Amish Christmas at North Star

November 1, 2015

One wintry night, four babies are born, near North Star, PA, each delivered by Rebekah, an Amish midwife. What follows are the stories of each child as they grow into adulthood. In Katie Ganshert's "Guiding Star," Englisher Chase Wellington's probe into the 25-year-old disappearance of an Amish infant leads him to Iowa and Elle McAllister. In Amanda Flower's "Mourning Star," Eden Hochstetler investigates the death of her friend Isaac Yoder; could his handsome nephew be guilty? Woodsmall's "In the Stars" has Kore Detweile returning to North Star where he has to collaborate with the woman who rejected him to keep a family together. In the final tale, "Star of Grace" by Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark, a little brother schemes to bring his older brother home from Louisiana for Christmas. VERDICT Ganshert (Wildflowers from Winter), Flower ("Amish Quilt Shop" mysteries), Woodsmall ("Sisters of the Quilt" novels), and Clark (The Amish Midwife) stitch the stories of these four lives as skillfully as the Amish quilt a beautiful bedspread. An enthralling holiday read for Amish fiction devotees.

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