A Plain Scandal by Amanda Flower (ARC)

I don't know why, but in the last few months, I've gotten quite a few Amish-centered books from NetGalley. Or perhaps that's just my perception. But I'm still very intrigued by this genre, and when I saw this title on NetGalley, I couldn't resist. What would an Amish mystery be like, I wondered.

Well, entertaining. And good clean fun (I happily admit to being a prude). There are no swear words or explicit scenes in this book. There is some violence (this is a mystery book after all), but it's not gore and well, I wasn't frightened.

The protagonist - Chloe, was endearing. I started siding with her almost from the start which meant I had quite an emotional investment in the book. Looking back, I can see times where I should have gotten annoyed at her seeming cluelessness, but then, I was equally clueless. I would have probably behaved that way too. And the fact that she (a non-Amish and a citizen, not police), could investigate was quite plausibly explained.

And now, to her ties with the Amish. That would be the brother-and-sister pair Timothy and Becky. They were Amish but left to become English during their running-around years. I think out of all the Amish communities that I've read about, Appleseed has to be one of the most liberal. They aren't shunned and still maintain cordial ties with their family.

Oh yeah, the portrayal of the Amish community. Having read Temptation recently, I'm so glad to read about a positive portrayal of the Amish community. They aren't saints, but they aren't demons either. They're simply people who have chosen to live a different lifestyle.

Since I'm talking about the Amish, I have to mention the faith aspect of the book. In this respect, I think this book is like Debbie Macomber's books. The faith here is muted or real. In this sense, it's not an overtly Christian novel, but rather, a novel with Christian underpinnings.

The murder itself was quite interesting. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it was believably resolved. It may be that for me, I was more interested in reading about the interactions between the various characters than the murder (I liked to other related mystery about the hair-cutting better).

So yes, if you get the chance, you should read this book. It's suitable for all ages(:

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.