Book picks similar to
Fire in the Night by Linda Byler
amish
mystery
linda-byler
christian-fiction
The Amish Midwife
Mindy Starns Clark - 2011
There she meets Marta Bayer, a mysterious lay-midwife who desperately needs help after an Amish client and her baby die.Lexie steps in to assume Marta’s patient load even as she continues the search for her birth family, and from her patients she learns the true meaning of the Pennsylvania Dutch word demut, which means “to let be” as she changes from a woman who wants to control everything to a woman who depends on God.A compelling story about a search for identity and the ability to trust that God securely holds our whole life—past, present, and future.
Huckleberry Hill
Jennifer Beckstrand - 2014
As her dat often reminds her, she is too tall for most boys, and with her mousy brown hair and grossly scarred fingers, how can she ever hope to find a husband? With her family dismissing her as an old maid before she even reaches the ripe old age of twenty-four, her most important job is watching out for younger sister, Rachel, and seeing to it that Rachel marries well. That is until Felty and Anna Helmuth introduce Lia to their grandson, Moses, and she can’t ignore her racing pulse when he is near. Will Moses awaken the heart she locked away long ago?At twenty-six, MOSES ZIMMERMAN, is a bit long in the tooth for a single Amish fellow. Three years ago, his fiancé abandoned him and left the Church, and he promised her he’d wait for her return. But, his scheming grandparents make other plans. Moses tries to resist their meddling, but this time, their plans include someone who is tall enough to look him in the eye, someone whose soul is as beautiful as her staggeringly lovely face, and someone who might help him trade the painful past for a hopeful future.
Missing
Shelley Shepard Gray - 2012
The first death from mysterious circumstances in more than two decades brings the scrutiny of the outside world: A police detective arrives to help the local sheriff with the investigation. His questioning begins with Lydia Plank, Perry’s former girlfriend, and Perry’s best friend, the Englischer Walker Anderson.Lydia and Walker know they didn’t have anything to do with Perry’s death, but they both hold secrets about his final days. Do they dare open up about the kind of man Perry had become? In the oppressive shadow of these dark times, they discover strength in a most unlikely companionship: one that offers solace, understanding, and the promise of something more.
Lancaster County Target
Kit Wilkinson - 2014
When the masked killer spots her, she's overpowered--and left for dead. Handsome doctor Blake Jamison vows to keep her safe while investigating the mysterious patient's death. But when he and Abby uncover a connection between the murder and the long-held secret of his adoption and possible Amish birth, the killer begins targeting them both. Amish-born Abby slowly learns to trust Blake with her life. But it may be too late to protect her heart from the high-society doctor who is sure to leave her behind.
Katie Opens Her Heart
Jerry S. Eicher - 2013
Eicher (nearly half a million copies sold) returns with the first book in another of his delightful and compelling series.Here is the touching story of an awakening young Amish girl, Katie Raber, who finds she wants more from life than to be known as simply "Emma Raber's daughter."Emma has refused to remarry since Katie's daett died soon after she was born. And in an effort to keep Katie home, Emma has forbidden her from participating in the rumspringa tradition.When widower Jesse Mast calls for Mamm's hand in marriage, Katie hopes to move into a new phase of life and leave the old "Emma Raber's daughter" behind. But Emma is having none of it, and Katie must consider abandoning all hope of ever changing her mamm's bitterness or of ever having popular Ben Yoder notice her. Out of sheer frustration, she begins attending nearby Mennonite youth gatherings.Sparks fly when Jesse's children object fiercely to the attentions their daett is paying to Emma Raber. And widowed Ruth Hochstetler makes her own move for Jesse Mast's hand.Book one in the Emma Raber's Daughter series.
A Stranger's Gift
Anna Schmidt - 2011
On the heels of a horrific hurricane, Hester Detlef, field director for the Mennonite Disaster Service, blows into the life of self-made, shunned Amish man John Hafner. Will she find a way through his shield and into his heart? Although the hurricane has left John homeless and badly injured, the last thing he wants is some do-gooder Mennonite woman intruding in his life. Will his impatience with her intention of restoring his faith and property keep him from accepting this beguiling stranger’s kindness?
A Simple Winter
Rosalind Lauer - 2011
While investigating an unsolved crime, Remy winds up in the tightly woven Amish community of Lancaster County, the last place she would ever expect to find herself. The story leads her to Adam King and his ten younger siblings, who are trying to sustain their warm, loving home in the wake of the murder of their parents. Although Remy tries to remain professional, she is captivated by the Kings. With her own mother gone and her father disengaged from their relationship, Remy longs for a home and a family just like that of these good, simple people.Suddenly patriarch of his large family, Adam struggles to do the right thing for his siblings, his community, and his God. He neither wants nor needs the complications that spirited Remy brings. But as much as he tries to push her away, even as he counts all the ways this lovely outsider cannot possibly remain in his world—or in his heart—the wondrous light she shines upon his troubled soul cannot be denied. Adam can only pray for the strength and the faith to get this Englisher girl out of their lives for good.Snowbound with the Kings, Remy experiences the wonder and the chores of a simple winter among the Plain People, as well as the friendship of their warm community. When her peaceful interlude ends, does she dare to reveal a killer in their midst, knowing that she may lose the love of this special family and this remarkable man?
