Among the Innocent

“The inevitable showdown coming had been a decade in the making. When it was over, would any of them be left standing?”

This quote. It indicates the enormous level of suspense created and maintained throughout novel. I felt the need to check my blood pressure after reading Among the Innocent by Mary Alford, to make sure it was not abnormally high!! This particular novel is a little darker than most I choose to read, but it is oh, so well done!

I did identify with Leah more than I would like at some points. “She’d lost her family to a killer—probably Ellis to the same man. Now she was slowly losing Marge to a different kind of killer.” The killer that stalks Marge is all too prevalent, and so many families must deal with that show more threat. I loved how that thread strengthens the story.

Sigh. Dalton is swoony dreamboat who might be perfect, but for his secrets. Full of faith despite a rough past, he is protective of Leah, kind, sensitive, and quite the looker. Will he and Leah be able to work together to keep tragedy away from the Amish community, or will they become part of the region’s mounting calamities?

I received a copy of the book from RevellReads and NetGalley. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own. show less

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the Early Reviewer's Club at Librarything in exchange for an honest review. It is an Amish story but with a different twist. This suspense thriller features Leah Miller, a former Amish woman, as a police officer who is investigating a murder.

Leah's own Amish family was murdered in their barn ten years prior. She was taken in by the local sheriff and his wife who raised her as an Englisher. Leah became a police officer because she loved her adopted father. She works in her home town, St. Ignatius, Montana, where a murder has just occurred that had similarities to the murder of her family. With a piece of paper written by the killer stating that he will be coming for Leah, it is show more apparent that the killer will continue to kill until he can catch Leah. As Leah and the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, work long hours struggling to fit the pieces together, they can't help but grow closer. When secrets from both of their pasts begin to surface, an unexpected connection between them is revealed. But this is only the beginning. Could it be that the former police chief framed an innocent man to keep the biggest secret of all buried? And what will it mean for Leah--and Dalton--when the full truth comes to light?

I LOVED this book! The fast pacing is what makes this book so intense. The story began with an edge of your seat prologue that would not let me put the book down until I finished reading it. There is alot of action with plenty of twists that keep your heart pounding. The two main characters, Leah and Dalton, were both tough and vulnerable at the same time and they could have been the stars of the novel. However, the gripping plot carries this whodunnit to a 5 star rating. It's been awhile since I read a suspense thriller with such an intricate plot and intensity and it was very satisfying. show less

Among the Innocent is a Christian based suspense/romance novel set in an Amish community. It's more of a romance novel than a suspense novel because the romance is the key story line of the book. I enjoyed the novel and the main characters and really enjoyed reading a book featuring Amish characters.

Leah grew up in an Amish community in St. Ignatius, Montana. When her entire family was killed ten years earlier, she leaves the Amish faith and joins the police force. The person that was believed to be responsible for the murders killed themselves and the case was closed...until another Amish woman is murdered in similar circumstances. Was this a copy cat murder or had the wrong person been blamed for the murders ten years earlier? Leah show more and Dalton, the new chief of police, work on this case together and struggle to put the pieces together before there is another murder. When it appears that Leah is the target of this killer, she and Dalton know that they have to stop the killer soon. As Leah and Dalton become closer and the need to catch the killer becomes personal for both of them, the suspense really ramps up and it's difficult to put the book down.

Can Leah and Dalton find the killer before it's too late? Will they be able to find their 'happily ever after'? You need to read this exciting new book by Mary Alford to find out the answers to these questions. Once you start this book you won't want to put it down until the last page. Mary Alford is a new author for me but after reading and enjoying this book, I plan to check out her previous books. show less

I've long enjoyed her books but Mary Alford's outdone herself with this book. The first page of Among the Innocent reeled me in and I didn't want to stop reading about the search for a truly evil villain! After a ten-year absence "John" has returned to the small Amish community in Montana where he first killed, and his new reign of terror puts the peace-loving people in acute danger. This worst kind of villain hides behind his devastating charm to lure young, innocent, impressionable Amish teenage girls to their deaths, and there seems to be no stopping him!

