Fall from Pride

Karen Harper (Dark Angel) launches a new romantic suspense series set in Ohio Amish Country. Each installment in the proposed trilogy will feature a different pair of heroes and heroines. In book one, Fall from Pride, Harper introduces Sarah Kauffman, a young, single Amish woman who has been granted permission from church elders to paint murals that resemble typical Amish quilt squares on some of the barns in the area. The hope is that her work, publicly showcased in the Home Valley Region, will increase tourism, as even the Amish aren't immune to the faltering economy. But what begins as a means for Sarah to pursue her art turns destructive when the barns featuring her work suddenly start to be burned down.

Two very different worlds collide when State Arson Inspector Nate MacKenzie, a rugged Englischer or auslander (outsider), drives into town in his high-tech SUV past horse-drawn buggies to investigate the situation. Sarah serves as MacKenzie's guide among the Amish community and together, the two set out to reel in the suspected serial arsonist. The fast-paced mystery is filled with a host of red herrings and dead ends. Everyone becomes a suspect. And as the fires continue to wreak further devastation, the danger and tension deepen and the mutual attraction between Sarah and MacKenzie heats up as well. Harper gradually reveals shared experiences of her hero and heroine, making the pull and tug of their seemingly star-crossed romance as enticing as the elements of suspense.

Fall From Pride by Karen Harper

Mira, $14.95, Trade Paperback, 978-0778312499, 352 pp.

Publication Date: July 26, 2011
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Please note: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (7/29/11), click HERE.