Shunned and Dangerous (An Amish Mystery)

Claire Weatherly has fulfilled her dream of owning a gift shop in the heart of Amish country in Heavenly, Pennsylvania but her dream may be coming to an end. She soon finds her worries over her gift shop are small compared to the problems that happen when she discovers the body of Amish farmer Harley Zook. There are a few suspects in his murder including Mose Fisher, the estranged father of Detective Jakob Fisher who finds himself in the awkward position of investigating his own father. Claire is happy to help Jacob investigate the murder but she needs to be careful or she'll be the next victim.“Shunned and Dangerous” is the well-done third book in Laura Bradford’s Amish cozy mystery series – a series I'm loving more and more with each book. The Amish setting is a nice one and Bradford does a good job of showing how the Amish and English coexist. Besides the setting, Bradford has created some great characters, starting with Claire whose anguish over possibly losing her gift shop is very real and Jakob whose anguish over being estranged from his family because of his decision to become a cop is even more real (there is one scene in the book between Jacob and his family that brought tears to my eyes). Jakob was friends with the murder victim which adds even more pathos to his story. Bradford does a good job of interspersing little tidbits about the Amish way of life throughout the book - even though I've read several books set in the Amish world I still learned things from reading this book. The mystery itself is well plotted (although Claire did seem to miss some obvious clues) and readers will be kept guessing until the very end as to who the killer is.“Shunned and Dangerous” is another good cozy mystery by Laura Bradford.

This book and all the others in this series are great books to read.

Claire Weatherly has been enjoying her time in Heavenly, Pennsylvania, living with her Aunt Diane and working at her new store. She has made several friends, many from the Amish community, and loves the peaceful contentment that this environment brings. However, all is not well for her, as her store has failed to bring in enough income to stay afloat. Shortly, she may have to make a decision to leave Heavenly and find another place to live and work and this has her dreading the future. In the meantime, she decides to content herself with solving the puzzle of Mose Fisher's latest corn maze. However, at the center of the difficult part of the maze, she stumbles upon the murdered body of Harley Zook, sworn enemy of Mose Fisher ever since Harley took Jacob's side in his decision to leave the Amish and join the police force. Can Claire help Jacob solve this murder, or is his father the only viable suspect? And how can she break the news of her leaving to Jacob, Benjamin, Esther and her other friends? This series contains wonderful characters and a fascinating insight into the Amish life, as well as a great mystery. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

This installment in the series is very good. While the mystery of the murder moved along with a few suspects I was able to determine the possible motive toward the end but not the guilty party. I enjoy the dialog between the characters and the developing relationships. I do hope that Claire's relationship moves along unlike some of the other cozy mysteries I read. The ending solves the murder mystery but leaves you with some cliffhangers as to the future of Claire's store and an actual wedding. While the setting for the story is described as very serene it is incongruent that 2 murders in just a few months have occurred. I know that is what makes the plot but I wish all the authors could develop other mystery ideas for their series. Just to mix it up a little!Overall if you liked the first book you will enjoy this one and I look forward to the next!

At first I wasn't sure about this series. As time has passed though, it's developing more depth. The author provides a lot of interesting information about the Amish - including the impact of tourism and of suburban development alongside the Amish. I personally thought that too much time was spent on Claire's feelings toward Benjamin (a situation that most of us would have nipped in the bud right from the beginning). I also get a little bored with Claire's discussions with Jakob about the choice he made. It seems to show up in every chapter. It was a very good whodunit, very unexpected. I considered Megan to be an unrealistic character. She glues herself to Claire for some unknown reason (Diane would have been a more likely confidante). The solution to Claire's business problem is also a little hokey. All in all though, a pretty nice book.

I liked this one more than the previous. I have to say I didn't figure out who did it. I had another person in mind.

In this 3rd book of the Amish Mystery series, Ms Bradford takes us to the Amish countryside of Heavenly, PA for another peak at how Amish and English can live side by side in peace-- Almost!! Shop owner Claire Weatherly is having some financial problems and may have to close down her gift shop. But then, she finds the murdered body of one of the Amish farmers in the corn maze of another Amish man. Uh oh!! Who did the nasty deed?? Claire puts her shop troubles on the back burner to help hunky Detective Jakob Fisher find the killer. This story takes twists and turns just like an actual corn maze. This book, filled with interesting Amish facts and who-done-it questions is a great way to transport yourself away from a cold winter day into a cozy world of reading. You won't be sorry that you bought this fine book-- only that it comes to the end.

I don’t know how Laura does it! These books just get better and better. The storyline in this book was amazing! I can not wait to read the next one! ~J. Gilbert

Yet another excellent read from this author. I'm finding myself falling for all the main characters and even somehow sharing their joys,sorrows and friendships. I'm halfway through this series and not wanting to get to the end but totally wanting to read more.

Have read others in the series easy reading

Another enjoyable book in this series

Enjoyable series with a partly Amish background. Light and entertaining. Realistic characters.

Another great book.