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There's more to the quaint northern Indiana town of Shipshewana than handcrafted quilts, Amish-made furniture, immaculate farms and close-knit families. When a dead girl is found floating in a local pond, murder is also afoot. And Reuben Fisher is in jail as the suspect! Reuben refuses to divulge any information, even to clear himself of a crime Deborah is certain he didn't commit. So, with her English friend, Callie—fellow sleuth and owner of Daisy's Quilt Shop—Deborah sets out to uncover the truth. But the mystery deepens when an elderly man seeks Callie's help in finding his long-lost daughter, missing since the days of the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes. An old man who has lost his past. A young man who may lose his future. Once again Deborah and Callie find themselves trying to piece together a crazy quilt of lives and events—one that can bring unexpected touches of God's grace and resolve the tragedy that has shaken this quiet Amish community.
Patricia51
Posted May 5, 2012
A Perfect Square is a must read for anyone who loves Amish fiction and murder mysteries. It is one book that I could not stop reading. Ms. Chapman has combined Amish Fiction and murder mystery in a wonderful and very interesting blend that keeps the reader on edge with each turn of the page, making it impossible to put the book down. As for Callie's relationship with Shane Black, there is just enough of a hint of romance without giving away the ending. Will there be another book to follow? And will Callie and Shane find true and lasting love? Only Ms. Chapman has that answer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 7, 2012
A Perfect Square is a wonderful sequel to Vannetta Chapman's Falling to Pieces. The element of surprise kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. The character development was exceptional, and I began to think of Callie and Deborah as friends of my own. I really felt entwined with their lives throughout the story. The way she depicts the Amish is very respectful and you can certainly tell she has done her research into the details of their plain lives. She has done a beautiful job of writing this series and I look forward to the next book!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 21, 2013
This is the second book of Chapman's that I have had the pleasure of reading. I received this book as a gift, not realizing it was the second in a series. (I prefer to read series books from the beginning to the end!) But let me say that I was only 3 chapters into the book when I stopped reading and went online to purchase the remaining two books of the series!
Vanetta Chapman writes in an Amish setting, yet portrays her characters as individuals first and Amish second. She winds characters together in real friendships, Amish and non-Amish, in a natural way that makes you understand that she has experienced life in this way. There is nothing about her books that is not believable. The characters are real, possess flaws and quirks just like any of us, and deal with "real" life.
One could read this book as a "single" and not purchase the others, as I did. But I think that once you have met Callie, Deborah, Esther, Faith and all the others, you will, like me, want more.
Anonymous
Posted May 14, 2013
I really enjoy reading this series and can't wait to read the next book.
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Posted April 19, 2013
A girl with black hair, blue eyes and glasses walks in.
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Posted April 21, 2013
What movie? Ive seen a lot.
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Posted April 24, 2013
Sits
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Posted January 25, 2013
I love this series of books, Material Witness, Falling to Pieces and Perfect Square. They are a combination of murder mystery and quilt related. I have read all of Vannetta's books and all staying in my permanent library.
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Posted December 28, 2012
Love the twist and turns this book makes didnt want to put it down to the end.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.nanatammy
Posted November 26, 2012
Great Book. Wish there was more to the series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.coramdeo540
Posted August 1, 2012
A Perfect Square
Vannetta Chapman
Book Summary: There's more to the quaint northern Indiana town of Shipshewana than handcrafted quilts, Amish-made furniture, immaculate farms, and close-knit families. When a dead girl is found floating in a local pond, murder is also afoot. And Reuben Fisher is in jail as the suspect! Reuben refuses to divulge any information, even to clear himself of a crime Deborah is certain he didn't commit. So, with her English friend Callie-fellow sleuth and owner of Daisy's Quilt Shop-Deborah sets out to uncover the truth. But the mystery deepens when an elderly man seeks Callie's help in finding his long-lost daughter, missing since the days of the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes. An old man who has lost his past. A young man who may lose his future. Once again Deborah and Callie find themselves trying to piece together a crazy quilt of lives and events-one that can bring unexpected touches of God's grace and resolve to the tragedy that has shaken this quiet Amish community.
