And I'm so glad I didn't put it off any longer! This is just the type of book I love. Sweet romance. Strong mystery. Elements of suspense.
Marta Perry weaves together an intriguing cast of characters through the Pennsylvania Dutch vicinity of the Amish. Using that peaceful backdrop, she plops an unwilling leading lady into a nest of impossibles. A grandmother who doesn't listen to her advice, a sister who is almost killed, and a temporary visitor who seems to be planning to stay. Add to that the doomed opening of a bed and breakfast and a rash of burglaries and prowling, and the poor heroine doesn't have a chance!
From the initial pages, the characters gripped me. Andrea Hampton races to her injured sister while trying to explain the concept of family to a demanding boss. Her animosity for the home she's left behind creeps out. Maybe animosity is too strong, but there are definitely squelched feelings of hurt there that she hopes to avoid revisiting. The fact that her sister and grandmother plan to transform the old homestead into an inn goes against her advice, but her sister's injuries means Andrea has to pick up the slack and attempt what she is sure will fail.
Calvin Burke, a tenant who has claimed Grandmother's barn is another well-drawn character. Though he spends his time making furniture and claims he's nothing more than a handyman, Andrea can tell there's more. His secrets are thick and can be felt from first meeting. Something about him draws Andrea, but can she really trust him?
The characters dance along through a twisted plot of romance, betrayal, and questions. (Lots of questions.) Who is lurking in the dark and why? Who hit her sister on a country road and drove off without offering help? What possible reason could someone have to scare her? Though the peaceful life of the plain people surrounds this juicy mystery, there is certainly no down-time through the story and few places to put in a bookmark either!
