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Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Review: A Harbor of Hope (A Winston Radhauser Mystery #15) by Susan Clayton-Goldner @SusanCGoldner

A Harbor of Hope

A Winston Radhauser Mystery #15

by Susan Clayton-Goldner

Published: March 24, 2026

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

 

Blurb:

Detective Winston Radhauser has faced darkness before, but nothing prepares him for the night he hears a gunshot followed by the high-pitched cries of frantic horses. Radhauser and Gracie race to the barn to find their prize stallion, Ameer, has been shot in the shoulder.

After calling the vet and attempting to calm the other frantic horses, Radhauser searches the barn and its surroundings for any clue to who could have done this but finds nothing.

By the time the vet leaves and Ameer is standing in his stall again, Radhauser and Gracie fall into bed, exhausted. Radhauser is still racked with confusion as to why someone would shoot an innocent stallion but knows he must get some sleep as the twins would be up early.

The following morning there are no babbling sounds from the nursery. Gracie and Radhauser sleep in. They awaken to an unnerving silence and rush into the nursery to find the cribs empty. An unsuccessful search of the house and immediate grounds adds more panic. Their fourteen-month-old twins are gone.

Radhauser rushes into investigation that eventually leads him on a twisted trail from his ranch in Ashland, Oregon, to Boulder, Colorado. He knows the stakes couldn’t be higher. With each passing hour, the danger grows, and he soon faces an unthinkable choice—one that will force him to let his children die or risk everything to save them.


Goodreads ~ Amazon



My Review:

A Harbor of Hope is a remarkable yet unsettling addition to the Winston Radhauser Mystery series by Susan Clayton-Goldner. In the dead of night, Winston is jolted awake by the sound of a gunshot. The shot is from the barn. They rush to the barn only to discover that one of their prized horses, Ameer, has been shot.

After calling the vet and ensuring Ameer is safe back in his stall, the Radhausers return to bed, only to find that their twins, JJ and Hope, haven’t woken them the next morning. When they check on the little ones, they find the cribs empty.

A Harbor of Hope is a poignant, touching tale that captivated me from the first page. It carried me to the final page, like every other Radhauser series installment does.

I realize I’ve mentioned this previously, and if I haven’t, I certainly should have: the Winston Radhauser mystery tales are among the finest crime thrillers I’ve ever encountered. I can’t get enough of them and eagerly anticipate each new release to discover what mystery Winston will face next.

The world-building is exceptionally crafted, making it effortless to visualize everything I read as if I were part of the narrative. I fell in love with the Winston Radhauser mysteries from the very first book in the series.

Winston has faced so much since the series started, and even before that. I often wonder how much more the poor man can handle. The descriptions are so vividly written that I feel every emotion Radhauser goes through. I can only imagine the depth of his feelings, as I have never faced anything even close to his trials.

I wholeheartedly recommend A Harbor of Hope to all fans of mystery thrillers! Be sure to grab your copy of A Harbor of Hope today!

Check out all the books in the A Winston Radhauser Mystery Series I’ve read.


Redemption Lake #1

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


When Time Is A River #2

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


A River of Silence #3

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


River of Shame #4

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Lake of the Dead #5

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Bloody Creek Murder #6

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Red Hatchet Falls #7

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Lake of Bad Dreams #8

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


River Running Backwards #9

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Forgotten Creek #10

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Lost Creek Cabin #11

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


What Lies Beneath Stillwater #12

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


Dark River Rising #13

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


River of Mercy #14

Goodreads

Amazon

BookBub


A Harbor of Hope #15

Goodreads

Amazon



About the Author:


Susan Clayton-Goldner was born in New Castle, Delaware and grew up with four brothers along the banks of the Delaware River. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona's Creative Writing Program and has been writing most of her life. Her novels have been finalists for The Hemingway Award, the Heeken Foundation Fellowship, the Writers Foundation and the Publishing On-line Contest. Susan won the National Writers' Association Novel Award twice for unpublished novels and her poetry was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Animals as Teachers and Healers, published by Ballantine Books, Our Mothers/Ourselves, by the Greenwood Publishing Group, The Hawaii Pacific Review-Best of a Decade, and New Millennium Writings. A collection of her poems, A Question of Mortality was released in 2014 by Wellstone Press. Prior to writing full time, Susan worked as the Director of Corporate Relations for University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. 

Susan shares a life in Grants Pass, Oregon with her husband, Andreas, her fictional characters, and more books than one person could count. 


Connect with Susan Clayton-Goldner


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