cover image Down to the Bone

Down to the Bone

Karen Harper. Mira Books, $6.5 (408pp) ISBN 978-1-55166-589-4

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. (July)