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“Falling to Pieces, A Shipshewana Amish Mystery” by Vannetta Chapman

Callie, from Austin, Texas, is not Amish, and neither is her aunt who just passed away in Shipshewana, Indiana, where she was just found dead face down in her garden, the same place she owns a quilt shop.  Callie needs to go to the Quilt Shop her aunt owned there so she could sell it and get back to her own home.

While Callie was in Shipshewana, she found this shop also attracted quite a few tourists, and she also met and befriended many wonderful Amish women there as well who really depended upon this quilt shop for all of their quilting and sewing needs.  These women had also helped her aunt run the quilt shop she owned.  They knew everything about the quilt shop, and were quite able to run the shop without her.  They also held some of their quilting bees at the quilt shop.

The local newspaper editor ran a rather derogatory article against the quilt shop, and Callie was all set and ready to go to the newspaper for an after hours meeting to discuss this problem.

When she arrives, she finds he is dead.  She ran out of the building frantic.  She caused such a ruckus, it attracted the police.  Now Callie is being held responsible for the murder of this man.  Everyone knew she didn’t do this, except the police who were constantly after her.  Callie takes the investigation of this murder into her own hands.  Callie is bound and determined to solve this murder on her own.  Despite the police investigating this crime and getting nowhere but to continue to blame Callie, even the Amish women knew Callie did not commit this murder and helped her to prove it.

I found this book very enjoyable and completely different than all the other Amish books that have been written.  The difference is this book is not specifically about an Amish woman, but an Outsider who comes to Shipshewana.  There are many Amish women who work at the shop and Callie does befriend one in particular who happens to know a lot more about the local police than what she leads Callie to believe.  The rest of this book focuses on the murder investigation and Callie trying to prove herself innocent.

I do look forward to the next book in this series.  The writing was good, and the story really held my interest as well as the characters..

The really neat part about this book is I have been to Shipshewana and could relate to the town’s description.

I received this book for “FREE” from HarperCollins Publishing courtesy of NetGalley as an ebook through their Book Reviewer’s Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book.  It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, “of my own opinion.”  I was NOT provided with “ANY” monies to accept this book, “NOR” to read it, NOR were “ANY” monies given to me to write the review for this book.  All that was ‘expected’ of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it.  Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’.  I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.