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Fallen Snow 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. As Claire investigates, she uncovers more than she wanted to know about her neighbors. And suddenly, everything she had hoped to find in this peaceful refuge is at risk . . .
DAinNY1
Posted June 15, 2012
This was a great read that was hard to put down. The evenly-paced drama and intriguing plot kept me on my toes as the story moved towards its conclusion. Claire is a strong character and I enjoyed seeing her live and work alongside the Amish, respecting their ways to gently get the necessary information to expose a murderer among them. This mystery boasts crisp writing, a comfortable tone, engaging dialogue and a great supporting cast that enhanced this captivating and delightfully charming debut series and I look forward to more visits with Claire and her friends for years to come.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.judiOH
Posted June 11, 2012
i've been reading miss laura's stories for a while now, but this beginning series of the Amish community is the best so far. claire weatherly has a shop called heavenly treasures in heavenly, pa. she's given up the high life of new york and a skunk of a husband, for the quiet and friendly town of heavenly and lives with her aunt, in her aunt's b & b. the shop's former owner the unliked mr. snow is murdered outside her back door. a youg Amish boy is accused, and claire strives to prove him innocent. the new detective in heavenly is jakob fisher, a shunned Amish man. his family lives in heavenly. none of the Amish community will speak to jakob, so claire tries to help by asking the questions. the murder is solved and so are many other things that plagued the people that dealt with mr. snow. a must read. i haven't enjoyed a story this much in a while and i am an avid reader!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Heavenly, Pennsylvania has become home to Claire Weatherly. She lives with her aunt Diane who runs Sleep Heavenly Bed & Breakfast. She has left behind her old life in Manhattan and find herself the owner of Heavenly Treasures on Lighted Way where she sells Amish crafted items. Her store is right next to the Shoo Fly Bake Shoppe where Ruth Miller bakes up and sells her tasty treats.
Ruth is a Amish woman with two very protective brothers, Eli and Benjamin. They try to keep a close eye on both her and her business and they are very upset when she seems to be the target of someone doing their best to frighten her by leaving notes and breaking milk bottles on her porch.
The town is shocked when the former owner of Claire's shop is found murdered in the alley between the two stores. He was not liked by many and had been accused cheating the Amish artists who consigned their works with him to sell. The accusation was made loudly and heard by many. The accuser was none other than Ruth's brother Eli.
The detective on the case is Jakob Fisher. Jakob was brought up Amish and after his Rumspringa returned and was baptized. Then he decided her really wanted to work in law enforcement so he left his Amish roots behind. Because he was baptized and then left he was shunned by his family. The family that is part of the Heavenly Amish Community. He hits several roadblocks as he tries to investigate the murder because the Amish won't talk to him. Clare has made friends with many in the Amish Community and offers to be his go-between.
The peaceful town of Heavenly is not very peaceful as Clare finds out much more than she wanted about her neighbors. There is much more going on here than just a few bottles of spilled milk and she is determined to get to the bottom of it!
Laura Bradford is an amazing author! She has created captivating characters in an unique setting that I just know you will love. The Simple Life of the Amish is fascinating to many as we wonder how these people who look just like us live the way we do. Laura is giving us a chance to see how the Amish and the English live and work side by side.
Clare has a young Amish woman working for her and she sells the treasures crafted by her Amish neighbors. The Amish have shops up and down the way. Lighted Way connects the two ways of life. Tourists come to Heavenly to learn about the Amish culture and purchased their goods. Heavenly, Pennsylvania sounds like a little slice of heaven, well except for the dead body and a bit of vandalism.
A wonderful complex mystery with a variety of suspects!!
The author has also laid the groundwork for a little romance. The men that send tingles through Claire and Esther has a crush.
We also need to see what happens between Jakob and his family. Sixteen years have past and there is a great divide.
Think is now my favorite cozy so far this year! If you love cozies like I do you will love this book and like me you will eagerly waiting for the next book in the Amish Mystery Series as soon as you finish this one. Hearse and Buggy is a Heavenly Treasure!!!
3 out of 3 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 June 20, 2012
Loved the story, the characters, the town, learning about the Amish,,,read the book in one day! Please, I want more!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ABCollins
Posted July 20, 2012
Laura Bradford has written a wonderful Cozy Mystery set in the small-town of Heavenly, PA. Claire Weatherly has left a high-stress lifestyle behind in New York to settle in this Lancaster County town. Her shop, Heavenly Treasures, features homemade items from the Amish community. She becomes embroiled in the case when a man is murdered, and the young man her employee and friend is sweet on is accused of the crime.
I love the Cozies that Laura Bradford writes. But with “Hearse & Buggy” she has taken it to a whole new level, one filled with the emotions of complex characters. Claire meets Detective Jakob Fisher, who left the Amish Community when he was young to pursue a career with the police. Back home now from sixteen years in New York, he finds no one, not even his family, will speak to him. This author has written of his emotions with such depth and feeling that I had a lump in my throat when Jakob talked about his shunning, and the results of turning away from his religion.
I have continued thinking about this story even after I finished it. Laura Bradford has begun exploring and writing about the Amish culture in ways I had never before considered. It’s encouraged me to do more reading on that way of life. Bravo, Laura!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 9, 2013
HEARSE AND BUGGY is by far one of my favorite books. The setting of Heavenly,PA makes you want to vacation there. The characters Clair, Diane, Ester, Jakob and Benjamin are wonderful! Great new insight is given into the life of the Amish. I don't often reread books, but I know I'll want to go back to this one one day. And just like me, you'll rush out and buy ASSAULTED PRETZEL, the second in the delightful series. Also an amazing read. I'm only sorry that the highest rating is 5 stars, because I would give both books 10x that amount! I can hardly wait for the 3rd book in this series!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 7, 2013
This book has a good insight into the Amish way of life and how it interacts with the "English" world. It is amazing how this population can maintain it's old world lifestyle. If you are interested in learning about other cultures, this is one right here on your doorstep. I would like to read more of the Amish Mystery Series.
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Posted January 4, 2013
Fun and exciting to read all at once!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cwc
Posted December 1, 2012
I'll finish series but not the best mystery I've ever read nor the worse.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.It was an okay read for me
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.mysteries4meCA
Posted August 13, 2012
Wonderful, well written cozy! Couldn't put it down it was so interesting and I loved reading about the Amish people and their lifestyle. Kept me guessing right up to the end of the book. Good characterization. Just a great new series and I can't wait for the second one to come out early next year The Pretzel Assault I think it's called. Anyway, give this one a try, you won't be disappointed.
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Posted September 4, 2012
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Posted June 14, 2012
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Posted August 31, 2012
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Posted August 8, 2012
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Overview
Fallen Snow 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 ...