Murder in Plain Sight

October 4, 2010
Perry's (Mistletoe Prayers) Amish romantic suspense series starter goes from a promising beginning to a disappointingly lackluster denouement. Fast-track lawyer Jessica Langdon goes to Pennsylvania Dutch country to defend an Amish teenager accused of murdering a young local "English" (not Amish) woman. Hot-tempered Trey Morgan, a local businessman who well understands the Amish and thinks the boy guilty, is Jessica's nemesis, ally, and personal puzzle all at once. As she attempts to save her client, Jessica learns about Amish ways and faces sabotage and danger from an unknown source. The attraction between Trey and Jessica is slow to start and builds to a sweet, chaste passion, fueled by Trey's overbearing attempts to be Jessica's protector. Loose ends, dropped tangents, a hurried wrapup, and the last-minute introduction of an unlikely motivation for the killer mar the otherwise engaging and well-paced mystery.

December 1, 2010

On the brink of unfair dismissal from her prestigious Philadelphia law firm, Jessica Langdon agrees to take on a strangely difficult case: defending an Amish teenager accused of murder. She has her hands full with the press and the ambitious district attorney out for blood, the Amish community wary of outsider's law, her boss after her to wrap up a plea bargain, and the initially hostile son of the woman who hired her wreaking havoc with her emotions. When she becomes the target of increasingly dangerous threats, it is clear that there's more at issue than one murder--and Jessica is likely to become the next victim. VERDICT Perry, with her deep knowledge of Amish culture, has crafted a dark, tangled, suspenseful tale that treats readers not only to a sweet romance and a seriously twisted but not totally unexpected villain but to welcome insight into the customs and beliefs of the Plain People. First of a trilogy and another solid addition to appropriate collections. Perry (Leah's Choice) also writes inspirational romances focusing on the Amish; she divides her time between Pennsylvania and the South Carolina coast.

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