Lamb to the Slaughter
by Karen Ann Hopkins
Publication Date: March 14, 2014
Pages: 336
Source: Kismet Book Touring
Purchase Amazon / Barnes and Noble
About Lamb to the Slaughter
Some Amish communities aren't so cozy.
Lamb to the Slaughter
is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an
Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious
teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest.
Serenity
Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood
Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her
predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first
glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidently
shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community
and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior,
Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive
community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from
the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting.
Serenity
enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel
Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark
reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and
friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s
persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to
destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life
in the end.
*Lamb to the Slaughter is book one of Serenity’s Plain Secrets.
My Thoughts
Karen Ann Hopkins is an author whose books I have come to love. Who knew that reading books with Amish characters in an Amish setting could be so interesting? At first, not me. What I like about Karen's books is how she intertwines the lives the of Amish and the English, exposing their differences as well as their similarities.
Lamb to the Slaughter captured my attention from the Prologue with Naomi's death and never let up until I finished. The story is told from alternating perspectives of Serenity and Daniel, both in first person, and from Naomi's perspective, told in third person. This technique kept the story fresh and let readers in the minds of the characters. Even though I knew Naomi's fate, I enjoyed reading the chapters with her story. I got to know about her, her friends, her enemies (the mean girls), and about her family. Reading the scenes with her mother and the punishments she suffered for her transgressions were the worst, but it also exposed the ugliness of the supposed plain and peaceful Amish life.
There is a wide variety of characters in Lamb to the Slaughter. Some will make you laugh and some will make your skin crawl. There are many connections between the people of the Amish and English communities but the connections aren't always obvious and I was amazed time and time again as the pieces of the murder mystery began to fall into place. With so many people involved, almost anyone could have been a suspect. I had my suspicions of who the murderer was and whether I was right or wrong, I was on edge as it all unfolded.
Lamb to the Slaughter is a must read for fans of mystery novels. Karen Ann Hopkins made me a fan with her YA Temptation series, and she's made me an even bigger fan with this murder mystery. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the writing. I hope to read more books with Serenity Adams and Daniel Bachman and find if their connection becomes more than a working relationship.
Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Kismet Book Touring in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
For a limited time, Lamb to the Slaughter is available for $2.99 from Amazon and Barnes & Noble so get your copy now!
Contest Info:
We
have a really exciting prize package for this tour, so make sure to
follow along for more chances to win every day! What’s up for grabs:
• A $100 Amazon Gift Card
• An autographed set of Karen’s YA Temptation series
• A traditional Amish style hand stitched wall hanging/lap quilt with the lone star pattern in country colors
Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
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About Karen Ann Hopkins:
A
native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family
on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions
are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became
the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When
she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a
menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs
and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.
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