Search - Blood of the Prodigal (Amish Country, Bk 1)

The book world is inundated with Amish stories galore, but this book stood out to me for a couple of reasons. One the cover and title caught my attention and the credentials of the author. I was thankful to receive a review copy of a book that captured my attention and made me want to read what was inside. This is not your typical Amish story and I liked that!

“Say little..Listen A lot!” These are the simple watch words that Pastor Caleb and Professor Michael Branden stand by in dealing with the Amish community.

Bishop Eli Miller reluctantly seeks the help of an outsider when tragedy strikes. The Bishop must trust an outsider to discover the whereabouts of his teenage grandson. Pastor Caleb Troyer and Professor Michael Brayden, are boyhood friends who’ve helped the Amish community before. They both understand their ways, how private a people they are, and they both know the Bishop. Both Caleb and Micahel realize the situation must be serious for the Bishop to seek their help.

I liked how the books point of view is from an outsider looking into the Amish community. The reader gets a peek into the Amish Community world, that’s all. The author never takes you fully inside. I liked that.

This author lets the reader get to know Pastor Caleb and Professor Michael very well. They are a great team who respect the Amish community and earnestly want to help the Bishop find Josh. This is a different spin on a who-done-it kind of story. I didn’t figure out who did it until the author revealed it to the reader. This was an intriguing, fun, heart-felt story I really enjoyed. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it definitely won’t be the last.

Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org
Finding Hope Through Fiction www.psalm516.blogspot.com

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Although a quick read, it's an exceptionally smart mystery, and it certainly does an effective job in telling a sound story full of absorbing insights into the Amish way of life. There are intelligent layers within this story, of both the personal lives of the Professor and his wife, but also of the Amish community and the politics of the English living side by side with the Plain People. The characters were exceedingly interesting with each scene (my personal favorites: the Professor, his wife, and Sheriff Robertson), and I was caught up in the mystery of it all. I had no idea who did the kidnapping, who committed murder, until the scenes unfolded before me. P.L. Gaus has combined the surrounding Amish countryside and charming characters into a developed and well-researched journey of a mystery. This is book one in the Amish-Country Mystery series, so there's no doubt that I'm interested to pick up the next one.

I also must admit that there were times, especially towards the end, when my throat closed up as I read, and I'm pretty sure if someone asked me a question at that exact moment, or tried to talk with me, I'd have to blink back some tears and collect myself before trying to speak.

I loved the book....and will read again and again!