The Amish Wife

Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free

By: Gregg Olsen

Narrated by: George Newbern

The #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen solves a murder among the Amish and reveals the conspiracy to keep it a secret in a heartbreaking and horrifying true-crime story.

In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s report: natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed.

What really happened to Ida? The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded. Could Eli’s subsequent cross-country journey of death—including that of his own son—have been prevented if just one person came forward with what they knew about the real Eli Stutzman?

The questions haunted Gregg Olsen and Ida’s brother Daniel Gingerich for decades. At Daniel’s urging, Olsen now returns to Amish Country and to Eli’s crimes first exposed in Olsen’s Abandoned Prayers, one of which has remained a mystery until now. With the help of aging witnesses and shocking long-buried letters, Olsen finally uncovers the disturbing truth—about Ida’s murder and the conspiracy of silence and secrets that kept it hidden for forty-five years.

©2024 Gregg Olsen. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Olsen has a gift for taking mountains of paperwork and interview material and weaving them into a cohesive narrative that is often difficult to put down, especially for die-hard true-crime fans. Because he frames the book as a step-by-step process of discovery, readers will feel like they’re right there with him as he’s knocking on doors and spinning out on the Midwestern ice. An engaging, well-researched historical excavation…”—Kirkus Reviews

“The details of the case are gripping enough, but Olsen elevates them with sturdy prose, meticulous research, and admirable journalistic tenacity. This addendum to a once-settled story lands as much more than a footnote.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The story is riveting…Folks interested in that peek behind the curtain will love this.”—Booklist

Great book

Didn’t think I’d like it but was pleasantly surprised. Reader had a great voice and it was a great storyline

all the new information about the Amish

nothing at all. it was a good read, well listen. I hope I find another just as good. lots of twists and turns

Round about.

Not what I expected. Sometimes are to keep straight and f it was present day origins ast.

Great read

Great follow up story from the first book. Love Gregg Olsen's books, he's one of my favorite authors now.

Love a good story teller

I love true crime stories, especially when the author is a good storyteller, and the narrator catches all the right inflections

Sad but true, I think.

The cover up by the Amish community was very disturbing. I hope Ida and her poor abused son are resting in peace.

Outstanding

I didn't appreciate all the swear words but other than that it is a great work. Amazing how Eli got by with all of it. I had read about Little Boy Blue in the Readers Digest many years ago. Heartbreaking.

Old story that comes to light and life

I always wondered what was the background story behind Little Boy Blue. This completely explains and verify who and what! Finally, the story has an explanation to close this book!

The story is interesting

It just was a little anticlimactic and tedious at times. I wish it would have been more condensed.

The Chilling Details

This book was surprisingly enjoyable. For such a dark and twisted case, the author had me hooked on finding out the truth and seeking justice.

Gregg Olsen has a compelling ‘just trying to get to the bottom of this’ charm about him as he tells the story of a murder amongst an Amish community in Ohio and the life and times of Ida and Eli Stutzman. What he does differently than some true crime writers, is share his own feelings and emotions as he navigates the case and uncovers secrets and surprises.
This adds to the narrative style, since he creates a vivid picture and takes the reader from the scenes of the crimes to the journey to get there.

The author does go on very long tangents chock full of detail about his interviewees and side project cases he is working on, which while interesting, may have been trimmed down. It could have been about 50-75 pages less of detail, however, it seems the authors purpose was also to demonstrate the mentality and secrecy of the Amish so it did add that slow and steady wear down of detail and attempt to the overall feel of the book.