Amish Outsider
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4.6 • 57 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The Amish of River Haven offer sanctuary and solace…even to those with a dangerous past.
In the wake of his estranged wife’s murder, widower Michael Forster returns to the Amish community he’d left as a teen. He wants a fresh start for himself and his daughter, Allie, away from those who still believe he’s guilty. In River Haven, a quieter life seems possible. If only Allie’s Amish schoolteacher, Catherine Brandt, was easier to ignore.
A problem solver by nature, Cathy can tell Allie’s withdrawn demeanor isn’t due to shyness. But getting through to Allie also means breaching her father’s hardened defenses. What starts as persistence soon grows into an attraction neither Cathy nor Michael saw coming. When the past suddenly threatens both his daughter and the woman he loves, Michael must risk everything to save them.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Perry (Shattered Silence) opens an Amish romantic suspense series with a master class in balancing characterization and suspense. After Michael Forster's estranged wife is murdered, and he becomes a suspect in that murder, he returns to his Pennsylvania hometown with his withdrawn eight-year-old daughter, Allie. She starts attending the local Amish school under the instruction of teacher Cathy Brandt, but Michael finds it difficult to settle into his old life with suspicion hanging over his head. Soon the investigation intrudes on all of their daily lives when a private investigator appears and a mysterious stalker follows Cathy and Allie home from school. As tensions rise, Michael and Cathy grow closer through their shared goal of protecting Allie (though they sometimes go overboard, hiding facts and feelings from her even when she clearly needs someone to talk to) and their community. Perry effortlessly blends the Amish and non-Amish aspects of the small Pennsylvania town, showcasing the acceptance and rejection on both sides. The secondary characters, particularly the police chief and Michael's brother-in-law, enhance the overall theme of fellowship, and the final revelation of the culprit is inevitable without being predictable. Emphasis on personal growth as well as romance make River Haven a place readers will gladly return to.
Customer Reviews
A Comeplling Novel
Amish Outsider is a compelling novel. I thought the book was well-written and it proceeded at a steady pace. Amish Outsider is different from other Amish novels. There is mystery, suspense, family, friendships and romance. I liked getting to know the residents of River Haven. Stubbornness seems to run in the Forster family. Michael left home as a teenager with Diana and has been living as an Englischer. He was running a successful construction company until his wife died and the legal bills crippled him financially. Diana was unhappy with their life which ended up with the pair becoming separated. Michael did not kill his wife, but he is unable to convince the police of his innocence. Michael wants a safe place for his daughter, Allie and he hopes it is in River Haven with his Amish family. Aunt Verna and Sarah provided levity with their schemes to help their family. Family is important as we see in Amish Outsider and they stick together which I found endearing. I like how the community came together to help when one of their own was in need and to support a good cause. I delighted in the unpredictability of an Amish Outsider. You never knew what would happen next. The scary incidents were suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. The tension builds as the story progressed in this page turner. There are several suspects in Diana’s murder with good clues. One of the phrases that stuck with me from Amish Outsider is “Evil can be anywhere. But peace is inside us.” Marta Perry has outdone herself with the absorbing and suspenseful Amish Outsider.