Simple Secrets is the story is the first book in the Harmony Series by Nancy Mehl, and soon I will be delving into the second book. But more about her second book when I've read it!Simple Secrets is about Gracie Temple, a city-girl from Wichita who has just received notice that her uncle whom she only met once has passed away, and surprisingly he left everything to her. Now Gracie must go to Harmony, the small Mennonite town her parents and grandparents are from, to deal with his estate.When Gracie heads to Harmony she plans to stay for only a short while, sell the home, and quickly leave to get back on with her life as a graphic designer in Wichita. However, when she gets there it quickly becomes clear that things will not be nearly as easy as it had seemed. As she looks through the family Bible she finds a letter, addressed to her, from her uncle, which implicates her father in a murder which occurred in Harmony years ago.Gracie knows in her heart there is no way that her father could have done this, but she now understands that the reason her uncle had stayed away from her father was he thought he was protecting his brother, Gracie's father, from his secret being revealed.Now strange things are beginning to happen starting with the letter disappearing and Gracie being framed for a theft within the town. It appears that whoever did commit the murder does not want it coming to light, but Gracie knows she has to find out the truth.Gracie, with the help of her handsome neighbor, Sam Goodrich, must try to find out who actually committed the murder, and it's looking like more than one person had a good motive, including her own father.Will Gracie succeed? Or will she be chased out of town by whoever wants to hide this secret first?Read Simple Secrets to find out!Personally, I really enjoyed Simple Secrets. The main characters are not Mennonite but the book is set in a Mennonite town where many of the incidental characters are Mennonite. It provides a pretty good look at the Mennonite life, but if you are seeking a novel that fully immerses you in the culture, this may not be the book for you.I love that this quiet peaceful setting is mixed with a murder mystery. I love mysteries and I love this setting, so it made it quite the perfect book for me. I couldn't guess who the killer actually was, which is always a plus. . . I hate when it's too easy to figure out.The writing was pretty good, maybe not the best there ever was, but it was pretty easy to get to know the characters and to fall in love with them. Perhaps this wasn't my very favorite Amish/Mennonite book, but I still would give it 4 out of 5 stars.I definitely look forward to reading the second book in the series, Simple Deceit, in order to find out what happens next in Harmony! Simple Secrets by Nancy Mehl is the first book in her Harmony series. I was able to read this book through Net Galley and Barbour Books and was provided with a digital copy for this review. I love Amish fiction and after recommendations from friends, I decided to read this book. While it is not about the Amish it is about Mennonites, a close relative of the religion. The Simple Secret in the book really is not so Simple! The story starts off introducing us to Gracie Temple, a graphic designer who loves her job in the big city. Gracie gets a phone call at work from her dad telling her that her uncle Benjamin, who has placed the Bann on his family, has died and left her his house, land and everything in the house. She decides to take two weeks off from work to go to the Kansas Mennonite Community of Harmony and collect some family heirlooms and sell the property. When she gets to the house, she discovers a letter her uncle left her about a secret he has been keeping. The secret told her that a man was killed and he buried the body on his land to protect Gracie’s father who he thought killed the man. Gracie and a neighbor, Sam Goodrich, who befriends her and introduces her to the town and then later helps her try to solve the mystery of who is the real killer. Gracie finds out that Harmony has a lot of secrets and someone even tries to scare her out of town. Will they find out who the killer is? Will the town secrets come out? Read to find out how the story all comes together. Sam and Gracie also seem to be falling for each other after only knowing each other a few days. How will they act on those feelings since Gracie has her dream job in the big city and Sam has no plans of leaving Harmony?I was drawn to the story from the first chapter. My friends were right. If you like Amish fiction, you will love this book. This book had mystery, romance and even suspense. Sometimes I felt like the day in the life of Gracie and Sam went on forever since so much happened in one day. Overall, I LOVED the story and can’t wait to read the second book to the series called Simple Deceit. Simple Deceit comes out December 1, 2010. You can find Simple Secrets in stores now.
What do You think about Simple Secrets (2010)?
Won from Goodreads- nice easy read good for beach reading - mystery - Good character development.
—Thomas
This book was amazing. Love the suspense. Can't wait to read the rest of her books.
—Kai
Interesting story, but no depth to the characters.
—Rosewelke
