Vannetta Chapman

Light of Dawn by Vannetta Chapman is the conclusion to The Remnant series. Shelby Sparks along with her son, Carter are living at High Fields owned by Max Berkman's parents. Carter slowly recovered from his severe injuries, and the group had won the war against the Cavanaughs. Life in a post flare world is not easy, and they live a day to day existence. Max would like his relationship with Shelby to evolve, but she is not ready to let him in. Shelby is concerned about finding more insulin show more for Carter since his current supply will only last another three months. One day Patrick Goodnight and Bianca Lopez show up at High Fields. They were not expecting them for another three months. Patrick has received a mission from Governor Reed and he would like their assistance. Governor Reed is sending scouts out to every state to locate the federal government which has not been heard from since the flare. Patrick along with Gabe Thompson are heading to Kansas. Max, Shelby, Bianca, Lanh, and Carter agree to go with Patrick and Gabe on this perilous quest. It is a six-hundred-mile journey that will be fraught will hazards that will test each of them. These seven people will need to be strong in character and faith to complete their journey and return home safely.

Light of Dawn is a well-written novel that captured and held my interest from the very beginning. Light of Dawn is the third book in the series (not including the prequel Overshadowed) and they need to be read in order. Overshadowed sets the stage for what occurs in Deep Shadows. The novels in The Remnant series build upon each other. The story contains characters that are very real. We get to see how they adapt to their new lives while keeping their faith. I give Light of Dawn 5 out of 5 stars. They only thing I wanted to see was Shelby growing/developing over the course of the series (not just at the end of series). She adapted to the new way of life, but she never forgot Carter's need for insulin. I know how important it was for her to keep her son alive and healthy (and they needed the insulin to achieve that goal). But it seemed to be her sole focus. I would have started researching homeopathic and Native remedies from the beginning (grab the books before people took them for fuel—smart, but makes me just cringe at the thought). It would have been nice to see the romance between Max and Shelby grow throughout the series. Otherwise, Light of Dawn is well-crafted and leaves the reader thinking how would they handle a situation similar to that in The Remnant series. It makes me want to start stockpiling items (especially toilet paper, chocolate, books and soda—necessities of life). Light of Dawn mentioned some interesting new technologies that I want to investigate further. Vannetta Chapman created a book (actually, a series) that will have people talking! show less

Seventeen-year-old Owen Esch, newly returned to the village of Middlebury, Ind., has decided to join the church of his Amish forebears. However, he apparently had one more Englisch (non-Amish) concern. He’s murdered while making an early-morning call on his cellphone while on a desolate wooded path. Fatally shot with an arrow, Owen’s death cast suspicions on the Amish who live cheek-by-jowl with their Englisch neighbors and colleagues.

Hannah Troyer, young and Amish, and Amber Bowman, show more Hannah’s 45-year-old Englisch boss, begin to nose around Esch’s death. Amish Mary Weaver received Esch’s last phone call while she was working at The Cat’s Meow, the village’s knitting shop; however, Mary’s hiding something, and her behavior’s quite odd. (Although shouldn’t that be The Sheep’s Bleat or something? What do cats have to do with knitting? Unless to chase the skeins of yarn?) At the same time, an FBI agent suspects that a local survivalist militia might have had a hand in Esch’s death. So who killed Esch at daybreak on that cool, crisp morning?

Sounds intriguing, right? Well, no, not so much. The title Murder Tightly Knit must have been meant ironically because a tight Amish cozy this is not. The book, at 372 pages, would have been much improved with the elimination of the subplot involving the black-sheep brother of Hannah’s beau. For literally half the book, Jesse Miller broods and worries about whether his older brother Andrew, who has abandoned the Millers time and time again, is really home to stay. The cardboard-character Andrew Miller clearly is an attempt — albeit unsuccessful — to add some much-needed tension to this meandering novel. And the constant melodramatic references to a murder the previous spring were simply annoying: “It was a fine fall day. [Hannah] was not going to spend it hashing the events of Ethan’s death yet again.” Don’t believe her! She and everybody else in this novel can’t stop shuddering, whispering, and shaking their heads over that terrible, terrible murder last spring. Such a thing to happen in their peaceful Amish town! And how foolish they were to trust an unnamed somebody! But Gotte’swille, we’ll all get through! Sheesh! I would refuse to read the first book in the Amish Village series, Murder Simply Brewed, simply to spite the author, but I wouldn’t have had to anyway, since Vannetta Chapman drops hints the size of elephants as to what happened, so I don’t need to. Chapman clearly thought she’d pique her readers’ interest in the debut book so much they’d have to buy it; instead, the constant carping almost made me give up on this book — forget about picking up the first one!

