71. The Burning by Linda Castillo

#16 Kate Burkholder

listened on Libby

320 pgs.

2024
Adult murder mystery/police procedural
Finished 8/21/24
Goodreads rating: 4.30
My rating: 4.5
Setting: Contemporary Amish country Ohio

My comments: This was a good one, although Kate was assaulted and quite badly injured numerous times and got out of it quite well each time, which is sort of hard to believe.  I guess she's more like superwoman than I had originally thought.  And in this one, the original murder was particularly grizzly in that a guy, admittedly a really, really bad guy, was burned at the stake.  It tickles me that Castillo can come up with so many plots that are quite varied from each other, as was this one.

Goodreads synopsis:  Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder that reveals a little-known chapter of early Amish history in this new installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.

Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father.

Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply tr30oubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that’s the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share?

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves―and her own roots.

6. Blood Moon by Linda Castillo

#13.5 Kate Burkholder

listened on Audible

2022

64 pgs.
Adult Short Story
Finished 1/22/24
Goodreads rating: 4.01
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary Painters Mill, OH

My comments: Sort of a stupid-ish short story, a mysterious animal that everybody know isn't a bear (why?) - even though it's the size of one - is terrorizing different places in the woods, late one night.

Goodreads synopsis:  Chief of Police Kate Burkholder confronts a mysterious beast terrorizing the residents of Painters Mill in this new original short mystery from bestselling author Linda Castillo.

On a foggy spring night, an Amish man crashes his buggy after a large, unidentified animal spooks his horse. Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the man shaken and bleeding, claiming he was attacked by a large beast. But his description of the creature sounds like something straight out of the Amish folklore from Kate’s childhood. Throughout the night, more incidents of an aggressive animal on the loose are reported, putting the citizens of Painters Mill on edge. There’s a monster menacing the countryside, and Kate must follow its tracks into the dark woods along Painters Creek before violence tips over into tragedy.

49. The Hidden One (#14 Kate Burkholder) by Linda Castillo

listened on Audible

2022
320 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery - Series

Finished 7/12/22
Goodreads rating: 4.35
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Lewistown, PA

My comments: This episode takes Kate to just outside Lewistown, Pennsylvania, where she is investigating a murder charge that has been imposed on her first love/lover.  The story of their encounters when she was 15 and he was 19 are interspersed throughout the story.  The murder was of an 86-year old Bishop who was an over-the-top asshole and as she discovers more and more about him the pieces start fitting together. There were a lot of coincidences ... need to sharpen up the story and make it either more believable or less believable, right now I'm not sure!  Kept my attention, better than some of her previous ones.

Goodreads synopsis:  The discovery of an Amish bishop's remains leads chief of police Kate Burkholder to unearth a chilling secret in The Hidden One, a new thriller from bestselling author Linda Castillo.

Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed, his disappearance becomes even more sinister.

The town’s elders arrive in Painters Mill to ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help, but she quickly realizes she has a personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was Kate’s first love. Forced to confront a painful episode from her past, Kate travels to Pennsylvania’s Kishacoquillas Valley, where the Amish culture differs dramatically from the traditions she knows. Though Bishop Stoltzfus was highly respected, she soon hears about a dark side to this complex man. What was he hiding that resulted in his own brutal death?

Someone doesn’t want Kate asking questions. But even after being accosted and threatened in the dead of night, she refuses to back down. Is she too close to the case―and to Jonas―to see clearly? There’s a killer in the Valley who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried. Will they get to Kate before she can expose the truth? Or will the bishop’s secrets remain hidden forever?

38. The Letters by Suzanne Woods Fisher

#1 Inn at Eagle Hill

listened on Audible

narrated beautifully by Amy McFadden

Unabridged audio (8:55)
2013
316 pgs.
Adult Amish Romance
Finished 4/13/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.27 - 2420 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting: small town Amish community, PA

First line/s: "The air had the sweet burn of frost.  Long out of habit, even in the winter months, Rose Schrock woke before dawn to carve out a little time for herself before the day began."

My comments: Rose Schrok, the widowed mother of Bethany, Mim, Luke, and Sammy, lives with her crotchety mother-in-law, Vera, next door to a helpful, doting neighbor named Galen King and his sister Naomi.  When she decides to open up a large room in her basement as a bed and breakfast, a woman named Naomi becomes her first customer and stays for awhile. All of these characters live interesting, full lives in the Amish community.  Yes, there's a lot of talk about their relationships with God, but not a lot about the church or the bishop (who in this case seems to be a pretty decent guy) and the very clean love aspects are really quite sweet.  It's a good story with a whole lot more modernism attributed to the Amish community than I have read about before.  And it's supposed to be Old Order Amish, too.  Interesting.  Wonderful characterizations, I really felt I knew all these people quite well.  Beautifully read.

