Ohio

Nov 14 2010

In the Mail: Broken English

*This got lost in all the confusion the last few weeks*

Broken English: An Amish-Country Mystery (Ohio Amish Mysteries) by P.L. Gaus

From the Publisher

The peaceful town of Millersburg, Ohio, in the heart of Ohio’s Amish country, is rocked by the vicious murder of one of its citizens at the hands of an ex-convict. When a local reporter covering the story ends up dead as well, with the convict already behind bars, suspicion falls on David Hawkins, father of the first victim. But Hawkins is nowhere to be found, not even among the protective Amish colony that had taken him in as one of its own regardless of his shadowy past.

Following on the critical and popular success of his first book, mystery writer P. L. Gaus again brings us a moral and legal conundrum as Professor Michael Branden, Sheriff Bruce Robertson, and Pastor Cal Troyer set out to uncover the truth that seems so elusive in their otherwise quiet corner of the world.

Along the way, Gaus paints a unique portrait of the relationship between the Amish and the English cultures as seen from the inside. Against this backdrop, Broken English is a tale of honor, deception, and revenge, where circumstances and the search for justice test the mettle of the closest of friends and reveal the desperate measures of the strongest of foes.

By Kevin Holtsberry • In The Mail • 0 • Tags: Amish, Fiction, mystery, Ohio, P.L. Gaus

Sep 23 2010

In the Mail: Blood of the Prodigal

Blood of the Prodigal: An Amish-Country Mystery (Ohio Amish Mysteries) by P.L. Gaus

Publishers Weekly

In the Old Order Amish communities of Ohio’s Holmes County, it is rare for one of the self-styled “plain” people to seek aid from an outsider, one of “the English.” But Bishop Eli Miller needs help and goes for it to a local academic, Michael Brandon. Years before, Miller had exiled his son Jonah for his wild ways. Now Jonah has snatched his own son, Jeremiah, who has been living with the bishop. In a note to his father, Jonah sends assurances that the boy will be returned by harvest time. Concern about Jeremiah’s exposure to the outside world prompts the bishop to ask Brandon to locate the boy. And Brandon, too, is worried: Jeff Hostettler–whose sister, Jeremiah’s mother, committed suicide–has vowed to kill Jonah on sight. When Jonah is discovered shot dead, dressed in traditional Amish garb and apparently on his way back in repentance to the bishop’s home, Hostettler becomes the prime suspect. But where is Jeremiah? Gaus brings a refreshing authenticity to his unusual setting and characters. There are no wisecracking gumshoes here, but instead believable characters whose faith is explored with respect. Anyone who enjoyed the film Witness should take to this fine mystery debut.

By Kevin Holtsberry • In The Mail • 0 • Tags: Amish, Fiction, mystery, Ohio, P.L. Gaus