In this book, Alford proves her ability to completely stir emotions with her words. I could feel the fear, uncertainty, and disbelief, along with the frantic need to find this show more madman before he killed again. Yes, this story is intense, but there are also moments of joy in seeing the friendship that develops between Leah Miller and Dalton Cooper and watching their individual journeys to finding true faith.

Among the Innocent is a danger-filled, pulse-altering book that kept me wondering who, how, and why? I recommend it to all who enjoy Christian romantic suspense.

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts. show less

10 years ago, Leah's Amish family was murdered. The local police chief (Ellis) and his wife took her in. Blame was placed on an Amish boy visiting from another town who died in a fire. Leah joined the police force. The chief died a year ago, but the circumstances seem suspicious both to Leah and to the new police chief (Dalton) who arrives in town. Dalton has ties to the person blamed for the killings, but doesn't immediately let people know this. He wants to reopen the case, but before he can do so, a murder of an Amish girl with the same MO as those ten years ago occurs. Leah feels "John" is back. Leah had been secretly seeing John. He'd wanted her to run off with him, but she didn't want to leave her family. She always felt an show more enraged John returned to kill her family, but Ellis assured her the man who died in the fire had done the deed. Dalton, Leah, and the other officers along with back-up support from the tribal police and the next county, investigate and do their best to prevent others from becoming victims as they now find a serial killer now using the name Jonathan on the loose and dangerous. He makes it clear he plans to kill Leah on the 10th anniversary of her family's deaths. Dalton and others speak of their faith in God, but this Christian fiction work contains a depth not achieved by most works in the genre. The publisher classifies it as romantic suspense, but the romance is subtle and less than the amount contained in many cozy novels. I'd call this a police procedural suspense thriller. I enjoyed this and will look for other books written by the author. I received a copy through LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review. show less

She wasn’t ready to play the killer’s games again.

Wow!! Do not expect to put this down and it might be better not to start it late in the day, as there will be no sleep if you do! The author has done a fabulous job of drawing the reader in and not letting you relax until the killer is caught, you hope.

The Amish setting leads the reader to believe life is calm with most everyone living peaceably, only to find out that horror can enter their serene lives as well. Leah is the only survivor of the horrific murder of her parents and two siblings. After 10 years this atrocity still haunts her every waking hour. Will she ever be able to live without fear? One has to begin to wonder when another murder occurs. Has the killer returned?

This show more ARC was received through Baker Publishing Group, Revell and NetGalley. These thoughts and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited. show less

Leah Miller, 26, was the only survivor after the massacre of her family by a masked stranger when Leah was 16, and after which Leah left her Amish community in St. Ignatius, Montana. The killer slit the throats of her mom, dad, sister, and brother, saving her for last. Before cutting her he whispered, “You’ll always belong to me.” The killer was thought to have died in a fire.

Leah went to college but eventually came back to join the St. Ignatius Police Department, wanting to emulate her adoptive father, Police Chief Ellis Petri.

As the story begins, Chief Petri has been dead for almost a year earlier from a point-blank gunshot wound; there were still no leads. Now someone else was arriving to take his place, Dalton Cooper, a show more handsome, widowed ex-marine.

In addition, the tenth anniversary of the murder of Leah’s family is coming up. On Dalton’s first day, another young Amish girl is found with her throat slit in the same barn where Leah’s family was killed. Leah knows the killer is back and determined to reach her, and Dalton is just as determined to prevent that. But the killer is clever and ruthless, and seems to be always one step ahead of them.

There is no aspect of the plot that is not predictable, and yet it was not unpleasant watching it unfold. My only criticism would be that Dalton is a bit too (unrealistically in my view) saintly; as Leah herself observed: “Dalton had all the attributes of a true hero and a heart of gold.” show less