Goodreads synopsis:  Rose Schrock is a plain woman with a simple plan. Determined to find a way to support her family and pay off her late husband's debts, she sets to work to convert the basement of her Amish farmhouse into an inn. While her family, especially her cranky mother-in-law, is unhappy with Rose's big idea, her friend and neighbor, Galen King, supports the decision and he helps with the conversion. As Rose finalizes preparations for visitors, she prays. She asks God to bless each guest who stays at the Inn at Eagle Hill. As the first guest arrives and settles in, Rose is surprised to discover that her entire family is the one who receives the blessings, in the most unexpected ways. And she's even more surprised when that guest decides to play matchmaker for Galen King.
          With her signature plot twists combined with gentle Amish romance, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites readers back to Stoney Ridge for fresh stories of simple pleasures despite the complexity of life. Fisher's tale of God's providence and provision will delight her fans and create many new ones. Welcome to the Inn at Eagle Hill.

25. Crimson Born by Amy Patrick

#1 Crimson Accord

listened on Audible
narrated byAmy DeLuca

Unabridged audio (6:25)
2020
248 pgs.
Genre/Level
Finished 3/20/2021
Goodreads rating: 410 - 223 ratings
My rating: 3.5
Setting: contemporary-ish PA/VA

First line/s: "The rhythmic clip-clop of the horses' hooves was hypnotic."

My comments: Pennsylvania Dutch Amish girl turned a vampire relcoated to huge caverns in Virginia called, "The Bastion," where the queen, Imogen, the vampire who made her into one, wants to prepare her to be the future queen.  Abbie wants nothing to do with it she believes in peace, not fighting, and ultimately joins the ranks of a huge, peaceful vampire organization headed by Sadie, Imogen's hated sister.  Of course she leaves behind her "love," who has taken vows to becime a Bloodbound Warrior, loyal completely and totally to the queen.

Goodreads synopsis:  Humans have always suspected vampires exist. Now they know for sure.

          As long as I can remember, I’ve longed for a different life—one filled with adventure, excitement, and romance.
This wasn't exactly what I had in mind…
           One minute I was riding in a horse-drawn buggy on my way home to my quiet Amish village— the next was torn by the screech of car tires, and twisted metal, and the white hot lance of pain. There was no doubt in my mind my life was over.
          So when I woke up to the face of a beautiful stranger who promised me the suffering would end soon, I thought I’d seen an angel.
          I couldn’t have been more wrong.

2. Her Restless Heart by Barbara Cameron

#1 Stitches in Time

listened on Audible

narrated by Coleen Marlo

Unabridged audio (7:05)
2012
304 pgs.
Adult CRF/Romance - Amish
Finished 1/9/2021
Goodreads rating: 4.14 - 860 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary Paradise, PA - Lancaster County

First line/s:  "A year ago, Mary Katherine wouldn't have imagined she'd be here."

What I posted on Goodreads:  Typical Amish romance set in Lancaster County, but with a number of happenstances and terminologies that don't accurately fit what I've come to understand about current Amish....

My comments: Mary Katherine works with her two cousins and grandmother in Stitches in Time, her grandmother's quilt and craft store where where she is an excellent weaver.  Because she has grown up as an an only child with an incredibly, grumpy negative father, she has dragged her heels about being baptized into the Amish community.  Now in her mid-20s, she is being sought after by Jacob, who has been a close friend since they were kids.  The whole story is about her back-and-forth feelings, his ardent pursuing, and some quite humorous part about him (a bachelor living alone) trying to teach himself to cook.  As I noted on Goodreads, there are happenstances and terminologies that don't fit.  Calling her parents mom and dad?  Wearing jeans and her hair down when she goes to the movies with an Englisher friend?  Stuff like that....

Goodreads synopsis:  Mary Katherine is caught between the traditions of her faith and the pull of a different life. When Daniel, an Amish man living in Florida, arrives and shares her restlessness, Mary Katherine feels drawn to him and curious about the life he leads away from Lancaster County.  
          But her longtime friend Jacob has been in love with her for years. He’s discouraged that she’s never viewed him as anything but a friend and despairs that he is about to lose Mary Katherine to this outsider.  
          Will the conflicted Mary Katherine be lost to the Englisch world, or to Daniel, who might take her away to Florida? Or will she embrace her Amish faith and recognize Jacob as the man she should marry and build a life with?
          "You'll laugh and cry right alongside the characters in this story that tests a young woman's faith in Gods's plan for her life." - Loree Lough, best-selling author of more than 80 award-winning books, including From Ashes to Honor, #1 in the First Responders series.) 

