Description:
Amish country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has always been a place of quiet beauty until a shocking murder shatters the peace, and leaves a troubled detective picking up the pieces…
After her husband is murdered, Detective Elizabeth Harris turns in her NYPD badge and moves back home, hoping that a quiet life in remote Pennsylvania Dutch country will help her overcome the dark memories of her ten years in New York. But when a beautiful, scantily clad “English” girl is found dead in the barn of a prominent Amish family, Elizabeth knows that she’s uncovered an evil that could shake the community to its core.
Elizabeth’s boss is convinced this was the work of an “English,” as outsiders are called in Lancaster County. But Elizabeth isn’t so sure. All she’s missing is an actual lead—until another body is found: this time, a missing Amish girl. Now Elizabeth must track down a killer with deep ties to a community that always protects its own—no matter how deadly the cost…
MY TAKE:
4 STARS!
MY TAKE:
4 STARS!
This is Book One in a new series by this author. I want to point out ‘per the author’ that this book and the future books in this same series will all be based with these same characters, (I almost said people!) in the same town, in the heart of Amish Country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This will appeal to people who like stories about the Amish, and this same area, too. It kind of seems whenever you read books about the Amish or even see things on television that Lancaster County, it is always where everything Amish always seems to be going on.
This series of books is in the murder/mystery genre, not your typical nice, sweet, christian, ‘lessons learned’, syrupy love stories that so many Amish books have been written about and attract. These books will definitely bring a 180 to that punch of what you have read in the past like the ones I described above!
This is my first time reading this author’s writing. It was tough getting going, and later with the part about the river and how Elza just shows up out of nowhere threw me for a loop, but he does. This won’t make any sense to you, but it’s something that has been bothering me about this book and it’s meant for the author, that’s all, I don’t want to give spoilers!
Detective Elizabeth Harris ends up back home in Lancaster after her husband, living and working in New York City along with her ends up murdered. Now all she wants is to do is go home and to go back to that quieter, calmer place to live and to find some peace. Heal, from the loss of her husband.
As she moves back to Paradise, a new case immediately starts. They have found an English girl inside the center of a barn laying on top of the hay. Much later there is a second murder, but this murder is of an Amish girl, and Elizabeth believes the cases are related. She knows in her gut they are. She continues on trying to solve the case, looking for clues.
In the meantime Elizabeth meets a new man. An Amish man who is deciding that possibly the Amish church may not be for him. Elizabeth starts to have a raging affair with this man. (If this author decides to write in the Romance genre, count me IN! She wrote this very well!) His name is Elza, and she does worry what the Amish church/community is going to think of her once they find out about it. This is the man I was telling you about up above.
This whole part of meeting Elza and having this torrid, hot, love affair just kind of seemed odd because for one, it came out of the blue, and two, we don’t have any idea what he is thinking except for the very little voice the author gives this character, and it is not much at all. I really would have liked to have known how Elza felt for Elizabeth, however, if their actions were words, that would explain everything. Elza would have been in raging love with Elizabeth.
The other problem we are left with is Elza is a possibly a part of this crime. His innocence has not been ruled out.
Also, at times. I didn’t know if the author was going to take this story and make it more of a love story and have the murder become the thing that brought these two together. It was hard to see how both sides of this story were going to work together especially because Elizabeth was also worrying about getting caught being with Elza as well, but the story could have almost gone one way or the other, murder or love. We need a Book Two to go on and tell us more, or at least I HOPE Book Two goes over that part much more in detail so we can understand it better. Right now it's hanging open and doesn't make sense.
This author wanted to introduce everything in this first book which made it feel a little rushed and leaving us with questions, however, this really is a good thing because it has left so many loose ends that we are going to want to go back for Round Two! I’m ready NOW! I think we are in for a real treat especially once book two does come out, but, the waiting . . . Book Two comes out August 2, 2016 and is called In the Land of Milk and Honey, An Elizabeth Harris novel. How did I find this out? I went to the publisher’s website for the book HERE!
Enjoy this one, though! This book sets everything up, and you don’t want to miss the crime and solving it!
I received this book for FREE from the publisher, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, in exchange to read and write a review about this book. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. 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.ebook $9.99
DON'T MISS THE OTHER GIVEAWAYS IN THE LEFT SIDE COLUMN!!!
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