Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Falling To Pieces by Vannetta Chapman


Falling To Pieces (A Shipshewana Amish Mystery) by Vannetta Chapman

Paperback: 366 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310330432
ISBN-13: 978-0310330431

Summary
In this first book of a three-book series, author Vannetta Chapman brings a fresh twist to the popular Amish fiction genre. She blends the familiar components consumers love in Amish books—faith, community, simplicity, family—with an innovative who-done-it plot that keeps readers guessing right up to the last stitch in the quilt.

When two women—one Amish, one English—each with different motives, join forces to organize a successful on-line quilt auction, neither expects nor wants a friendship. As different as night and day, Deborah and Callie are uneasy partners who simply want to make the best of a temporary situation. But a murder, a surprising prime suspect, a stubborn detective, and the town's reaction throw the two women together, and they form an unlikely alliance to solve a mystery and catch a killer.

Set in the well-known Amish community of Shipshewana, Falling to Pieces will attract both devoted fans of the rapidly-growing Amish fiction genre, as well as those who are captivated by the Amish way of life.


About the Author
Vannetta Chapman holds a BA and MA degree in English and has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She published an Amish novel with Abingdon Press called A Simple Amish Christmas.

My Thoughts

Callie Harper is still getting over the loss of her husband when her Aunt Daisy dies. Daisy owned a quilt store in Shipshewana, an Amish community. Callie comes to wrap up her aunt's affairs only to find herself running her aunt's quilt store until it can be sold. She meets Deborah Yoder, an Amish woman who wants Callie to help sell her quilts in the store to help out two of Deborah's friends who have fallen on hard times. Callie accepts the challenge of selling the quilts while she waits for the store to sell. Some of Callie's decisions concerning the sale of the quilts leads to controversy in the community which attracts the local newspaper editor, who doesn't exactly get the facts straight. When he is murdered, Callie becomes a prime suspect. The journey to solving the murder is quite suspenseful that will keep you guessing.

This is a fun, cozy mystery. Deborah and her friends, Melinda and Esther are the kind of friends a new gal in town like Callie needs. There is even Max, Aunt Daisy's dog who is quite entertaining. Of course there are a few hunky characters who also make the story interesting. I have been to Shipshewana and could easily imagine the quilt shop and the community. I enjoyed this cozy. It is a quick read for a lazy summer day. If you enjoy cozy mysteries or Amish fiction, pick this up. You will enjoy the time you spend with Callie and her friends. This is published by Zondervan but I didn't find it to be preachy at all.

I received this ARC E-book courtesy of Zondervan and Netgalley. This in no way influenced my review.



Be sure to check out my very first giveaway of Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer



8 comments:

  1. I've never read any "Amish" books but this certainly sounds like a fun one.

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  2. I've never read Amish fiction, but I do enjoy cozies, so this sounds good to me.

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  3. This one sounds good! I read a couple of Amish books in the fall and I liked them both. Thanks for the review!

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  4. Even though I've never read Amish fiction, this one sounds like it might be a good one to try. I like cozies a lot and the fact that it's a three book series and not indefinite.

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  5. I really want to read this one. I love cozies and books about the amish.

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  6. Thanks so much for the review. It's especially cool coming from someone who's been to Shipshewana--a great place to visit. I hope everyone's having a good week. ~V

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  7. I think I would really like this one. I've read a few Amish Fiction books that I loved. I'll be sure to look for this one.

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  8. I STILL have not read the only Amish fiction title on my shelf! I like cozies at times, and this one sounds like a winner.

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