102. The Pact by Linda Castsillo

#11.5 Kate Burkholder
listened to Audible
narrated by Kathleen McInerny
Unabridged audio (1:52)
2020 Minotour Books
65 pgs.
Adult Mystery Novella
Finished
Goodreads rating:  4.15 - 961 ratings
My rating:  4
Setting:  Contemporary early winter, Amish country Ohio

First line/s:  "The blade left a trail of blood across pale flesh."

What I posted on Goodreads:  A non-murder mystery with a message and a HEA that could have gone awry but didn't. 

My comments:  This was not a murder mystery, yippee!  No one died.  It even had a bit of a moral/reconciliation between cultures that was quite endearing.  Very good short story, with a happily ever after that could've really gone awry.  It didn't!

Goodreads synopsis:  In The Pact a gripping Kate Burkholder short mystery from New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo, a terrifying disappearance in Amish country reveals the power of friendship.
          Three days before Thanksgiving, two boys disappear without a trace. Eleven-year-old Aaron Kuhns is Amish. Kevin Dennison is twelve and “English.” They’re adventurers, explorers, and inseparable best friends. When they don’t return home from what was supposed to be a fun afternoon of fishing, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must find the missing boys before the first winter storm of the season bears down on Painters Mill.

71. Almost Midnight by Paul Doiron

#10 Mike Bowditch
listened on Audible
narrated by Henry Leyva
Unabridged audio (9:02)
2019 Minotaur Books
310 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery/Series
Finished 4-30-20
Goodreads rating:  4.10 - 1660 ratings
My rating:  4
Setting:  contemporary Maine

First line/s:  "I passed the morgue's meat wagon on my way up the hill to the prison."

My comments:  "My life would never be the same, I realized.  Why do we always come to these recognitions too late?"  Those are the very last words in this book, after he had uncrated Shadow into his acre and a half pen.  But so much had happened that it was hard to tell exactly what he was referring to, thou it seems it would be about how he had figured out how to allow the wolf to live out the rest of his life?  This was an interesting story with Billy Kronk and the Maine prison system being front and center, with Mike tracking down Shadow's shooter being the other half.  It was fascinating to read about the tiny community of Amish in the mountains of Maine.

Goodreads synopsis:  In this thrilling entry in Edgar Award finalist Paul Doiron's bestselling series, the death of Maine's last wild wolf leads Game Warden Mike Bowditch to an even bigger criminal conspiracy.
          Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch already has a troubling mystery on his hands: finding the archer who mortally wounded Maine’s only wild wolf. Then he learns his best friend, Billy Cronk, has been released from prison after heroically defending a female guard from a stabbing. Mike comes to believe the assault was orchestrated by a wider criminal conspiracy. When the conspirators pursue Billy's wife and children to a “safe" cabin in the woods, Mike rushes to their defense only to find himself outnumbered, outgunned―and maybe out of options.

15. The Wish by Patricia Davids

#1 Amish of Cedar Grove
Listened to the Audio/Chirp
narrated  by Christina Traister
Unabridged audio (8:57)
2019 HQN Books
384 pgs.
Adult Christian CRF
Finished 1/23/2020
Goodreads rating: 4.49 - 122 ratings
My rating:  4
Setting: Contemporary small Amish community in - I think - Kansas

First line/s:  "This was so much harder than she expected it to be."

My comments:  I enjoyed this clean Amish romance.  The bishop was a kind, good man, unlike many of the bishops that I've read about in previous Amish literature.  The narrator read the voice of Joshua in a very flat, unemotional way, which was disconcerting.  I'm sure she was trying to keep her voice as "male" as possible, but there were some places that the lack of emotion was not what would have been actually happening.  Just made it so that I had to keep reminding myself that what I heard and what was actually meant to be heard were two different things.  So much forgiveness and looking past wrongs in this Amish community!  Some of the values in this book were quite different from those I've read about in others.  There seems to be a vast difference between different communities.  This one was in Kansas.  I enjoyed it.

Goodreads synopsis:  Widow Laura Beth Yoder longs for a family of her own. So much so that she’s preparing to leave the sleepy Amish town she calls home to find love. But a terrible storm washes out the creek, forcing her to wade in and save the life of an Englisch man and his adorable infant son. As they recover at the farm, the baby brings sunshine and joy, while the handsome outsider is filled with shadows…and secrets.
          Joshua King owes his life and his son’s to Laura Beth. Still, lingering at her farm is out of the question. He must fulfill a promise he made to his estranged wife on her deathbed: to deliver their son to his Amish in-laws. With his dark past, Joshua has no other choice. But his plans never took this sweet and surprising Amish widow into account. She just might be his second chance at happiness…and love.

