Mystery Christian Fiction

Cheryl and Levi Miller are settling into married life and enjoying their daughter Rebecca’s first year. But when a mysterious fire destroys Seth and Naomi’s barn, Cheryl sets out to find the culprit. Soon, more blazes confirm Cheryl’s suspicion— someone is intentionally setting fires in Sugarcreek. Cheryl’s efforts to find the perpetrator uncover more questions than answers. Her list of suspects is growing rather shrinking. Between raising an infant daughter, managing a busy household, and juggling her work at the Swiss Miss, she really doesn’t have time to devote to the business of sleuthing. But, when the home she shares with Levi is threatened, and her daughter’s very life is at risk, it’s a race against time to stop the arsonist before disaster strikes again.

Anton Birken has returned to Sugarcreek to attend his mother’s funeral. He was shunned a decade ago after the suspicious disappearance of a teenage Amish girl he liked. While the girl’s parents, and the community, suspected Anton of foul play, the police lacked evidence to arrest him. When Levi allows Anton to stay in their dawdy haus, Cheryl is more than a little worried— especially when another teen girl vanishes after Anton’s arrival. Has the girl simply run away, or has something more sinister transpired? 

Meanwhile, Cheryl entertains Sharon Vogel, a gifted quilter from Lancaster County whose quilts Cheryl wants to sell at the Swiss Miss. However, when local stores experience a wave of peculiar thefts—including one of Sharon’s valuable quilts—Cheryl finds herself embroiled in two mysteries instead of one. Or are they somehow related?

“Make an effort.” These three seemingly innocuous words send Cheryl Miller on her most challenging assignment yet. When Aunt Mitzi handpicks a new tenant for her cottage, she asks Cheryl to “make an effort” to befriend her. But Jayla Nuttall makes it plain she doesn’t welcome any overtures of friendship. Jayla is obviously determined to alienate Cheryl—and everyone else in Sugarcreek. But Cheryl, spurred on by Mitzi’s encouraging letters, sets out to find the culprit behind the series of events that seem intended to terrorize Aunt Mitzi’s tenant. Who is targeting Jayla with these vicious pranks? Or is she herself causing the damage?

Meanwhile, when the Sugarcreek Nursing Home opens a brand new assisted living wing, the activities coordinator invites Naomi to give classes in Amish cooking. Will the accolades cause Naomi to be vain, and pull her away from serving her family on their own farm just when they need her most?

When their church hosts a children’s choir from Aunt Mitzi’s mission in Papua New Guinea, Cheryl and Levi invite Jennifer Lewis, a young single woman and chaperone for the group, to stay in their dawdy haus. An hour before they need to leave to meet the group for their first rehearsal, they realize the woman has vanished. Has Jennifer left voluntarily—or is something more sinister afoot? As Cheryl sets out to learn what happened to their guest, a cryptic note left behind in the guest bedroom is her only clue.

Meanwhile, with toddler Rebecca growing more charming and delightful every day, Cheryl and Levi begin to wonder: is it time to open their hearts and home to another child?