HEARSE AND BUGGY: An Amish Mystery #1 - Laura Bradford

Claire Weatherly has fled a high-stress lifestyle for a slower pace—in Amish country: Heavenly, Pennsylvania. She only planned a short visit but instead found herself opening an Amish specialty shop, Heavenly Treasures, and settling in.Claire loves her new home, and she’s slowly making friends among the locals, including Esther, a young Amish woman who works in the shop. So when the store’s former owner,the unlikable Walter Snow, is murdered, and the man Esther is sweet on becomes a suspect, Claire can’t help but get involved.

Newly returned Detective Jakob Fisher, who left Heavenly—and his Amish upbringing—as a teenager, is on the case. But his investigation is stalled by the fact that none of his former community will speak with him. Claire’s connections make her the perfect go-between.
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When a cozy mystery has an endorsement from gritty Harlen Coben on the cover, a mystery-of-all-kinds reader like me will take note and buy that dadgum book. And immediately read it.
I liked the characters and the small town of Heavenly, Pennsylvania. I liked how Claire, the main character, came to be in the small town that is a blend of Amish and the English as non-Amish are known. I especially enjoyed how Claire is drawn into the investigation. It was fairly seamless and didn't feel at all forced just to move the story along.
And the ending....did not see that coming.
Exceptionally enjoyable and can't wait to read the next in the series, ASSAULTED PRETZEL and SHUNNED AND DANGEROUS (out in 2014).