read.
It had some beautifully developed characters, and wonderfully exquisite suspense set in a pleasantly fleshed out environment. I found myself sympathizing at times more with Jack than with Camille, as she seemed sort of unfeeling and detached at times. Or perhaps I could just appreciate and forgive him better because I wasn’t privy to his behavior and past actions before I knew his present personality and had already developed a fondness for him and his kindness.
The Christian theme running through was brilliant without being preachy or overbearing. It was nice to read about characters who found faith and meaning in life without feeling like I was getting a sermon or being mocked.
The beginning was gripping, and show more I sort of wished we could have a little more of that style in the rest of the novel, but all of it read easily and smoothly. The mystery and suspense had me guessing until the end, and even though sometimes the characters did things I wouldn’t do, they never went beyond the believability factor, which some mysteries tend to do.
It was nice seeing a female character recognizing her own shortcomings rather than blaming everything on the male character as well. It felt more real, and it made me better able to identify with her, rather than just feeling like she was a flat mary-sue.
All in all, the suspense, romance, mystery and intrigue followed the novel throughout and was unconditionally a great story!
I will definitely be checking out more of Karen Young’s novels. show less

I have to be honest: when I first started the book, the story line was a bit dry, and it moved slow, too slow for my tastes. It wasn't enough to make me want to put the book down, unfinished, and it didn't make me hate the book in the end, but I think it's only fair that I say this, in case others happen to find themselves thinking the same thing, wondering if they should read the book. And here's my answer: yes. I don't regret reading this book, it was good. Maybe not at the top of my favorites list, but definitely not on my least favorite either.

Moving on. After the story line picked up, I started to enjoy it. The characters were interesting, and Young did a wonderful job at making them seem real. They had flaws, they had pasts, but show more they knew what mistakes they may have made, and weren't wimpy or annoying. Good characters are a must for a good book, they're what holds the rest of the book together!

The one thing that confused me a bit was how Young started the book out telling us about a murder mystery in this relatively small town, and it's Camille's job to help figure it out. But suddenly, less than a fourth of the way through the book, the mystery element kind of...disappeared, and suddenly it's all about Camille and Jack's rekindling of their previous relationship. Now, I like a good suspense/mystery that the author combines with a romance story, but the melting of the two elements in this particular book weren't the smoothest. Sorry, Karen, it's nothing really against your writing, maybe it's more of my own particular opinion on what I like to read in a book? It's hard to explain...

However, as the story continued, I found myself enjoying it more and more. Jack and Camille's connection started to grow (again), and there were more than a few parts where I found myself chuckling (always a good thing). Most importantly, the mystery came back, with a powerful kick, adding drama and suspense back into the story. After they started putting more of the 'clues' together, I instantly knew who the killer was, but even figuring it out before the big climax didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.

If there is one thing I would have liked a bit more of in the book, it's the back story of Camille and Jack. The author touched on it, briefly, a few times, but it always left me wanting a bit more. Jack was an alcoholic when they were married, but it finally became too much for Camille and she divorced him. After he sobered up, he became a man of God. (PAUSE) Wait, how did that happen? Don't get me wrong, I know it's possible, and I think it's great, but I would like to have read a bit about it! Talk about a strong, but previously tortured hero... So why not give us a little nibble of what he went through? And I know this was suppose to be more of a lite Christian novel, which means no 'R' rated sex scenes, but I wish they'd had a bit more passion along the way, even if it was only kisses. Even sweet, innocent ones are better than nothing!

