I've read lots of Amish-set fiction in my time, but this story is genuinely different. Hannah is a quiet young lady who is on her 'Rumspringa', a time for teens to explore the world before deciding whether to be baptized into the Amish faith and formally join the church, accepting its restrictions. Hannah may be quiet, but her gentle spirit and wish to see good in others means that she is completely unaware that she is already living 'on the edge' and being used as a pawn by others, even before the horrific night when she ends up abandoned on the side of the road with her best friend dying beside her. Arrested for murder, her choices are to stay silent as Amish traditions demand, resulting in the loss of her freedom (or worse) and disgrace for her family, or to trust a stranger and help to catch a killer.
This is a complex novel about identity, faith, choices and secrets. It's a multi-layered story which unfolds during the telling, and the reader is very likely to find that their initial thoughts about various people and elements change as they progress through the book. There's a lot here about what courage looks like, and there are plenty of people who are not what they seem!
With lots of pace, plenty of twists and turns, a likeable 'heroine', and a very well detailed (but not overwhelming) sense of place, this is a striking series opener and I very much look forward to the next book from Sheelagh Aston.
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