Oh wow, this book was so good. It really drew me in from the get-go, and I ended up finishing it in just a couple sittings!

The editing could have been a bit tighter at times; I did find it to be wordy at times, but the plot and pacing more than made up for that.

An excellent read from a new-to-me author. Looking forward to checking out more by her.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Leah Miller endured the tragedy of witnessing the murder of her entire Amish family. Adopted by the town police chief, Ellis Petri, she has become a police officer. After Ellis was murdered, the town hired former detective Dalton Cooper. Dalton has his own agenda which is to prove that the young man he was raised with was not the man who killed Leah’s family. When a young Amish girl is murdered, her throat slit as was Leah’s family, it seems the killer has returned. He is taunting the department by leaving notes for Leah and mailing a bullet to her; the same caliber that killed Ellis. He is preying on young Amish women and it won’t be long before another body is found. A madman who is taking revenge against the community, but why? I was a bit concerned with Leah’s ability to be an officer as the killer found, threatened and attacked her repeatedly while getting away time after time. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

"Among the Innocent" is a Christian romantic suspense. Unfortunately, the story had so many aspects that weren't realistic that I felt like I was watching a super-villain action movie. Early on, the police had a good sketch of the bad guy and, later, a recent photo, but the bad guy only had to put on sunglasses and a hat and no one recognized him. They repeatedly opened doors to him, after which he'd knock them out with one powerful punch. Dalton kept telling Leah that he'd keep her safe even after it was proven that neither of them could stop the guy from doing whatever he wanted. And the police made so many basic mistakes. For example, once someone finally shot the bad guy in the arm (and somehow this made him helpless), no one tried to handcuff or otherwise restrain him.

I didn't like that Dalton expected Leah to view the actual crime scenes. I had no problem with her interviewing the victim's families (which she was good at), but Leah felt like she had to be tough and work the scenes even though it was traumatizing. Dalton wanted to identify the true killer but didn't seem to do much except drive Leah around and schedule which officers would watch which family or empty barn. They were nice enough characters, but they came across as ineffectual. And the behavior of the previous police chief was completely illogical. Seriously illogical. However, the suspense was high throughout as one love-sick girl after another willingly sneaked off to see the killer even after being warned he was a killer. Will anyone survive?

There was no sex or bad language. Though the crime scenes were bloody, not much time was spent describing the gore (as in, it's not very graphic).

If you are looking for a romantic suspense thriller with some Christian undertones, this book might be for you. Ten years ago, Leah's Amish family was murdered and she was left for dead. Now, an Amish girl has been murdered in her abandoned family barn. Now Leah will have to work with the new police chief to investigate the murder. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is a well written book with interesting characters. When I picked up this book, I didn't realize that this story contained a serial killer and that part of the story would be told from his point of view. Even though I enjoy reading an occasional thriller, I don't enjoy reading about serial killers and especially from their point of view. I also didn't think that it was realistic that the serial killer would be able to avoid capture for so long in that small community.

If you like the television show, Criminal Minds, you would enjoy Among the Innocent. From my viewpoint, the book has too much graphic violence, and I struggled with being in the protagonist's point of view because he is so deranged, however, the story line is interesting and compelling, and the faith thread is strong. I finished reading the story because I wanted to know what happened to Leah and Dalton. The emotion Alford writes into her characters goes deep and the story line intense. If you enjoy feverishly suspenseful stories with romance, this may be the book for you. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was one of my favorite books so far this year. Leah went through a lot in the ten years since her tragedy. Dalton is a great character. These two both learn many things during the many tragedies that occur during this story. I love the romance and the suspense. I also love that the story revolves around an Amish community. I loved the surprise twist in the story. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Characters are very well written, and I raced through this book. Gripping from the start and everything that a psychological thriller/murder mystery should be. Dont take my word for it.......read it ! You wont be disappointed

I must admit that "Among the Innocent" is the first book I have read by author Mary Alford. I will also admit that it won't be my last book to read by Mary Alford. She has a talent for creating very believable characters and suspense that pulls you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
The main characters are Police Officer Leah Miller and the new Police Chief Dalton Cooper. They hit the ground running from the start with a murder that has just occurred in the Amish community where Leah was raised in. Unfortunately, the murder is a reminder to both Leah and Dalton of a murder that had taken place years before when Leah's family was murdered in front of her and she was left for dead. Leah doesn't know that Dalton has a tie back to that murder as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Alford's writing but I must say the content of the story was really hard for me to embrace as the villain in this story is a serial killer. I must say Ms. Alford kept me guessing and tied things up well in the end.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy Christian Crime Fiction but I would highly suggest it be for adults eighteen and older due to the graphic depiction of the murders.

On a 5 Star Scale - 4 Stars.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Revell Books, and the author for my copy of Among the Innocent. I received my advanced readers e-copy for free with no expectation of a positive or negative review. The opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR. Part 255.

Among the Innocent by Mary Alford is a gripping thriller. I stayed up to finish it! The story features a police officer, Leah Miller. She grew up Amish, until her family was murdered by madman. Leah left her faith and was adopted by the police chief and his wife. Ten years after the murder, another woman is murdered in a similar way. Leah and the new police chief Dalton Cooper work together to find the killer.
Leah and Dalton both have personal tragedies, yet they lean on each other to catch the killer.
I love the ending, and I hope there is a sequel. This book left some questions unanswered. This was my first book by Mary Alford and I look forward to reading more from her. I want to thank the author, Fleming H. Revell and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

“Among the Innocent” was such a thrilling book. “Among the Innocent” takes place 10 years after Leah Miller’s Amish family was murdered. She has since left the Amish way of life and has followed her adoptive father’s footsteps in joining the local police force. But everything changes when another Amish girl is murdered the same way her family had been.