4/5 stars. All in all, this was a very good book. Just the right amount of mystery and a light touch of romance (I loved how the story shows you that love can be won, even after it's lost). Not too fluffy, but not too much hard core suspense either. Great for a quick read by the pool side! ;) show less

Read the prologue to Karen Young’s book, Blood Bayou, and you will be happily hooked and hard-pressed to put the book down. The gripping opening pages set the tone for the remainder of this story of mystery, romance, and suspense. Camille St. James works for the Truth Project, a group dedicated to exonerating innocent individuals who have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death row. When Camille returns to Blood Bayou to try to prove a man’s innocence in the murder of her ex-husband’s sister, she has no idea that her return will elicit such hostility from the town’s residents and provoke threats on her life. Camille is also unprepared for the mixed emotions she experiences during encounters with her former husband Jack show more Vermillion, whom she has not seen in seven years.
Blood Bayou is an engaging and suspenseful book that artfully combines mystery and romance. This is the author’s first Christian novel. Young lends a spiritual aspect to her characters’ lives which enhances and enriches them. As noted, the opening pages are vivid and riveting, and while the remainder of the book doesn’t quite live up to the prologue’s promise, readers will find themselves caught up in a satisfying and compelling story. show less

A story of mystery and suspense and of a love between two people that was never lost. As the "About the Author" states: "Karen believes that showing her characters' faith journey, in addition to the physical, intellectual, and emotional aspects of their lives, enhances and adds meaningful depth to her books." I think she did this very well in this story.

Camille Vermillion has been divorced from her husband, Jack, now for 7 years. But after a man is convicted of murder, that she help set free from prison, Camille will find herself once again coming into close contact with her ex-husband, Jack. Jack has changed a lot since getting out of prison. He has now become a pastor in the town where the murder has taken place. Camille must convince show more Jack and the town that the real killer is still out there. Someone wants Camille to stop her quest and her searching for the killer, and will stop at nothing to silence her.

I found myself feeling pretty good as I figured out the "bad guy" quicker than usual. It was a good story to read and watch the mystery unfold, but I especially enjoyed watching Jack and Camille and the romance that was always there, get re-ignited once again. show less

I thought it was a good book, but entirely too predictable. It was clearly obvious from the start who the killer was, although the reasons werent' made clear until the end. This book was touted as a Christian novel and I was a bit surprised by that considering it was a murder mystery. I'm not religious and typically will read Christian novels for the story and will just skip over the heavy handed religious sections. However, I thought the author was quite good at incorporating the Christian aspect without being really preachy and dragging the book down.

http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/blood-bayou-by-karen-young/

Camille and Jack haven’t seen each other for seven years and were only married for three before alcoholism and a fatal accident led to their divorce. Camille feels compelled to go back to Blood Bayou to offer her personal condolences to Jack when his sister, his only family, is brutally murdered. Jack is a minister now, but his civility is tested by Camille’s unfailing support for his sister’s murderer. Camille is out to prove that the man she got off death row did not get out of jail and immediately murder again.

This novel is a murder mystery, faith journey, and love story in one. As Camille stays in Blood Bayou to prove Chester innocent, she comes in close show more contact with Jack and old feelings rekindle. Jack has completely turned his life around and shares with Camille the journey his he has taken to find God and His purpose for Jack. Camille is skeptical and finds Jack’s turnaround self-serving and she questions his motives. Camille herself is no church-goer and she is uncomfortable with Jack’s strong faith and chosen profession.

There is a lot to like about this book. The people of Blood Bayou are ones that you will recognize if you have ever lived in a small town and the mystery keeps the story moving along. I found Camille’s lack of faith refreshing and honest. And I really liked the fact that the author did not wrap up Camille’s religious journey with a shiny bow at the end.

I will say that the mystery wasn’t much of a mystery. It did not take me too long to figure out what was going on and there were not really too many surprises. It seemed that the mystery was just a vehicle to get Jack and Camille together and talk about faith. This is not a bad thing – I found it very enjoyable – but I wouldn’t have minded a few twists I didn’t see coming. show less

I have not read any other of Karen Young's books but after reading Blood Bayou, I plan on searching them out. It was a unique twist on the 'clear the clueless fellow' plot - and a rather good one! There are a significant number of potential bad guys, a few good yet tarnished folks and a very interesting dead gal. The characters are quite well-defined and interesting, their interactions fun to participate in.

My only drawback, and thus the 4 instead of a 5 rating is that I figured out the 'whodunit' rather early in the book. I'm not sure why because it definitely wasn't obvious, but I would have prefered to be guessing until over halfway through. Even with that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it to mystery show more lovers! show less