Welcome everyone! Today I have the honor of being part of the Kismet Blog Tour (review + giveaway) for Karen Ann Hopkins NEW novel, Whispers from the Dead (book #2 in the Serenity's Plain Secrets series). If you've been a follower of my blog for a while then you know how HOOKED am I with Karen's book. I've loved everything she's ever written and once you read my review below you will positively see this one is no different. Be sure to enter the giveaway below to win some awesome prizes! Enjoy!
Title: Whispers from the Dead
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Published: January 6th 2015
Kindle Edition, 277 pages
Source: ebook via author
Genre: Murder Mystery >Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Some Amish communities aren't so cozy.
Whispers From The Dead is the powerful and thrilling sequel to Lamb to the Slaughter in the Amish mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets. Sheriff Serenity Adams and Daniel Bachman are once again partnered up in a criminal investigation, when they travel to a northern Amish settlement that has been riddled by arsons for the past two decades. Serenity quickly discovers that there is a lot more going on than just barns being set on fire in the touristy community of Poplar Springs. And this group of Amish has their own secrets to hide. Serenity begins to unravel an extensive criminal underworld that threatens to destroy everything that the simple people of Poplar Springs hold dear, and once again puts her own life in jeopardy. And even though Serenity tries desperately to avoid it, things begin heating up between her and Daniel, making her wonder if true love and happiness are really within her grasp.
*Some language and romantic sexual content.
* Please bare with me while I take a few moments to gush about how much I adore author Karen Ann Hopkins. *
Karen, you could write a novel about the uses of tin foil and I would read it and love it! 0_o
In all seriousness, I have had the pleasure of reading all of the authors book and ended up just adoring them all! From YA contemporary to Adult Mystery, Karen can do no wrong when it comes to writing a book that everyone will love and enjoy reading for a long time to come. Of course, Whispers of the Dead is no exception. Karen, you've done it again and thoroughly entertained me with another outstanding novel!
Whispers of the Dead is still set in an amish community but this time with a whole different cast of characters. Sheriff Serenity Adams and her partner, Daniel Bachman, take on a new challenge in another amish town called Poplar Springs. There has been a rash of barn burnings, a couple even have claimed the life of the town folk. It's up to Serenity and Daniel to find out who's been setting these fires, and why. They decide to stay with a man named Rowen and his children to have better access to the town. Unlike the town of Blood Rock, the people of Poplar Springs are welcoming, and kind (for the most part). They want answers too. While exploring the town, collecting clues, and speaking with the townspeople, Serenity decovers another barn somehow goes up in flames, and soon after another. Dealing with these new tragedies, she learns about a man named Asher, who happens to be Rowan's brother. Asher is bad news! He deals with drugs, selling, and maybe even murder. But could he be the one behind all of the barn fires, or is something else much more sinister taking place in the small town of Poplar Springs.
Can Serenity and Daniel find out the truth before it's too late? You'll have to read it for yourself! Trust me, you will be glad you did. Right from the beginning I was guessing who the culprit might end up being and the ending was not at all what I expected. A true mystery/thriller will have your guessing right up to the very end and then shock you with the answer. Whisper of the Dead did just that! I was on the edge of my seat waiting with baited breath to find out who the firestarter was and why.
I also really enjoyed the characters in the book and how each of them were written into the story. In fact, I actually liked the characters in Whipsher of the Dead more so than in Lamb to the Slaughter. I felt more of a kinship or connection with them. Where in Lamb to The Slaughter I was sometimes annoyed with the amish people because of their lack of helpfulness and honestly.
Another major aspect I loved about the book was the relationship between Serenity and Daniel. Their chemistry was perfect together and they work beautifully as a team. Now while there wasn't a lot of love-dovey emotions going on, I feel Serenity really became closer to him and finally begin to trust her heart, as well as how her body reacts to Daniel. It's wasn't until the ending, they truly make their feeling known, but it was worth the wait. I'm hoping to see a lot more lovin' going on in the books to come.
All in all, Whiphers of the Dead was a perfect second book in the series. A fresh new story, a new amish town and of course a new mystery to be solved makes this book another one of my favorites and a must read for those who love a good thriller. If you haven't read anything by Karen Ann Hopkins, then you're sorely missing out. I highly recommend Whispers of the Dead to you, my readers, this book and series is nothing short of spectacular!
4.5 STARS -Totally Awesome! I loved it, would read again.
Want to know more about book #1, Lamb to the Slaughter?
Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest.
Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidently shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting.
Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end.
About The Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.
Contest Info:
We have a really exciting prize package for this tour, so make sure to follow along for more chances to win every day! What’s up for grabs:
• 5 e-copies of Lamb to the Slaughter, Book 1 of Serenity’s Plain Secrets
• 5 e-copies of Whispers from the Dead, Book 2 of Serenity’s Plain Secrets
• A traditional Amish style hand stitched wall hanging/lap quilt
Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!
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