103. In Plain Sight by Linda Castillo

#10.5 Kate Burkholder, Ohio Amish Country Chief of Police
listened on my iPhone - own on Audible
narrated  by Kathleen McInerney
Unabridged audio (1:51)
2019 Minotaur Books
67 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery in a series - short story
Finished 10/22/19
Goodreads rating: 4.01 - 954 ratings
My rating: 3.5
Setting: contemporary Painters Mill, Ohio

First line/s: "Darkness pressed down on him with an almost physical force."

My comments:
A straight-forward, simple-to-solve short story /novella set in familiar Kate Burkholder territory in Amish Country/Painters Mill, Ohio.  In this one it's nice to discover that the victim, for once, doesn't die, despite horrific injuries.  In this one, an Englisher high schooler and an Amish boy on rumspringa are dating.

Goodreads synopsis:  From Linda Castillo, the New York Times bestselling author of A Gathering of Secrets, comes a new Kate Burkholder short mystery, In Plain Sight: a story of star-crossed love and murder in Amish country.
          Seventeen year old Amish boy, Noah Kline, is struck by a car as he walks alongside a dark country road late one night in Painters Mill. Seriously injured, he lapses into a coma. Initially, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder believes it’s a straightforward hit and run, a driver that panicked and fled. But evidence soon emerges that the incident wasn’t accidental at all--and Kate uncovers a story of teenage passion and jealousy that may have led to attempted murder.

68. Shamed by Linda Castillo

# 11 Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in Painter's Mill (Amish Country), Ohio
listened on Audible
read by Kathleen McInerney
Unabridged audio (9:14)
2019 Minotaur Books
304 pgs.
Adult Mystery
Finished 7/26/2019
Goodreads rating: 4.36 - 1699 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary Amish Country, Ohio

First line/s: "No one went to the old Shattenbaum place anymore."

My comments: It took me about 30 pages to figure out what was going to happen.  So formulaic.  So disappointing.  I still keep reading them because I love the setting and Kate Burkholder, but there's nothing new, no character growth, she even keeps saying the same things, book after book....

Goodreads synopsis:  An Amish grandmother is murdered on an abandoned farm, her seven year old granddaughter abducted. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder plunges headlong into a case that quickly becomes a race against the clock. She knows the longer the girl is missing, the more likely a tragic outcome. The family of the missing girl is well thought of—a pillar of the Amish community. Their pain is palpable and they cooperate in every way, but Kate soon learns they’re keeping secrets...
          The investigation takes Kate to an isolated Old Order Amish settlement along the river in southern Ohio. At first, the community seems upstanding and helpful. But when Kate starts asking questions, they stonewall her—and the situation soon becomes dangerous. What are they hiding and why?
          After an attempt on her life, Kate unearths a haunting and tragic secret that changes everything she thought she knew about the family for whom she is fighting, the Amish community as a whole—and everything she thought she knew about herself. Will she reach the girl in time to save her life?

50. The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

Heritage of Lancaster County #1
After I read this I realized that I had seen the movie to book #2 (The Confession?) and hated it....
listened on Audible
read by Marguerite Gavin
Unabridged audio (7:15)
originally 1997, currently Bethany House Publishers
288 pgs.
Adult "Christian Fiction"  (Amish Garbage)
Finished 6/6/2019
Goodreads rating: 4.14 - 23,280 ratings
My rating: 1
Setting: contemporary "Hickory Hollow," PA, Lancaster County

First line/s: "If the truth be known, I was more conniving than all three of my brothers put together.  Hard headed, too."

My comments:  Not my cup of tea in many, many ways....why do I keep doing this to myself?

Goodreads synopsis: The bestselling story of Katie Lapp, who longs for things forbidden to a young Amish woman. But an unexpected discovery reveals her true past.

31. Lamb to the Slaughter by Karen Ann Hopkins

read on my iPhone (Kindle Unlimited)
2014 self-published
293 pgs.
Adult Contemporary Murder Mystery
Finished 3/22/2019
Goodreads rating: 4.03 - 2998 ratings
My rating:  3
Setting: Contemporary Blood Rock, Indiana

First line/s: "Hugging myself, I tried to stop shaking.  I'd burned my last bridge.  Forward was the only way to go."

