Dark Road Home

By: Karen Harper

Narrated by: Megan Hayes

After a murder case threatens her safety, attorney Brooke Benton seeks sanctuary in the quiet Amish community of Maplecreek. Although the locals disagree with her cosmopolitan ways, she soon manages to find a place in their lives. But when a tragic hit-and-run accident turns fatal, Brooke cannot abide by the community's belief in absolute forgiveness. She wants answers.

Daniel Brand left his childhood home to explore the outside world years ago. Now he has returned to his Amish roots, and worldly Brooke Benton does not fit into his plans. But when his niece dies, he slowly agrees that they must bring to justice the driver who killed her - especially when a silent presence continues to threaten the community. Together Brooke and Daniel begin a journey along a dark road, hoping to bring peace to the small community…and maybe lead their hearts home.

©1996 Karen Harper (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Interesting with compelling moments

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend it to friends who are interested in stories about the Amish. The plot is ok, the main characters are well-developed and likable, and the mystery is not entirely obvious as in some romance-mystery mixes. I enjoyed that the characters developed interest in each other over time, but if you are looking for a steamy romance, this is not that type of novel. The author appeared to be still developing her ability to differentiate voices and and her attempts to distinguish the Amish speakers from the English by using different phrasing systems failed at times. At one point I actually wondered if the author grew up deaf because it seemed all characters cut off key parts of sentences! That was kind of annoying to me, as were some grammar errors, but overall it did not negatively affect my enjoyment of the book. The story seemed long- perhaps it could have been more suspenseful if shorter, but the author did a decent job of developing suspense.

If you’ve listened to books by Karen Harper before, how does this one compare?

This was my first Karen Harper and I got it because the second book in this series was on sale and I wanted to buy it. I thought I would need to read book one in the series before book two would make sense. Now that I have listened to both, I'd tell anyone the books could be read/listened to in any order. There are some connections, but nothing would have been lost. The second (which I listened to later) had better differentiation of characters by the author, and less romance. Overall, though, I think I liked this better than te second in this series.

Been waiting for more Karen Harper

What did you love best about Dark Road Home?

Just enough mystery without making you feel nervous but keep me very interested.

What did you like best about this story?

Keeps you interested but makes you feel peaceful because you feel like you are right there.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jennifer was taken from the well.

Not the best

The story line seems a little hard to follow. But the reader makes it more difficult than interesting. Not my favorite story but I listened to the entire story just to be fair. I hope they both improved with their future stories. Best wishes to both.