Review: This was a great book. I enjoyed this story tremendously and thought that the characters were great every last one and the story line was engrossing all the way around. I never wanted it to end. I have not read the first story and was thankful that there were no spoilers as to who did it. I am looking forward to the next book. I found the story to be seamless and the characters to be so well written that I felt like this was the 5th or 6th story in this series. They words flowed and pages flew by. I can honestly say that it has been a while since I read a book this good. I enjoyed the 2 main characters and found that they were friends and yet still getting to know each other. The one character is new to the area and this made learning this town and the people fun like through the eyes of the other newcomer. The peripheral characters were enjoyable. I had a tear in my eye at the end, I was sad for the outcome and yet the ending was so realistic.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Zondervan Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.
Shipshewana, Indiana is about to be involved once more in a mystery that will rock the entire town and change people's lives forever. When Deborah and Esther along with their younger children, stop just outside of the Fisher farm to pick some flowers, they find a body of a young girl floating face down in the pond. Not knowing who she is, Deborah runs to call for help. As they wait for the police to show up, Reuben Fisher and Deborah wonder just who the girl is. It seems as though she isn't from around here based on the details in her Amish attire.
When the county sheriff, Shane Black arrives on scene, Deborah and Esther cringe based on their previous encounters with the sheriff involving other murders involving them both. Seems like murder just follows them around. However when the sheriff begins to question Reuben, he maintains his silence and refuses to answer. Is it possible he knows more than he's willing to say and that leads Shane Black to believe that Reuben might be the murderer. When a search reveals blood inside the Fisher's family home, Shane has no other choice but to arrest Reuben.
Esther Zook believed that God finally was blessing her life with a new future until her fiance's cousin, Reuben is arrested. Just two weeks from her wedding she now feels that Tobias will put it on hold while he attempts to figure out what happened at the farm and why Reuben refuses to talk. Unless he does, he will be sentenced for murder and spend the rest of his life in jail.
Deborah believes that there is more to this story that just what the evidence is pointing to, so she begins to investigate alongside the local reporter from the Gazette, Trent McCallister to show the town that Reuben is innocent and for her best friend, Esther to finally have the happiness she truly deserves after the death of her husband, two years earlier.
I received A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman compliments of Zondervan Publishers and Net Galley for my honest review. This is a different take on your standard Amish novels and deals with both the English and Amish working together to figure out just who murdered the girl in the pond and who she is. It appeals to lovers of both Amish Fiction and Crime/Mystery genres and involves a couple of different plots buried withing the pages of this book. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and it does have a great moral lesson to be gleaned by the end.
lauraofharvestlanecottage
Posted June 2, 2012
Callie the Englischer and Deborah, her Amish friend, are back in a new mystery. Perhaps you remember them from Falling to Pieces, Vannetta Chapman's first book in the Shipshewana Mystery Series.
A few months ago, I was delighted when my friend Charity from Michigan told me that Shipshewana is a real place with a real weekend market. I only wish I were closer to visit!
Picking wildflowers turns to tragedy when Esther and Deborah, Callie's Amish friends, find a young woman floating in the pond. Reuben, Esther's future brother-in-law and the owner of the land, and the authorities are called in. Reuben refuses to cooperate with police. His silence leads to his arrest. Is he just a quiet man or is he hiding something? Can Callie, Deborah, and Esther find the true killer?
As tensions rise, an elderly Amish man comes to the quilt shop and begs help from Callie to help him find his dochder (daughter). He seems disoriented; Callie calls his son to pick him up and is told that there is no daughter. This seems like a disruption in the plot. How does this fit into the story?
Wondering if it's your style? You can read the first couple of chapters here to help you decide. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. You can be sure I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, Material Witness.
Disclaimer: I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review.
