Genre:
Amish/Mystery
Amish/Mystery
A Plain Disappearance
An Appleseed Creek Mystery book 3
by Amanda Flower
| -From the back cover- It's Christmastime in Amish Country, and Chloe Humphrey has begun settling into her life in Appleseed Creek. She's especially excited to see where her new relationship with Timothy Troyer will lead. Unfortunately it leads to murder when the couple discovers the body of Amish teenager Katie Lambright while on their first date. Near the scene is evidence that Timothy's friend and auto mechanic Billy Thorpe is involved in the crime. The police reveal Billy is not really who he said he was and has been living the last decade in Knox County under a stolen alias. Now, Chloe and Timothy must find Billy, bring him to justice, or prove his innocence. A Plain Disappearance is another Amish fiction winner! I have to admit up front that this is the first book in this series that I have read. But, while I know some of how things will turn out, I still want to read the two previous books. This book only made me want to read them all the more. Some of the storyline was familiar with the heroine being an Englischer making friends with the Amish and being courted by a guy that left the Amish several years ago during his rumspringa. The young couple find a body and they must track down the killer. The struggle with other characters either having left the Amish or thinking about it was also expected. But what I didn't quite expect was the portrayal of the Amish themselves. Often in Amish fiction they are overly romanticized as if they have attained moral perfection. Not in this book, some of them are very accepting and some are absolutely not, some are very loving with their families and some are harsh, they have similar fears and concerns that most parents and families do. The characters are as varied as people are in reality. |  . . . This Book earned a 4.5 Bark rating.
. . .  Amanda Flower Visit Amanda's Website HERE |
The issues in this story are much darker than the typical Amish story but the ultimate theme is forgiveness. From forgiving one's self, to past hurts, to forgiving people in the present. Each character struggles with this in his or her own way.
The mystery element in this story is excellent! Amanda Flower has done a great job, neither overdoing nor underplaying, and the pacing is very good. The storyline was believable and not forced, you could easily see why the characters acted and reacted as they did because they were what any normal person would say, do, or think. I honestly had no clue 'whodunit' until the murderer was revealed, I had guesses on who I thought DIDN'T do it but no idea who could have done it.
A Plain Disappearance is told in the first-person from the perspective of Chloe. Very enjoyable and the author did an excellent job of getting inside of Chloe's head and heart.
I did, of course, have favorite characters; Chloe with her desire to help and for family. Grossdaddi (Grandfather) Zook with his kind understanding and penchant for learning new Englischer words. And Greta Rose the sharp-tongued but fair, in Grossdaddi Zook's words “lady copper.” And, of course, I can't forget the other two most memorable characters, Mabel and Sparky, gotta love both of them!
Not everything is completely resolved, there is no sweet ending all packaged up with a pretty bow. The reader is left wondering and more importantly hoping that more stories with these characters will be soon forthcoming.
An enjoyable and wonderful addition to the Amish genre, don't miss A Plain Disappearance or the entire series!
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives A Plain Disappearance by Amanda Flower a 4.5 Bark rating.
The mystery element in this story is excellent! Amanda Flower has done a great job, neither overdoing nor underplaying, and the pacing is very good. The storyline was believable and not forced, you could easily see why the characters acted and reacted as they did because they were what any normal person would say, do, or think. I honestly had no clue 'whodunit' until the murderer was revealed, I had guesses on who I thought DIDN'T do it but no idea who could have done it.
A Plain Disappearance is told in the first-person from the perspective of Chloe. Very enjoyable and the author did an excellent job of getting inside of Chloe's head and heart.
I did, of course, have favorite characters; Chloe with her desire to help and for family. Grossdaddi (Grandfather) Zook with his kind understanding and penchant for learning new Englischer words. And Greta Rose the sharp-tongued but fair, in Grossdaddi Zook's words “lady copper.” And, of course, I can't forget the other two most memorable characters, Mabel and Sparky, gotta love both of them!
Not everything is completely resolved, there is no sweet ending all packaged up with a pretty bow. The reader is left wondering and more importantly hoping that more stories with these characters will be soon forthcoming.
An enjoyable and wonderful addition to the Amish genre, don't miss A Plain Disappearance or the entire series!
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives A Plain Disappearance by Amanda Flower a 4.5 Bark rating.
| PRINT | KINDLE | PRINT | PRINT |
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| . | Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: B&H Books (September 1, 2013) ISBN-10: 1433676990 ISBN-13: 978-1433676994 | . |
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