"What the Bishop Saw" by Vannetta Chapman

About this book:

  “Somewhere in the Embers Lies the Truth
  A fire blazes out of control in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, leaving an elderly Amish bachelor dead. Bishop Henry Lapp rushes to the scene, and he learns the fire was no accident. Someone intended to kill Vernon Frey. But who would want to kill Vernon? Well, practically everyone—Amish and Englisch alike.
  When the police point the finger at a suspect Henry knows is innocent, the bishop must decide whether or not to use his mysterious, God-given gift—one he's tried desperately to ignore all these years—to try and set the record straight. His close friend and neighbor, Emma, encourages Henry to follow God's leading.
  Could the clue to solving the case be locked somewhere deep in his memory? Will Henry find the courage to move forward in faith and put the right person behind bars? Is his friendship with Emma becoming something more?”


Series: Book #1 in “The Amish Bishop Mysteries” series.


Spiritual Content- 1 Peter 4:10 at the beginning; Many Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, remembered, & thought over; Many Prayers; Church going, hymns, & sermons; Many talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Henry is a bishop; Henry has a gift who be able to draw a picture based on details happening around him; Many mentions of God, God’s will, trusting, & gifts; Many mentions of prayers, praying, praising God, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles, books of the Bible, & Bible reading; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, bishops/ministers/deacons, hymns, & sermons; Mentions of faiths & those who leave their faiths; Mentions of Amish & Mennonite beliefs; Mentions of blessings; Mentions of sins; A few mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of Christian fiction & Christian romance books; A mention of a miracle;

             *Note: A few mentions of an ability that could be a curse; A mention of a woman being the first Amish feminist (teasing).

                     

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘a**’ (in regard to God speaking through a donkey), an ‘idiot’, and five ‘stupid’s; An explosion, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being held hostage & held at gunpoint; Seeing the murderer’s POV & him planning his next targets; All about mentions of fires, arson, explosions, injuries, how they happened, the arsonist/murderer, & a death/murder (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a body (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a girl who ran away from home and was killed by a man who had been texting her (no details); Mentions of the deaths of a family from a drunk driver & another death of a drunk man going out into the middle of the road; Mentions of attacks, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of crimes, criminals, & jails/prisons; Mentions of violence & threats; Mentions of an accident & when Henry was twelve he was in a medically induced coma and had stitches; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & drunk driving; Mentions of drugs, addictions, & rehab; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of a divorce; Mentions of a small pup being kicked & hit (it’s okay); Mentions of puppy mills (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of wars & fighting; A few mentions of teen boys fighting & injuries; A few mentions of a drawing of people fighting and their unkind words; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a robbery; A couple mentions of hunting; A mention of tattoos; A mention of having to put down a horse because of an accident.

Sexual Content- a cheek kiss; A couple hand touches (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of first kisses, kisses, kissing, & good kissers; Mentions of courting & blushes; A few mentions of a drawing with a young couple kissing & touching; A couple mentions of nothing inappropriate happening between a young couple; A little bit of love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: A mention of hormone therapy; A mention of hormonal changes.

-Henry Lapp, age 64

-Emma Fisher
                                P.O.V. switches between them & the arsonist (x7)
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This book reminded me quite a bit of Amanda Flower’s Amish mysteries series and I enjoyed it. The mystery was interesting and there was great faith content in this book! Lexi was my favorite (😉) and I do hope to read the next books in the series. Overall pretty clean for a book with a plot of an arsonist and a murder.

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Hide and Secret" by Kathleen Fuller

About this book:

  “Anna Mae Shetler is a tomboy who loves nothing more than exploring the woods with her two best friends, Amos and Jeremiah. During a game of hide and seek they stumble upon a mystery that will threaten to tear apart their friendship, and—as they soon discover—it’s a mystery that caused a rift in their families decades earlier. 
  Anna Mae and her friends are playing in the old tree house in the woods when a floor board suddenly breaks. No one is seriously hurt, but when they take a second look, they see that a metal box of money and a diary are hidden under the floor in the crook of the tree branches. Upon further inspection, they discover that it is a lot of money.
  As the three set out to solve the mystery, they learn that Jeremiah and Anna Mae’s grandmothers were once great friends, something they would have never guessed since the two women have only been distantly civil to each other in their lifetimes. As they search further, Jeremiah and Anna Mae realize there is a missing third party who must certainly hold the answers to this puzzle. Before they can find out, the money disappears again and threatens the trust of the three friends.
  Can Anna Mae solve this mystery before it tears apart more relationships? And can God heal decades-old pain and distrust?”


Series: Book #3 in the “Mysteries of Middlefield” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; A few Prayers; Talks about God, His will, faiths, & praying; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God; Many mentions of joining or leaving the Amish church/faith; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & Proverbs 31 women; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & ministers; Mentions of forgiving & forgiveness; Mentions of Amish beliefs; A few mentions of godly people; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of being blessed.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, a ‘retarded’, two ‘stinkin’’, four ‘dimwit’, five ‘stupid’s, and eleven forms of ‘dumb’; Being tied-up, gagged, deceived, & threatened (up to semi-detailed); Pain & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Keeping secrets; A bully, his actions, & comments; Helping someone cheat on a test; Many mentions of Jeremiah’s mother who left her family; Mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; Mentions of being tied-up & gagged; Mentions of stealing; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of cheating & cheaters; Mentions of bullies, their actions, & comments; Mentions of killing, plucking, & cutting chicken (up to semi-detailed);A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of divorce.

Sexual Content- Mentions of courting/dating, crushes, falling in love, boyfriends, break-ups, & betrayals; A few mentions of noticing; A couple mentions of not being alone with the opposite gender; A couple mentions of jealousy.

-Anna Mae Shetler, age 13

-Jeremiah Mullet, age 13
                                P.O.V. switches between them, Bertha (1x), & Ella (2x)
                                                        223 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

While this book did feel over-the-top dramatic at times, I would say this was probably my favorite of the series. I really enjoyed all the faith content and Jeremiah.

See y’all on Monday with a new review!

 *BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.