My comments:  I have very mixed feelings about this book.  The first thing I must mention is it needed an incredible amount of editing.  It was very disconcerting to have so many errors.  I enjoyed the setting, the small town Amish/Englisher countryside of Indiana being very similar to where I live in Pennsylvania.  Character development is where I'm scratching my head the most.  The story is told from the point of view of the three main characters - one being the female Sheriff, Serenity Adams, the third being her probably-soon-to-be-suitor, Daniel.  Naomi is a self-centered, very unlikable young lady right from the start.  There are only a few glimpses of someone we feel sorry for in her own point-of-view scenes.  It's not until after she dies and you learn more about her from her two boyfriends that you really understand what she's been going through and feel sorry for her extremely difficult life.  However, the "mean girl" personality portrayed earlier keep continuing to overshadow new information about here.  It's a back-and-forth ride that doesn't make sense.  Serenity is smart and impetuous.  I don't really like her, or even understand her.  And I don't think she's well suited for the job of sheriff.  Daniel's cool.  I get him.  But I don't get his attraction to Serenity.  At least not yet - maybe in the upcoming book?  And now the story...the mystery... the way it all come together....not super strong, but it worked, with holes.
     I enjoy books about the Amish community, especially this type that shares the non-Amish and Amish point of view.  Even with all my questionable points about this first in a series, I do think I will continue on and try another.

Goodreads synopsis:  "A well-crafted tale of murder begotten by the collision of two incompatible worlds."-Kirkus Reviews
           The death of a teenage Amish girl in a cornfield looks like an accident, but sheriff Serenity Adams suspects foul play. To solve the murder, she must investigate the nearby Amish community with the help of a man who was shunned years ago. 
          Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest. 
          Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidentally shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting. Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end.

88. In Dark Company by Linda Castillo

#9.5 Kate Burkholder aka Burkholder super-short story....
read on my iPhone
2018 Minotaur Books
60 pgs.
Adult Mystery Novella
Finished 8/31/18
Goodreads rating:  4.18 - 435 ratings
My rating: 2.5
Setting: contemporary Painters Mill, Ohio

First line/s:  "He was going to kill her."

My comments:  This one introduces Linda Castillo's reading community to the Hutterites, a division of Anabaptists like Amish and Mennonite.  About six months ago I watched a YouTube documentary about them which I found interesting and disconcerting.  The biggest difference between Hutterites and the Amish is that the Hutterites live communally and are mainly located in Canada.  This short story does not include a murder, but amnesia, assault, and robbery instead.  Very simplistic but interesting in its way.

Goodreads synopsis:  From the New York Times bestselling author of DOWN A DARK ROAD comes Linda Castillo's IN DARK COMPANY: a short story about an injured young woman with amnesia who seeks Chief of Police Kate Burkholder’s help to remember her identity—and her attacker. 
          It’s the middle of the night in Painters Mill, and Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to a scene where a mysterious young woman, battered and terrified, has sought shelter at an Amish farmhouse. She can’t remember her name or where she’s from, but she knows one thing: someone was trying to kill her. Kate suspects that “Jane Doe” remembers more than she’s letting on, but when Jane is attacked again on Kate’s watch, Kate resolves to find the truth. As Jane’s memories start flooding back and Kate dives deeper into her murky past, they must race to discover what Jane was running from—and who is still pursuing her.

86. Amish Renegade by Rose Doss

read on my iPhone
Independently published in 2018
190 pgs.
Amish Romance
Finished 8/29/18
Goodreads rating:  4.48 - 46 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting:

First line/s:  "Kate Beiler clutched at the small, warm hand of the girl she'd raised since her marriage, numbness gripping her as she stood facing the plain wooden coffins in front of her."

My comments: This latest Amish story seemed a little bit more real to me.  It spoke more of feelings vs. suppressing them.  I think the strongest realization that has come from reading these stories is that Amish suppress feelings, don't talk to each other about anything of importance - everything is "what you see is what you get" and led by God's will, which is pretty much interpreted by the men of the congregation,  This particular story included real human feelings which the two protagonists , because of their teachings and upbringing, didn't really know how to handle well.  There is so much repetition in these books that the real meat of the story could probably be told in one chapter, as a short story, but when I get around all of that this one has appealed to me more than the others.  It actually speaks about love for another human being, which I haven't seen or even felt much in previous books of this type. 

Goodreads synopsis:  Kate must ask her first love to marry her even though she later married another man! When Kate’s only financial support dies in a buggy accident along with her beloved parents, widowed Kate Bieler must find refuge for herself and the young child of her deceased husband. Refusing the bishop’s suggestion that she marry his teenaged son, she very reluctantly asks the only other single Mann in their small Amish settlement to marry her. Unfortunately, Kate and Enoch Miller share a conflicted past. When she went on rumspringa against his wishes, he cut communication and their courtship ceased. Distressed and angry, Kate then married another Mann…but she never stopped loving Enoch. When widowed shortly later, after praying to Gott, she knows she must ask Enoch to marry her and take in the child of the Mann she’d married instead of Enoch. 
          Agreeing to this, Enoch angrily—and out of a deep hurt—deviously determines to make Kate pay. Only he ends up again falling in love with her…and the child of his rival that she brings with her. Can they find the love they once lost? 

