Review of "Blood of the Prodigal: An Ohio Amish Mystery" by P.L. Gaus

I'm a fan of Linda Castillo's mysteries set in the Amish region of Painter's Mill, Ohio, so I thought I'd give P.L. Gaus's first Amish whodunit - published in 1999 - a try. Unlike Castillo's stories, which have shocking bloody crimes and a Police Chief detective, Gaus's book is a cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth.

*****

The story: Bishop Eli Miller is an 'Old Order' Amish leader in Holmes County, Ohio. The Bishop is very strict with his church members, and expects them to live simply; work their farms; wear plain clothes of the appropriate colors and style; eschew books and education; not use radios; avoid interaction with outsiders ('the English'); and so on.



Bishop Miller has to break his own rule, however, when his ten-year-old grandson Jeremiah is kidnapped. Desperate to get the boy back - and unwilling to contact the police - the Bishop.....



.....asks university professor Michael Brandon (an 'Englisher') for help.



The Bishop tells Brandon that his son, Jonah Miller - who was banned from the church for rebellious behavior - snatched Jeremiah, who's his biological son.

Brandon searches for Jeremiah, but makes little progress before Jonah is found shot dead on a road leading to the Bishop's house.



Sheriff Bruce Robertson investigates the killing, but he knows nothing about Jeremiah's abduction - so the Professor still has to find the missing child.



The main suspect for Jonah's murder is Jeff Hostettler, whose sister Brenda was involved with Jonah, and gave birth to Jeremiah.



Jonah abandoned Brenda before the boy was born, and she eventually committed suicide. Jeff blamed Jonah for his sister's death, and vowed to kill him.

To discover where Jeremiah may have been taken, Brandon looks into Jonah's past. The Professor learns that Jonah always chafed against the restrictions of Amish life. As a schoolboy Jonah wanted to read books and learn about the world, but the Bishop wouldn't allow it. Later on, Jonah took to drinking, dressing in English clothes, and carousing with girls....which led to his banishment.



The plot has some elements of a police procedural, and - as the story progresses - the Sheriff's investigation and Brandon's search come together.

Secondary characters that add interest to the book include: Pastor Cal Troyer - an Englisher that Bishop Miller respects; Ellie Troyer - the Sheriff's dispatcher, who has a sense of humor; Deputy Rick Neill - the new guy in the Sheriff's Department; Caroline Brandon (Michael's wife) - who helps search for Jeremiah; and more. Ellie and Rick have crushes on each, so that's a perk for romance fans.



The story has a straightforward plot with no big surprises....and not much excitement.

I do like the glimpse into the lives of the Old Order Amish, who seem to have the philosophy 'all work and no play.' It was also interesting to read about bundling - an Amish practice that involves boys and girls sleeping together (without sex) for courtship purposes. (This seems very odd to me.....and a tricky proposition.)



All in all, this is an okay mystery in an intriguing setting, but I probably won't go on with the series. The novels are popular though, so if you're a fan of cozies you might want to give it a try.

Rating: 3 stars