Review: Secrets in Amish Country by Mary Alford

ISBN-139781335919243

Publisher: Harlequin

Publication Date: 10/27/2026

Pages: 208

Synopsis

Eve Lantz’s life takes a deadly shift when her return home after her brother’s sudden death is met with gunfire from an unknown assailant. Still haunted by her father’s unsolved murder, Eve is determined to uncover the truth behind the tragedies surrounding her family. Joining forces with her childhood friend, Assistant Police Chief Casey Masterson, she plunges into a dangerous investigation. Casey vows to protect Eve and expose the secrets linking these crimes, but the deeper they go, the more perilous their search becomes. The shadowy perpetrator will stop at nothing to keep his dark secrets hidden—and Eve may be the next victim.

My Thoughts

Eve Lantz returns home to Rachel’s Crossing for the sad occasion of her brother Akin’s funeral. His death was mysteriously linked to their father’s death about a decade before and Eve teams up with her childhood friend Casey to try to find out the truth about what happened to both of her beloved family members. The plot is intricately woven with a lot of fake trails as well as clues for me to follow, so I thoroughly enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with Casey and Eve. Crackling with tension and some head-spinning twists, this quick-paced novel kept me engaged and entertained as I read the story of their quest for the truth. The closer they got to discovering who was responsible for the deaths, the more danger Eve was in and since Casey had vowed to protect her, he was also in imminent danger. The plot was intriguing, the characters were believable and relatable and the eerie setting was perfect for the story. With a dramatic climax that I didn’t see coming, the expertly plotted book presented a challenge for me to solve the crimes, but every minute that I spent trying was enjoyable.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Mary Alford grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her two brothers and her sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seemed to come naturally to her.

As a teen, Mary discovered Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.

She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it’s tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first inspirational romantic suspense and was hooked.