85. The Secret by Beverly Lewis

Seasons of Grace #1
read on my iPhone
2009 Bethany House Publishers
364 pgs.
Adult Amish Romance
Finished 8/27/18
Goodreads rating:  4.04 - 5894 ratings
My rating: 2.5
Setting: Contemporary PA Dutch country

First line/s:  "Honestly, I thought the worst was past."

My comments:  This is one heck of a long, drawn out story, so long and drawn out that it became quite boring.  It's the first of the series and leaves you pretty much hanging at the end.  I think the series is three books - books which could have been made into just one of the smae length.  It sure needed chopping!  And for being such a close knit clan/community, no one ever - EVER - really talks to each other or shares anything of any kind of importance.  Crazy.  They sure know how to gossip, though.  Is this what the AMish community is really like?  I'd love to find out what will happen to the three major portagonists but I refuse to spend the time....

Goodreads synopsis:  In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment.
          Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County--the last place she and her mother had visited together. Will Heather find healing for body and spirit?
          As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.

My Amish "KICK" - What is it about this genre of Amish Christian Fiction?

It's no secret that I'm fascinated with the simple life of the Amish, I think it's a fascination of anyone that knows of this religion/sect/cult, especially if you're enchanted with living 200 years in the past and love history and Colonial Williamsburg, Sturbridge Village, and other such historical places.  Being a raised-in-the-church Protestant, past Sunday School superintendent, and now-Atheist, I am also fascinated with the religious beliefs of the Amish people.

(Note:  for Amish NON-Christian mysteries, etc., see the bottom of the page.)

I've decided to read some of the different authors and check out different aspects of the novels.
My criteria:

Setting:
Protagonist/s:
Patriarchal/Male dominated beliefs:
The BISHOP:
God and the Bible:
Relationship with the English:
Modern conveniences:
Why readers might enjoy this genre (Amish Christian romance):
Questions?
My rating:
In general:

Authors:
Cameron - A Road Unknown, 2014 (3.5)

.......................Her Restless Heart, 2012 (3)
Davids, Patricia - The Wish, 2019 (4)
Doss, Rose - Amish Renegade, 2018 (3)
Lewis, Beverly - The Secret, 2009 (2.5)
..........................The Shunning, 1997 (1)
Newport, Olivia - Accidentally Amish, 2012 (3)
Price - Fields of Corn, 2010 (2)

Movies (all described below):
Saving Sarah Cain, 2007

1.  Fields of Corn by Sarah Price, 2010 (read July, 2018)
Setting: Leola, PA
Protagonist/s: Shana Slater, Englisher turned Amish
Patriarchal/Male dominated beliefs: VERY MUCH SO
The BISHOP: Not offensive that I can recall
God and the Bible:  Lots, the idea that everything is "God's will" is stated over and over
Relationship with the English: some trepidation
Modern conveniences: The Amish family rented out a small guest house to an Englisher, with electricity (which seems a little improbable to me...)
Why readers might enjoy this genre (Amish Christian romance): Romance, non-Amish girl falls in love with Amish boy and changes everything in her life for him.  First 3/4 of the book is okay, but the last quarter...
Questions? The young man in this story at first made concessions to Shana, but rapidly pushed her to his whim, and then became almost like a different person when he dug his heels in as the patriarchal head.  It didn't fit with the person that began the book.
My rating: 2
In general:  The last quarter of the book really set my feminist teeth grinding....yuck!

2.  A Road Unknown by Barbara Cameron, 2014 (read August, 2018)
Setting: Paradise, PA (and Goshen, Indiana)
Protagonist/s:  Elizabeth B
Patriarchal/Male dominated beliefs: not particularly
The BISHOP:  Not a nice guy
God and the Bible: not a big part of the book
Relationship with the English: positive, they run a touristy gift shop in Lancaster County
Modern conveniences:  cell phones, hire drivers to get around even locally much of the time
Information that teaches of Amish ways?  Yes...
Why readers might enjoy this genre (Amish Christian romance): a super clean romance without a whole lot of religion shoved down your throat....
Questions?  The Amish celebrate Thanksgiving?
My rating:  3.5
In general:  Didn't make the hairs on the back of my neck stick up!