An excellent story including Amish and English as they mix together in mystery, love, religion, and find their social differences and how to blend all of these together in areas possible. I have read quite a few Amish stories over the past year and I have enjoyed them all, possibly because of the peaceful, but mostly private, lives the Amish live. This story is set in Shipshewana, Indiana, a city that is factual but while the characters are fictional, they represent a cross section of an Amish-English community when the English generally come to the Amish community for mainly business purposes and blend in as well as possible. A wedding is coming up soon to unite Esther and Tobias in marriage and Esther, along with her friend, Deborah and her two children, are riding in their horse-drawn buggy through the area taking in the so well described scenery, all the time discussing the many details of the wedding. Their conversation topic changed abruptly when they found a young girl floating dead in the pond of the property owned by Tobias and his cousin, Reuben. Something had told them to stop their ride and get out and stretch while observing the wonderful nature in the area.
The news of the dead girl got to town requesting the police to come to the pond and investigate. The women that found the body left it in the same position so the police could take it from there. Another person, Trent, a photographer for the local news, also heard the news and of course he had to rush to the scene. Callie, an Englisher, had taken over the Daisy Quilt Shop in town and it was a local gathering place for the women. The news spread. The police arrested Reuben when they found some evidence that implicated him and Rueben would not tell anything about the entire situation. He was in jail until hearings could be held. This sort of infuriated the locals as they knew Rueben would not kill anything or anyone, but the police had no choice since Reuben would do nothing to help himself. When an older gentleman from a nearby city searched for his missing daughter, the police and the people from Shipshewana started to connect their dead girl to this mans search.
This sets the story for you to enjoy. The descriptive phrasing is fantastic throughout the entire book. The characters are very real, both the Amish and the English, as is the blending of their lives together. You will meet many characters, both Amish and English, and into their lives you will go. You will go through an Amish wedding, an English trial of an Amish man, hunts for evidence, chase for some people needed for the trial, learn of the details of a tornado that went through this area years before, use your judgment as to who should marry who, and enjoy the best character in the entire book, Max, Callie’s yellow Labrador. Near the end of the book, you will share a running search in a brutal cold rainstorm Enjoy this wonderful story. I sure did!
I love a murder mystery, especially if it has been taken up a notch by placing it in an Amish setting. Callie and her friends are once again trying to solve a mystery. Reuben has been locked up in jail as a suspect in the death of an Amish girl. No one in the community believes Reuben could or would have done such a thing. While Callie has her hands full with one mystery, an old Amish gentleman comes to her seeking her help. His daughter had disappeared during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornadoes. I remember those tornadoes and the feel of our house being lifted off of its foundation. Now Callie must try to make the connection between the two mysteries to solve them.
I love reading books by Vannetta Chapman. It is a great blend of Amish and English, Romance and Mystery. The Christian aspects are not preachy. I can’t wait until the third book in this series, Material Witness, comes out this fall. If you want to see what Vannetta is up to go to her Facebook page.
Anonymous
Posted April 14, 2012
It is nearing the time for Tobias and Esther's wedding. BUT Esther is with her good friend Deborah and stops to pick some flowers with her little girl Leah. Esther spots someone laying dead in the creek on Reuben's (Tobias brothers) land. Reuben clams up and wont say anything-and Tobias cant understand why Reuben wont say anything to defend himself!!! The local owner of Daisy's Quilt Shop - Callie couples with Deborah and Esther to figure out the pieces to the puzzle. An (old man) Ira Bontrager also comes to Callie and asks her to help him find his daughter who had been missing since 1965!!
Does Ira Bontrager find his long lost daughter?? Who is the person found dead in the pond??? Why is Reuben not saying anything despite being in jail??? Callie and Deborah and Esther have solved mysteries before can they solve this one???
Tis is the second book in the series- the first Falling to Pieces!!! Nothing has intrigued me quite as much as this story has to keep me reading to find out all the missing pieces to the puzzle!!!! Vannetta Chapman has a way of writing a story that leaves you feeling as if you are right in the midst of things- where the story is happening- very fascinating writer!!!! Definetly a 5 star book in my opinion!!!!
