Murder Tightly Knit by Vannetta Chapman

In a town where Amish and Englisch mingle every day, a grisly murder leads to mutual suspicion. Can Amber and Hannah find the killer before fear unravels the community…and before he strikes again?

        Even before she heard of Owen Esch’s death, Hannah Troyer knew something was amiss at The Cat’s Meow yarn shop. The store has been closing at odd times, the ever-dependable Mary isn’t always at her post…and an Englisch man has been loitering around back.

        Now, as leaves of brown, gold, and orange blanket Middlebury, Indiana, Owen lies dead on the Pumpkinvine Trail. The only clues to the murderer’s identity point in two very different directions—one of them leading right to The Cat’s Meow.

        The police call in a federal investigator, but Hannah and village manager Amber Bowman are in no mood to wait for them to figure out what they already know—that no one from the Amish Village killed Owen Esch.

        Amber and Hannah need to work quickly to solve the murder mystery and bring harmony back to the Amish community.

  

        Hannah Troyer’s life was turned upside down six months ago after Ethan Gray’s murder, and now, things are finally getting back to normal. So when she hears of Owen Esch’s gruesome death, she feels her world tilt once again. Who would do such a thing? And why Owen? Most importantly, what does Mary know that she isn’t telling? Can Hannah—and Amber—solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again?

        Murder Tightly Knit is the second book in Vannetta Chapman’s Amish Village Mystery series, and it is one of my favorites. I know, I know, so far there’s only two, but I enjoyed both of them an equal amount, though for different reasons. So they’re both my favorites. I liked Murder Simply Brewed because I couldn’t figure out the culprit until Amber did, and because Amber and Tate had such a sweet story, but I loved Murder Tightly Knit because I did solve the mystery before Amber and Hannah, and I enjoyed reading about Hannah, Jesse, Mary, and Andrew. And Pam was pretty fun too. Of course, all these names mean nothing to you unless you read the book, so go pick it up!

        Anyway, Murder Tightly Knit was another wonderful romance/mystery novel, so Vannetta Chapman gets another round of applause. She pulled this one off just as well as its predecessor, maybe even a little better. It wasn’t a predictable story at all; that’s not why I was able to puzzle it out. Rather, she gave enough hints that, as I thought over them like a real sleuth, I was able to solve the mystery on my own, before Amber and Hannah. Not too much before, however. Because of everything I’ve mentioned, I give Murder Tightly Knit five out of five bookshelves, and the title of highly recommended, especially if you’re in the mood for a good murder mystery.

        Happy reading!

All credit for the itialicized synopsis goes to Vannetta Chapman and her publishers.