Synopsis
Did a sweet-faced Amish teenager brutally murder a young woman? To save her career, big-city lawyer Jessica Langdon is determined to defend him—against the community's bitter and even violent outrage. Yet without an understanding of Amish culture, Jessica must rely on arrogant businessman Trey Morgan, who has ties to the Amish community… and believes in the boy's guilt.
Jessica has threats coming from all sides: a local fanatic, stirred up by the biased publicity of the case; the dead girl's boyfriend; even from the person she's learned to trust the most, Trey Morgan. But just when Jessica fears she's placed her trust in the wrong man, Trey saves her life. And now they must both reach into a dangerous past to protect everyone's future—including their own.
Publishers Weekly
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. (Dec.)