Plain Obsession
Alison Stone - 2017
When a close friend is murdered in her NYC apartment, Violet Jackson fears the worst—her childhood stalker has returned. But there’s no evidence she had a stalker, then or now, and no one believes her. Plagued by panic attacks, Violet returns to her mother’s country estate in Hunters Ridge, a quiet Amish community, where she had found her center years earlier. Bad boy Theo Cooper got the discipline he needed in the army and a dose of reality when his dad got sick. Now, back in Hunters Ridge, he’s running the family’s lumberyard and stepping up to be a father to his young son. When Violet shows up in Hunters Ridge, Theo can’t believe his good fortune. He always regretted how their budding romance in high school—however unlikely—had imploded the night of senior prom. But Violet’s not interested in romance. She’s determined to get over her anxiety and return to her life in New York. When Violet becomes the target of an apparent stalker, Theo’s protective instincts make him determined to defend the woman he’s beginning to love, even if it means risking the life he’s built in Hunters Ridge—and his carefully guarded heart.
Sarah's Garden
Kelly Long - 2010
But this love is forbidden, and could cost her everything she holds dear.Tucked into the majesty of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains is a garden Sarah King has been nurturing for years. She never feels more alive than when she is alone with her thoughts and her Creator among the delicate rows of plants. But then duty calls her away from her beloved garden and into a world she knows little about.Grant Williams, a handsome young veterinarian, has left the city to open a rural practice among the Amish. Within minutes of meeting shy but feisty Sarah King, he is captivated by her.As their feelings grow for one another, Sarah insists they can never be together. Marrying Grant would mean being uprooted from her home, her family, and her community. Throughout the cold Pennsylvania winter, with her garden tucked away until spring, Sarah begins crafting a quilt that illustrates her pain. Can anything lasting blossom from a love that's forbidden?
Hiding in Plain Sight
Amy Wallace - 2012
Peace eludes Ashley until she realizes the answers she seeks aren't found in starting over but in returning to the simple truth that it's God who overcomes the world, not her.Written for women who desire action-packed suspense, romance, and an escape into the peaceful world of the Mennonites, Hiding in Plain Sight delves into the painful struggle to fit in and the search for peace that so often eludes our fast-paced lives.
The Crow's Call
Wanda E. Brunstetter - 2020
The women’s only income must come from the family greenhouse, but someone seems to be trying to force them out of business. Amy King has just lost her father and brother, and her mother needs her to help run the family’s greenhouse. It doesn’t seem fair to ask her to leave a job she loves, when there is still a sister and brother to help. But Sylvia is also grieving for her husband while left to raise three children, and Henry, just out of school, is saddled with all the jobs his father and older brother used to do. As Amy assumes her new role, she also asks Jared Riehl to put their courtship on hold. When things become even more stressful at the greenhouse, will Amy crumble under the pressure?
Plain Perfect
Beth Wiseman - 2008
After years of neglect and abuse, she's turning to a lifestyle of simplicity among the Amish to find herself.As she discards the distractions of her former life, she befriends the young boy working on her family's farm, and his attractive widowed father, Samuel Stoltzfus. Despite Lillian's best efforts to the contrary, her feelings for Samuel--and his for her--deepen. Will Lillian find her faith in Plain living, or will she be forced to return to her former life?"What makes life perfect? For many, the pursuit of a 'perfect life' can lead to disappointment. At the very heart of humans, the perfect life is one of peace and contentment.Beth Wiseman pens a tale of a woman's search for peace. The pursuit takes Lillian to an unlikely location--her mother's Amish birthplace. But the lifestyle of these Plain, honest people turns Lillian's heart upside-down. For a sweet journey toward faith, enjoy readingPlain Perfect." -Kim Vogel Sawyer
Beside Still Waters
Tricia Goyer - 2011
But when her older brother chooses the world’s path following his rumschpringe, and a younger sibling begins showing interest in Englisch ways, Marianna’s parents move the family to Montana.Although she is also in her rumschpringe years and not obligated to move, Marianna makes the journey to dutifully help her mother who is expecting another child. Surprisingly, from strangers on the cross-country train ride to the less rigid stance of the new Montana community, many Englisch influences awaken within Marianna—and even her father—the desire to pursue a deeper kind of joy and love for God.After an accident, Marianna tells her friend Ben a defining story about the Sommer family, and his response further illumines the active relationship God seeks with His followers. In due time, she learns the move from Indiana was not about losing anything, but finding out who God really is. Despite all the shake-ups, Marianna feels a sweet peace, like still waters, in her soul.
Nothing but Trouble
Susan May Warren - 2009
Within a week, her former teacher is murdered and her best friend's husband is arrested as the number-one suspect. Although the police detective investigating the murder—who also happens to be PJ's former flame—is convinced it's an open-and-shut case, PJ's not so sure. She begins digging for clues in an effort to clear her friend’s husband and ends up reigniting old passions, uncovering an international conspiracy, and solving a murder along the way. She also discovers that maybe God can use a woman who never seems to get it right.
The Amish Cookie Club
Sarah Price - 2019
It's a time to give to the Plain community--and give support to each other as they share their joys and fears . . .Edna's friend, Vera Bontrager, has a problem. Her outspoken twenty-year-old daughter, Myrna, has been fired from her job. Again. Myrna's family really needs her to chip in, but she's clearly unsuited to customer service--not to mention that her sharp tongue scares away any boy who might come courting. But Edna has an idea--and his name is Ezekiel Riehl.A widower with four young children, Ezekiel needs help. His house and his brood are a mess; his demeanor is gruff. It's no surprise Myrna takes an immediate dislike to him. Yet she has no choice but to take on the challenge--and soon she starts to create order out of chaos. In fact, the kids begin to depend on Myrna--and so does Ezekiel. The truth is, she's fallen in love with him. But if he's to prove he's not looking for a marriage of convenience, he'll have to convince her of what's in his heart . . .Includes Cookie recipes!