Whispers from the Dead by Karen Ann Hopkins – Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway

Posted 22 January, 2015 by Danny in Blog Tour, Giveaways, Heather, Heather Book Review / 15 Comments

Welcome to the tour stop for Karen Ann Hopkins newest release. It’s Danny posting for Heather so please don’t get confused! But you should definitely stay because Heather really really loved this book!

Thanks for posting for me,  Danny, due to lots of overtime at work and a little techinal difficulty.  I simply loved Lamb To the Slaughter,  and I couldn’t wait to see what Serenity investigated next! 

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Whispers from the Dead by Karen Ann Hopkins

Whispers_FC_BTAn adult mystery from the author
of the young adult romantic Temptation Series

Series:  Serenity’s Plain Secrets Book #2

Some Amish communities aren’t so cozy.

Whispers From The Dead is the powerful and thrilling sequel to Lamb to the Slaughter, in the Amish mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets.

Sheriff Serenity Adams and Daniel Bachman are once again partnered up in a criminal investigation, when they travel to a northern Amish settlement that has been riddled by arsons for the past two decades. Serenity quickly discovers that there is much more going on than just barns being set on fire in the touristy community, and that the new group of Amish has their own secrets to hide. She begins to unravel an extensive criminal underworld that threatens to destroy everything that the simple people of Poplar Springs hold dear and once again puts her own life in jeopardy.

And even though Serenity tries desperately to avoid it, things begin heating up between her and Daniel, making her wonder if true love and happiness are really within her grasp.

 Heather’s Review

Lamb To the Slaughter was my first foray into adult Amish mysteries, and I really enjoyed reading about Sheriff Serenity Adams’ experiences investigating the murder of an Amish girl in her county. In Whispers From the Dead, Serenity is back on the case, but this time she’s been asked to investigate a series of barn burnings in another Amish community a few hours away from her home. 
Right away, Serenity sees that the Poplar Springs community is much different than the one near her city. She receives a much friendlier welcome in this trendy tourist spot, and Serenity even finds that the Amish children have a less strict upbringing than the community that she is used to with “her Amish.” But even with this safe, happy facade, a darker side to the people of this picturesque place presents itself as more arsons occur, illegal narcotics are pushed, gun fights erupt, and tempers flare even higher than the flames from the barn fires.
Serenity is tough, smart, and quick on her feet as usual, but you also see her softer side in this book. She’s great with kids, especially with the younger daughters of the family where she’s staying, and she’s able to get more answers out of them than she can the Amish adults–who are used to keeping their business amongst themselves.  But Serenity is a bit out of sorts in this book since she isn’t used to living as the Amish do, and it’s very entertaining to see her settle into an Amish guest cottage and deal with the lack of electricity or a shower. She’s also not used to sharing space with a man.
Which brings me to her handsome, resourceful, and rather persistent partner and suitor.  Daniel Bachman is back to help Serenity with her investigation since he was once Amish, and their will-they-won’t-they is in full force in Whispers From the Dead. If Daniel had his way, they’d be a couple as of yesterday, but watching his moves as he talks Serenity into taking a chance on him makes for a steamy and seductive read. 
Rating 5
I give Whispers From the Dead a five out of five. This installment explores how big city problems don’t necessarily stay in the big city, and history unfortunately does have a way of repeating itself–just with new participants. I loved that the Amish community in this installment was a bit different and less strict than the first book. The mystery of who was committing the arsons and the secondary mysteries interwove nicely and weren’t predictable. And finally, Daniel and Serenity made some headway in their relationship. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

 

Read the first book in the series

Lamb to the Slaughter by Karen Ann Hopkins

Link to Review 

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Series:  Serenity’s Plain Secrets Book #1

Publication: March 2014
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Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest.

Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate.  At first glance, the case seems obvious.  The poor girl was probably accidently shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious.  As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting.

Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up.  Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end.

 

Find Karen Ann Hopkins

About Karen Ann Hopkins

A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.

 

Tour Schedule !

Monday, Januray 19th – Her Book Thoughts
Tuesday, Janaury 20th – Curling Up With A Good Book
Wedneday, January 21st – So Bookalicious
Thursday, Janaury 22nd – Bewitched Bookworms
Friday, Janaury 23rd – Lose Time Reading & Books i View

Monday, Januray 26th – Unabridged Bookshelf
Tuesday, Janaury 27h – Andi’s Book Reviews
Wedneday, January 28th – Little Miss Drama Queen
Thursday, Janaury 29th – Tien’s Blurb
Friday, Janaury 30th Christy Howell Books

Monday, February 2nd – Actin’ Up with Books & Page Turners Blog
Tuesday, February 3rd – Once Upon A Twilight
Wednesday, Feburary 4th – JeanzBookReadNReview
Thursday, February 5th Bittersweet Enchantment
Friday, February 6th Books i View

Giveaway

Karen is offering quite some exciting prizes!

• 5 e-copies of Lamb to the Slaughter, Book 1 of Serenity’s Plain Secrets
• 5 e-copies of Whispers from the Dead, Book 2 of Serenity’s Plain Secrets
• A traditional Amish style hand stitched wall hanging/lap quilt
All entries via the Rafflecopter below! 
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Obsessive Reader by Night - Scientist at Day! You can also find me on goodreads. I'd love to get to know you so, don't be shy and say Hello!

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15 Responses to “Whispers from the Dead by Karen Ann Hopkins – Review, Blog Tour & Giveaway”

  1. I don’t know if I would be comfortable in an Amish guest cottage — I need my electricity, man! Of course, it might be cool to try something like that… Anyway, sidetracked! Sounds like a good story!
    Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Review: Burned by Karen Marie MoningMy Profile

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    Heather 1/26/2015

    I don’t think I could go without electricity either, Mary. Being Amish would not be my thing since I do love a hot shower every morning! This series is very good, and it’s nice reading about the Amish culture and how it isn’t all that different from us.
    Heather recently posted..Excerpt Tour and Giveaway – The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan MalleryMy Profile

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