Fallen Snow

Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in.Claire loves her new home, and she’s slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner,the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved.

Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between.

As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk . . .

Review

Claire was never able to live up to her ex-husband’s idea of a perfect wife. Now on her own, she is making a fresh start at a happy, simpler way of life. Claire purchases a shop in Heavenly, Pennsylvania that features predominantly Amish-made goods and moves in with her aunt who runs a local bed and breakfast. Claire is just starting to feel at home when she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, acting as a go-between for investigator Jakob Fisher, who has been shunned from the Amish community, and the Amish community. Walter Snow, the previous owner of the shop, has been murdered, and there is no shortage of suspects, even among the usually peaceful Amish since this man cheated many of them out of their hard-earned money. Ruth, a beautiful Amish woman at a neighboring shop, has been the victim of increasingly threatening pranks and Claire wonders if the torment of this young woman could be related to the murder. Jakob’s former friends and family members are not allowed to speak to Jakob since he left the Amish after he had already been baptized. That’s when Claire steps in to help him get information from the Amish witnesses before anyone else is hurt or an innocent person is blamed for the murder.

This charming mystery starts a bit slow as the groundwork for the story is set and we are given background information about Claire and the town of Heavenly. Those who have read other Amish novels will probably be familiar with most of the Amish customs described, but since Claire is new to the area, the author reveals basics about their culture which flow naturally within the story. While the plot is a bit thin, I really enjoyed this book because of the great setting and memorable characters. I appreciate that the Amish characters in this book are shown as hard-working, devout, good people, but humans with flaws like anyone else. This makes the story more interesting and believable.

While it may not turn into a romantic triangle, the author has set up a tense situation between Claire, Jakob, and Benjamin Miller, a handsome Amish widower. Jakob and Benjamin dislike each other because of something in their past which makes Claire’s growing friendships with each of them wonderfully tense. You can see that there will be awkward situations in the future, but it is realistic and the reader can’t help but relate to Claire’s predicament.

The resolution to the murder and other crimes in the story are logical, if a bit simple. However, this is an excellent debut in a new series and is worth a look by fans of Marta Perry or Wanda Brumstetter. I look forward to reading more about Claire and her new home of Heavenly in future installments.

Reviewed by Christine

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