MOVIE:  Saving Sarah Cain 
2007, PG (1:43) directed by Michael Landon, Jr. RT Audience:  73% Borrowed from Bosler Library
RT Summary:  A well-meaning but self-centered newspaper columnist learns the importance of placing career before family when her sister dies and she brings her late sibling's five Amish-raised children to live with her in the big city. There was a time when Sarah Cain was one of the city's best-known writers, but these days she seems to have lost her touch. When Sarah's sister Ivy dies and the writer is suddenly saddled with five children who aren't accustomed to city life, her editor urges her to document the unique experience in her column. As a result, Sarah once again finds the success that has eluded her for so long - but her time in the spotlight yields some unexpected consequences. When the children find out that Sarah has exploiting the situation to bolster her readership, they feel so devastated and betrayed that they demand to be placed with a new foster family.
Setting:  Lancaster County, PA (and Portland, Oregon)
Protagonist/s: Sarah Cain, an Englisher, and her five orphaned Amish nieces and nephews
Patriarchal/Male dominated beliefs: No
The BISHOP: Unimportant
God and the Bible: Hardly any
Relationship with the English: Weird...they let those kids be taken off by this unknown aunt without any fight at all....this doesn't fit with any of the information I have, to date, about what would really happen...
Modern conveniences: No, but the homes are really big and spacious and well-lit, which isn't how I picture Amish homes.
Why readers might enjoy this genre (Amish Christian romance):  It's a fun story.
Questions? Lots.  This is definitely a movie made for the general population...sad but light, with beautiful people
My rating: 3
In general: Entertaining, like a Hallmark movie that didn't actually turn my stomach.

3.  Accidentally Amish by Olivia Newport, 2012 (read August 2018)
Unfortunately, I'm entering this quite awhile after reading it, so the nitty gritties are forgotten...I rated it a 3.
My review/comments:  The first in a series of three that follow Analise/Annie into the Amish life.  The reality is that she fell for an Amish guy and because of her high-powered , crazy life she is ready for some simplicity.  Only a little is mentioned about faith and God, so I can totally believe that she thinks she might be able to deal with/handle this incredible life change because she's in love.  So, thus far, it's been fairly believable.  However, for her to ever follow this lifestyle for the rest of her life, she's going to have to become like a "born-again" and I think that would drive me -- and her -- absolutely nuts AND be hard to believe.  Yes, all that sort of think is nonsense to me....
     So will I read on?  Doubt it greatly.

4.  The Secret - Beverly Lewis - 2009 (read August, 2018) rated 2.5
This is one heck of a long, drawn out story, so long and drawn out that it became quite boring.  It's the first of the series and leaves you pretty much hanging at the end.  I think the series is three books - books which could have been made into just one of the same length.  It sure needed chopping!  And for being such a close knit clan/community, no one ever - EVER - really talks to each other or shares anything of any kind of importance.  Crazy.  They sure know how to gossip, though.  Is this what the Amish community is really like?  I'd love to find out what will happen to the three major protagonists but I refuse to spend the time....

5.  Amish Renegade  - Rose Doss 2018 rated 3
My comments: This latest Amish story seemed a little bit more real to me.  It spoke more of feelings vs. suppressing them.  I think the strongest realization that has come from reading these stories is that Amish suppress feelings, don't talk to each other about anything of importance - everything is "what you see is what you get" and led by God's will, which is pretty much interpreted by the men of the congregation,  This particular story included real human feelings which the two protagonists , because of their teachings and upbringing, didn't really know how to handle well.  There is so much repetition in these books that the real meat of the story could probably be told in one chapter, as a short story, but when I get around all of that this one has appealed to me more than the others.  It actually speaks about love for another human being, which I haven't seen or even felt much in previous books of this type.

5.  Her Restless Heart by Barbara Cameron, 2012 (read January, 2021)
Setting: Paradise, PA 
Protagonist/s:  Mary Katherine
Patriarchal/Male dominated beliefs: somewhat....horrible, mean, gruff father
The BISHOP:  Not a nice guy, domineering
God and the Bible: not a big part of the book, though everything is God's will....
Relationship with the English: positive, they run a touristy quilt shop in Lancaster County
Modern conveniences:  cell phones, hire drivers to get around, she even dresses in jeans and has her hair down once in awhile, which seems very off to me
Information that teaches of Amish ways?  some...but there's a lot of freedom that I don't think is real
Why readers might enjoy this genre (Amish Christian romance): a super clean romance without a whole lot of religion shoved down your throat....
Questions?  The male was constantly buying gifts...birthday, flowers, etc.  Not sure how much this sort of thing happens
My rating:  3

Amish Mysteries written from the point-of-view of outside the Amish community:

Hopkins, Karen Ann
     Sheriff Serenity Adams, Blood Rock, Indiana
     #1:  Lamb to the Slaughter, 2014 (3)

84. Accidentally Amish by Olivia Newport

Valley of Choice #1
read on my iPhone
2012 Shiloh Run Press
368 pgs.
Adult Amish romance
Finished 8/25/18
Goodreads rating:  4.15 - 1015 ratings
My rating:  3
Setting: Contemporary Colorado Amish community

First line/s:  "His kiss was firm and lingering as he cradled her head in one broad palm."