Chapman could also use a primer on pacing and characterization in novels. Chapter 47 ends with the discovery of the identity of the murderer— really, the only good part of Murder Tightly Knit. Does Chapman build on that? Of course not! Chapter 48 picks up two weeks later and deals not with the mystery, but with one of the main characters, Amber Bowman, philosophizing on the evil in the world — even in peaceful Amish country! — and on how much she loves God and her husband. Then there are updates on what’s happened, lots of telling since that’s easier than showing. As to characterization, the FBI agent, introduced to try to add some tension to the novel, is more cardboard than a cereal box. FBI agents can be stubborn and they can be evil; however, they’re not utterly clueless like Ronald Shaw. And when a character exists in a novel merely to be annoying (Shaw advances the plot not at all), a good editor should have prevailed on the author to excise him.

Lastly, I understand that Christian fiction will involve frequent invocations of God. However, while I accepted — and expected — frequent references to Gotte’swille from the Amish, the religiosity of the Englischers, no mater how devout, was simply unrealistic. And I found offputting the heartfelt relief that African-American Pam Coleman (another cardboard character) did not subscribe to any charismatic denomination, surely included to reassure Chapman’s white target audience. Actually, it was offensive. And dissing Pentecostals, who might actually overlook this book’s flaws, seems short-sighted on Chapmann’s part.

At 200 or 250 pages, with the subplot involving prodigal son Andrew Miller, FBI agent Ronald Shaw, and the drumbeat of horror over the murder from Murder Simply Brewed eliminated and a good editor to help Chapman work on pacing, this could have been a tight, nicely paced cozy; instead, the glacial pace, the meandering plotting, the relentless religiosity even from the Englischers, and the — dum! dum! dum! — melodrama over last spring’s murder doom this novel to mediocrity.

Skipping Murder Simply Brewed in no wise interfered with my following the storyline, but perhaps readers who read the first book first might enjoy Murder Tightly Knit more than I did. But I doubt it.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received this ebook from NetGalley and Zondervan Fiction in return for an honest review. show less

Agatha Lapp is having renovations done on her bed and breakfast before heading Indiana to visit her children and grandchildren. Agatha makes a few ceremonial whacks into the wall for the local news which reveals something shiny inside. It appears a diamond studded belt buckle that was stolen twenty years ago has been found. Unfortunately, treasure hunters believe there is more booty to be found on Agatha’s property which results in a series of break-ins. After the latest destructive show more break-in, a man is found dead down the road. Agatha, Gina, and Tony decide to do a little hunting of their own. Dead Set is the 3rd tale in Agatha’s Amish B&B series. Dead Set can be read as a standalone for those new to the series (I really recommend reading all three merry tales). It is always a delight to visit Agatha Lapp along with Gina and Tony. I can always count on having a good time. Dead Set is well-written with engaging characters. There is a great cast of secondary characters as well. Agatha has a wonderful bishop who is very supportive. The story moves along at a quick pace. I began reading Dead Set and did not want to stop. It has a great whodunit that is multifaceted. It involves the past when there was a string of burglaries in the area and the present with people trying to recover the stolen goods plus a murder. Agatha, Tony, and Gina actively work the case. There are several good suspects along with misdirection. I had fun solving the mystery where I discovered it is important to pay close attention to the details. There is humor scattered throughout the story that had me laughing. Gina’s deeds and words were especially amusing. Dead Set is a lively cozy mystery that I did not want to end. I cannot wait for my next trip to Texas to visit Agatha, Gina, and Tony. Dead Set is an amusing whodunit with bedazzled belt buckle, tenacious treasure hunters, worrying renovations, trigger happy housekeeper, a tender neighbor, and a probing B & B owner. show less

An Amish Widow’s New Love by Vannetta Chapman is a darling story. Amos Yoder’s has an empty nest now that his five daughters have married, but it may not be that way for long. I like Vannetta Chapman’s writing style. It is friendly and engaging. The characters are friendly and relatable. I felt for Hope whose middle son, Lucas, is struggling since the death of his father, and she is hoping that a new town will be good for all of them. I enjoyed visiting the market again. It is a large show more operation which gets busier each year. I like how faith was woven into the story. An Amish Widow’s New Love is the sixth book in the Indiana Amish Market series. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading each book in this delightful series. It was great to catch up with Amos’s daughters and their families. The Yoder clan continues to expand, and the market is a family affair. I was happy and sad to reach the end. I liked the ending, but I am sad that it is the last book in the series. An Amish Widow’s New Love is a heartwarming tale with a new town, a lemon of a home, a troubled teen, a caring community, piles of paperwork, and a fresh start. show less