book cover of Down to the Bone
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Down to the Bone

(2000)
A novel by

 
 
From Publishers Weekly
A glimpse into the lives of the modern-day Amish carries this romantic suspense from the author of The Baby Farm. After a freak accident kills Rachael Mast's husband, strange things start happening around her Amish farm. Chores are being mysteriously done, her late husband's presence seems to be everywhere and her twin sons claim that "daadi" isn't dead but living in the barn, a disturbing notion that seems to be substantiated by evidence that someone has been spying on her from the hayloft. Refusing to be manipulated or terrified, Rachael sets out to learn who is behind the acts--and why. When bones are unearthed from a shallow grave beneath the barn's floor, Rachael must turn her back on Amish ways and depend on a new friend, antique-barn restorer Mitch Randall, for protection, even though he fits the profile of a stalker. Harper's choice of setting and lifestyle for her heartwarming characters adds a fresh twist to an otherwise familiar mystery.

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-A wonderful mystery with romance and a hint of ghosts. When Rachel's husband is killed in a freak accident, she is determined to continue to raise their twins and farm their land with only nominal help from her fellow Amish brethren and her English-speaking friends. She begins to suspect that her husband was murdered as strange events start to happen-first his tools and then his clothing are moved, and then her children see him. Intellectually, she realizes that many of her friends, both new and old, Amish and non-Amish, had the motives and opportunities to kill him. While the story moves quickly, the mystery builds slowly and hooks readers, as Harper gradually introduces one clue or suspicion after another. The characters are well drawn; readers suspect nearly everyone and will identify with Rachel's wish to be independent. Amish beliefs and customs are woven into the plot.-Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Genre: Romance

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