Leah was such a compelling character to read about! I enjoyed her interactions with the Dalton, the new police chief, her adoptive mother and the Amish community.

The man who murdered Leah’s family, was an interesting point of view, especially at the beginning of the book. His continued seduction of Amish girls at the 10th anniversary of Leah’s family’s death was very eerie and reminded me quite a bit of serial killers.

I would say that this book felt way more suspense than romance, but I greatly enjoyed the suspense in this book. Leah’s working for the local police department made sense and helped make the plot line feel more intense.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy. All thoughts and opinions on this book are my own.

I have never heard of Mary Alford before, but when I read the description on NetGalley, I wanted to read it. It was a very good story. I will warn you though, it has some graphic parts; its a murder mystery. But it is all relevant to the story and gives the reader a suspenseful experience.

The main character, Leah Miller grew up in a peaceful, Amish community. Her whole world was destroyed the day her family was murdered. The scar on her neck reminds her daily that she should be dead as well.

Fast forward ten years and Leah is a smart, well-adjusted police officer. On the very day of the arrival of the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, another young Amish woman if found killed. Eerily, she is around the same age as Leah was at the time of her family's deaths and in the exact same manner as Leah's family. It can't be a coincidence, but the man responsible committed suicide ten years ago. Or did he? Did the police have the wrong suspect? If so, why did he wait ten years to resurface?

Dalton is attracted to this beautiful, strong woman. And her intrigue only increases when the police find another young Amish woman murdered. Then the killer turns his attention back on Leah. Dalton has his hands full trying to keep her safe and stop the man responsible.

Overall, it was a good read that kept me up past my bedtime to finish! I liked the characters and the setting. I felt sorry for the Amish woman the killer preyed on. They were enjoying their running around years before settling down and were too trusting.

Thank you to Mary Alford and Netgalley for my ARC. This is my honest review.

Ten years ago, Leah's entire Amish family was murdered in front of her. The murderer left her injured and afraid. Leah is now working as a police officer and has left the Amish faith. A young Amish woman is found murdered in a similar way. The police begin to wonder if this is a copycat or not. Was the wrong person blamed? As time goes on more Amish women are murdered and Leah's life is in danger. The book follows Leah, Dalton, and the police force in a deadly game to catch the killer. Will they succeed before the killer strikes again?

Among The Innocent is a nail biting romantic suspense. The heroine is a former Amish whose family was murdered ten years ago. She was the only survivor. Fast forward ten years and the serial killer is back in full force in a killing spree of young Amish ladies. The new Police Chief has his own reasons to hunt down the killer. All the while both Leah and Dalton fight their romantic feelings.

I enjoyed the book very much and I hope there will be more from this author.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Edge of your seat, roller coaster thrill ride, that has you hanging on by your fingertips. I was into this book from the get go and was able to pick up on some clues but was glad I couldn’t completely figure it out. Definitely a top notch mystery with great characters. I loved how Leah and Dalton each had a tie in to the previous crime and how that drew them together to solve the current ones. This story is so intricate that it keeps you on your toes and you won’t want to put it down. Heartbreakingly realistic that you will ache for the characters pain. I especially loved how Leah grew in her faith. I highly recommend just start early so you don’t stay up way to late to finish.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

Leah Miller is a former Amish girl who is now a police officer. After her whole family was murdered when she was a young girl she was adopted by the town Police Chief and his wife. He has been murdered and there is a new police chief, Dalton Cooper. He and Leah team up to try to solve the former Chief's murder and get more information about the killer of Leah's family. Dalton's brother was originally set up as the murderer but Dalton knows this is untrue and that real killer is still out there. The end of this story still leaves part of the mystery hanging so I see a sequel in my future and I can't wait to read it!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.

There’s a big difference between a suspense book with some romance and a romance book with some suspense. I prefer the former and this book is the latter. My problem with this book (and other romance-with-suspence books) is the way all other aspects of the story exist only to advance the romance. In the case of this book, it means paper thin characterizations, a complete lack of proper police procedures aided by frustratingly dumb and incompetent cops, an unbelievable (and inappropriate) insta-love, and a cardboard cutout of a villain. If you’re a reader who wants the romance bad enough to put up with all of the above, this might be the book for you. It wasn’t a book for me. I only finished reading it because I wanted to see if I was correct about the mystery, which I had figured out in the first quarter of the book. I was.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

She wasn’t ready to play the killer’s games again.

Wow!! Do not expect to put this down and it might be better not to start it late in the day, as there will be no sleep if you do! The author has done a fabulous job of drawing the reader in and not letting you relax until the killer is caught, you hope.

The Amish setting leads the reader to believe life is calm with most everyone living peaceably, only to find out that horror can enter their serene lives as well. Leah is the only survivor of the horrific murder of her parents and two siblings. After 10 years this atrocity still haunts her every waking hour. Will she ever be able to live without fear? One has to begin to wonder when another murder occurs. Has the killer returned?

This ARC was received through Baker Publishing Group, Revell and NetGalley. These thoughts and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.

A very good suspense thriller, set in the Amish community of Montana. I really liked the character of Leah, haunted by events from her past and now a detective with St Ignatius police department. There was plenty suspense and the characters were interesting, with a well woven plot. I would recommend the book to lovers of thrillers and mysteries. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

One of the most intriguing, edge of your seat, and nail biting stories that I have read in a long time. The characters bring the story to life and this book pulls you in from page one with lots of twist and turns.

As part of Mary Alford review team I was given this book for free and I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

Oh my goodness! It’s been a while since I have read Mary Alford’s book and I am glad I did. It catches you right from the first chapter and doesn’t turn lose. Very enjoyable and captivating and wait until you discover who the murderer was. WOW! Get your copy today!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion and review.