Amish1949
Posted April 11, 2012
Loved this book! So many twists of who did what, and not, that I kept wanting to read on, until I found out who did it-kept me up til' the early morning hours! I loved all the characters, and can't believe Officer Shane has actually mellowed a little. I so enjoyed especially-Max, the dog, and that he played a bigger role in the story. It sure made me smile every time he was mentioned in the book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I have just finished my second visit with these great people, the second book in the Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series. Felt myself traveling in the buggy with Callie and Deborah.
This book opens with the discovery of the body of a young Amish woman, floating in Tobias and Rubben's pond. How could this horrible thing have happened in this peaceful setting.
Callie is still running her late Aunt Daisy's Quilt shop, which inherited along with Max, her loveable Lab. We revisit with Esther and Deborah and their families. You will love the Amish Wedding we are going to, and I adored Jonas' comment to Callie! Such fun!
We will reunited with Trent, and Shane and wonder which will make Callie's heart beat faster. When one of their own is arrested for the murder of the Amish woman, we will take a journey with embracing God's will and following your own heart.
I would love to be friends with these wonderful woman....I for one am hoping for a return visit!
I received this book from the publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.
sunshineJB
Posted March 23, 2012
Will Callie and Deborah solve another Amish mystery? The adventures begin once again in the small town of Shipshewana, Indiana. Esther and Deborah are on their way to take food to Reuben and Tobias. While driving down the lane Esther spots some wildflowers growing near the pond and asked Deborah to stop the buggy so she can pick some. They are meeting Callie at Daisy’s Quilt Shop in an hour and Esther wants to take some flowers to her. As Esther nears the wildflowers she sees the body of an Amish girl face down in the pond. All of a sudden Deborah hears a loud scream from Esther. This book was a real page turner for me and reeled me in from page one. I loved how the author includes mystery, suspense, some romance, the power of prayer and following God’s will into this great read. Not only is this a murder mystery but this book also includes another mystery woven in. I found this to be a very pleasant surprise and loved how this situation was handled. This book is filled with a variety of characters in all walks of life. I found myself really caught up in the lives of these characters. Of course we can’t forget Max. He is definitely one of my favorites! For those who have read “Falling to Pieces” and liked the book I am here to tell you that you will love “a Perfect Square” just as much if not more. I can’t wait for book 3 in this series to be published. Thanks to Vannetta Chapman for some great reads. Keep them coming!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Barbyabb
Posted March 15, 2012
Vannetta Chapman has given us another page-turner that is both gripping and heart-warming. For those of you who have already met the Shipshewana Amish friends of Callie, an Englishwoman who finds great fulfilment in her life working in her quilt shop and becoming part of the community around heer, you will be delighted to visit with old friends. If you are new to the Shipshewana series, you will enrich your knowledge of the Amish community and their interaction with Callie. When Deborah and Esther, Amish women who are Callie's special friends, discover the body of a young Amish woman floating in Reuben's farm pond, it's just the beginning of a very hard time in the Amish community as suspicions swirl. Reuben's unexplained refusal to cooperate in talking with Officer Taylor lands him in a lot of trouble. A second mystery is woven into the story when an elderly Amish man visits Callie to ask her help in locating his daughter who has been missing for many years. Vannetta has also given us a surprise twist ending -- caught me totally off guard because I thought I knew what the ending was going to be. Great job, Vannetta! You had me up reading at 3:30 A.M.! Thanks for sharing another adventure with these wonderful people who really become part of our lives as we read.
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Overview
There's more to the quaint northern Indiana town of Shipshewana than handcrafted quilts, Amish-made furniture, immaculate farms and close-knit families. When a dead girl is found floating in a local pond, murder is also afoot. And Reuben Fisher is in jail as the suspect! Reuben refuses to divulge any information, even to clear himself of a crime Deborah is certain he didn't commit. So, with her English friend, Callie—fellow sleuth and owner of Daisy's Quilt Shop—Deborah sets out to uncover the truth. But the ...