My comments:  The first in a series of three that follow Analise/Annie into the Amish life.  The reality is that she fell for an Amish guy and because of her high-powered , crazy life she is ready for some simplicity.  Only a little is mentioned about faith and God, so I can totally believe that she thinks she might be able to deal with/handle this incredible life change because she's in love.  So, thus far, it's been fairly believable.  However, for her to ever follow this lifestyle for the rest of her life, she's going to have to become like a "born-again" and I think that would drive me -- and her -- absolutely nuts AND be hard to believe.  Yes, all that sort of think is nonsense to me....
     So will I read on?  Doubt it greatly.

Goodreads synopsis:  Escape the helter-skelter of the modern culture and join software creator Annie Friesen, hiding at the home of an Amishman. With her high-tech career in jeopardy, Annie runs from fast-paced Colorado Springs—and straight into the hospitality of San Luis Valley’s Amish community. There she meets cabinetmaker Rufus Beiler, and the more time she spends with him, the more attracted she becomes. When Annie finds she shares a common ancestor with Rufus, she feels both cultures colliding within her. But is her love for Rufus strong enough for her to give up the only life she’s ever known?

80. A Road Unknown - Barbara Cameron

read on my iPhone
2014 Abingdon Press
304 pgs.
Adult Amish Fiction
Finished August 16, 2018
Goodreads rating:  4.3 - 214 ratings
My rating:  3.5
Setting:  Contemporary Paradise, Lancaster County, PA

First line/s:  "Some people say that if you look at a map of Goshen, Indiana, you'd see almost all Amish country roads lead into the town."

My comments:  My second foray into Amish literature, a bit of a better choice than the first.  A young woman in her very early 20s flees her home and family in Goshen, Indiana, because, as the eldest of eight, all she does is care for her siblings.  She does not depart from the Amish way of life, but does travel by bus to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to share a small apartment with an Englisher. She soon finds a job in an Amish gift shop, run by a young Amish man she met on the bus. These are not the super-strict Amish, but a sect that hires drivers to transport them from place to place when needed and even carry a phone.  Part of the plot it about "dating," all very understated, and I think this is a pretty reasonable depiction of some of the Amish's way of life in Lancaster County.

Goodreads synopsis:  Elizabeth is at a crossroad. Will rumschpringe lead her away? Or bring her home?
          She's been given the chance to experience life outside of her community, away from the responsibility to care for her eight younger siblings, but Elizabeth Bontrager can't decide which road to take. Goshen has its charms and pressures, but Paradise, Pennsylvania, sounds . . . well, like paradise. And it's also home to her Englisch friend, Paula. Decision made. Elizabeth is Paradise bound.
          But will the small town live up to its name? When Elizabeth meets Paula's friend, Bruce, she quickly learns he wants more than a friendship. And the same might be true of Saul Miller, her new boss at the country story that sells Amish products to the Englisch community. As the two compete for her attention, Elizabeth is surprised to realize she misses her family and becomes even more uncertain about where she belongs. She has a choice to make: return home or embrace this new life and possibly a new love?

68. A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo

Kate Burkholder #10
listened on Audible
2018 Minotaur Books
308 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery/Police Procedural
Finished 7/23/18
Goodreads rating:  4.45 - 1047 ratings
My rating:  3
Setting:  Contemporary Amish Country, Ohio

First line/s:  "She didn't sleep.  Hadn't slept through the night in a long time.  There was too much darkness, not the kind that was restful."

My comments:   Hmmmm.  They're starting to sound more and more alike.  Similar phrasing, similar reflections, similar characters.  Maybe I should read the next one with my eyes, not listen with my ears.... I used to rush to read these the moment they came out, but that enthusiasm is waning, darn it... 2.5

Goodreads synopsis:   When a historic barn burns to the ground in the middle of the night, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called in to investigate. At first, it looks like an accident, but when the body of eighteen-year-old Daniel Gingerich is found inside—burned alive—Kate suspects murder. Who would want a well-liked, hardworking young Amish man dead?
          Kate delves into the investigation only to find herself stonewalled by the community to which she once belonged. Is their silence a result of the Amish tenet of separation? Or is this peaceful and deeply religious community conspiring to hide a truth no one wants to talk about? Kate doubles down only to discover a plethora of secrets and a chilling series of crimes that shatters everything she thought she knew about her Amish roots—and herself.
          As Kate wades through a sea of suspects, she’s confronted by her own violent past and an unthinkable possibility.