Alice B. reviewed on 6/19/2013 + 3559 more book reviews

This is a great book. It kept me reading and guessing until the end. In Holmes County, Ohio, the Old Order Amish do not trust the "vain" English neighbors. So it is very surprising to see "plain" folk Bishop Eli Miller asks outsider academic Professor Michael Brandon and Pastor Caleb Troyer for help. A decade ago, Miller excommunicated his son Jonah for leaving an outsider addicted teen pregnant. Jonah's illegitimate son Jeremiah remained in the Amish community living with his paternal grandfather. Now Jonah has abducted his ten year old son Jeremiah and Miller is very worried about the lad.

Jonah sends a note to his father that he will return the child by the harvest. Meanwhile Joshua's maternal Uncle Jeff Hostettler, whose sister committed suicide, has vowed to murder Jonah who he blames for his sibling's death. Someone kills Jonah, who was dressed in Amish clothing that seemed to imply he was going to ask for a second chance. The police suspect Hostettler, who threatened to murder the victim, but Brandon is more concerned with where is the missing Jeremiah?

The key to the reprint of the first Amish Country Mystery (hopefully the others will follow) is the comparison of various faiths in which Paul L. Gaus displays a strong respect for all. The twin mysteries of the murder and the missing grandson enhance the overall look at modern day (circa 1999) the Amish lifestyle compared with those of the Mennonites and English living side by side sharing a county in Ohio. Readers will relish this entertaining amateur sleuth.

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