In this eighth Amish-Country mystery, following Harmless as Doves, Ruth Zook returns home to the Amish and Mennonite community of Holmes County, Ohio, carrying a heavy suitcase and a heavier heart. Having been coerced into becoming a drug mule, Ruth retaliates by destroying her illicit burden—and pays for it with her life. When Fannie Helmuth confesses that she was similarly coerced, Sheriff Robertson realizes that the drug dealers' operation reaches all the way to Florida's Pinecraft Amish community. P.L. Gaus's "fascinating multicultural mystery" series (Booklist) explores the moral and legal conundrums of Professor Michael Branden, Sheriff Bruce Robertson, and Pastor Cal Troyer as they set out to uncover truths hidden away in their otherwise quiet corner of the world.
"Modern life intrudes upon the Amish of Holmes County, Ohio, in shocking fashion when a young woman in the community is found murdered, and her family farm contaminated.... Loose ends in the murder case lend realism and augur well for the next installment."—Booklist