About the Book

Book: The Scarlet Pen

Author: Jennifer Uhlarik

Genre: Christian Historical Suspense

Release date: July 2021

Engaged to a Monster

Book 12 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Enjoy a tale of true but forgotten history of a 19th century serial killer whose silver-tongued ways almost trap a young woman into a nightmarish marriage.

In 1876, Emma Draycott is charmed into a quick engagement with childhood friend Stephen Dee Richards after reconnecting with him at a church event in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. But within the week, Stephen leaves to “make his fame and fortune.” The heartbroken Emma gives him a special pen to write to her, and he does with tales of grand adventures. Secret Service agent Clay Timmons arrives in Mount Pleasant to track purchases made with fake currency. Every trail leads back to Stephen—and therefore, Emma. Can he convince the naive woman she is engaged to a charlatan who is being linked a string of deaths in Nebraska?

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My Review:

Another an intriguing story in the True Colors series. This is book 12 in the series. Each book in this series is a stand-alone book and unique from other books in the series.

This book is based on serial killer Stephen Dee Richards around 1876 in the midwest. What a sick and completely deprived individual. The author does state that she took some liberty with the events and characters. What little is know about Stephen Dee Richards was written down by him and a reporter. Trying to pull out facts from lies. Jennifer Uhlarik does a fantastic job weaving this story together. This is probably in my opinion one of the most gruesome stories in the series. The author does it very tastefully in the details.

My first impression of Stephen was that of a no-good con man. I quickly relized he was more than that after the kitten incident. Stephen by all appearance looked and acted like a proper gentleman. That is in the presence of those he wished to deceive. He was a prowling wolf in sheep's clothing.

Emma was a charming character. She grew up in a well-to-do family that loved God and had good morals. She was very trusting and even more naïve. She had a heart for the underdog. She had know Stephen since grade school and has always been friends with him despite his horrible family life. When she was betrothed to Stephen early in the book my heart broke for her. Her father is a bit concerned and wants them to wait until Stephen can prove he can provide for his daughter.

Then you meet Clay who was everything Stephen wasn’t. He worked for the government and was investigating counterfeit money. He meets Emma, Stephen, and Emma’s sibling and is taken by Emma. He is a man of character and has a job to do. He quickly ties the counterfeit money to Stephen. Stephen disappears quickly with a false pretense to Emma and her father that he has a business proposal he is working on. While Clay is tracking down Stephen he finds common thread-gruesome murders seem to follow Stephen. Clay has a heart for Emma and her family.

Stephen was apprehended early and it was a good thing. He was unhindged and becoming worst quickly.

As much as I disliked Stephen the end of the book reminded me that no matter how deep and depraved we are that God and His saving grace can changed the most wretched person.

A well written bittersweet story that will tug at your heart.

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through Celebrate Lit Bloggers in exchange for my honest thoughts.

About the Author

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a preteen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a BA in writing, she has won five writing competitions and was a finalist in two others. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and is a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenage son, and four fur children.

More from Jennifer

Hello, Readers! For all who might never have read one of my stories or come across me, it’s great to meet you! I’m a wife, a mom, a (young!) grandma, and an author—among many other things. My author tagline is “Where Grit Meets Grace.” If you’re familiar with my writing at all, you’ll know that most of my stories at least touch on a bit of the difficult side of life. Death, abandonment, war, addiction, or who knows what else you might find. The Scarlet Pen is no different.

Given that this novel is the final installment in Barbour’s True Colors series, the story revolves around a true crime from history—in this case, the murders of serial killer Stephen Dee Richards—AKA the Nebraska Fiend. Anytime you’re dealing with someone so depraved as he, you’ll find plenty of “grit” to write about. But that’s only half of my tagline. Remember, it’s “Where Grit Meets Grace.”

While I love a story that delves into difficult topics and, in some cases, pushes the characters right to the edge of what they can handle, I also love a truly redemptive story. When I was asked to write for this series, the ideas that drew me the most were the ones that had something redeeming in the actual history. There were plenty of interesting historical killers I could’ve chosen where I could have manufactured a positive, even happy ending through the fictional characters in the book. In the case of Stephen Dee Richards, there was no manufacturing needed. The “grace” part was already written. The end of Stephen’s story is precisely why I chose to write about him. I hope you’ll find it as though-provoking and compelling as I did. Happy reading!