Plain Murder-Emma Miller

Plain Murder Emma Miller Kensington, Dec 31 2013 $15.00 ISBN 9780758291721 Fifteen years ago Rachel Mast left her Old Order “Ah-mish” community in Stone Mill, Pennsylvania to go corporate. She proved very successful but never found happiness so she recently quit. Though Rachel understands she can never go back to the Old Order, she returns home with a plan to turn her quaint village into a popular tourist stop by opening the Stone Mill House Bed & Breakfast with an Amish gift shop. Eight months ago, prominent English businessman Willy O’Day vanished without a trace. Though there is plenty of conjecture, no one except for his twin George seemed to care what happened to him. Rachel’s upset cousin Mary rushes into the gift shop needing her help as the body of Willy has been found in her dat Aaron Hostetler’s cow pasture, which makes him the prime suspect. Adhering to his faith, Aaron rejects council or defending himself in spite of his concerned niece begging him to do so. Knowing someone must defend Uncle Aaron, Rachel doning traditional garb, investigates the murder. Plain Murder is an entertaining Amish amateur sleuth in which the focus on the heroine’s internal lifestyle schism enhances her inquiry as her relatives will only speak to her about the homicide if she adheres to specific conditions they demand of her. Though there is some sub-genre stereotyping like Rachel’s relationship with police officer Evan Parks, fans will enjoy the protagonist’s effort to keep her uncle out of prison by uncovering the identity of the killer who buried O’Day in a shallow grave on Aaron’s property. Harriet Klausner