The Secrets We Keep: A Mystery by Amy Lillard #Review / #Giveaway @crookedlanebooks @AmyWritesRomance

The Secrets We Keep: A Mystery
Mystery/Amish Mystery
Setting – Mississippi
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 24, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
Hardcover ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8892421249
Paperback ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8892422451
Kindle ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8892421256
Audiobook ASIN B0F9PXWZP2

Detective Nate Fisher must go back to the Amish community he left behind and confront his past to help the woman he once loved in this dual-POV mystery, perfect for fans of Linda Castillo.

Back to active duty after an administrative leave of absence for the use of deadly force, the last thing Detective Nathan Fisher wants to do is return to the conservative Amish community he left behind, but when his father passes, he has no choice. Hoping to clear his head and perhaps mend fences with his family, he returns to his small Mississippi hometown despite not being welcome. What was supposed to be a quick visit turns into a prolonged stay when his former love pleads for his help.

Rachel Hostetler’s world is turned upside down when she finds her brother’s body hanging in her family’s barn. Rachel is sure her brother Albie did not kill himself, but neither her father nor the police are willing to listen. When she spots Nate, her ex, now a detective in Oklahoma, back in Cedar Creek, she knows he is the answer to her problem and begs him to intercede.

As Nate and Rachel come to terms with their shared history, despite knowing nothing can come of the longing they have for each other, the pair must look into Albie’s death as suspects stack up. The truth is out there, but can they find it before Nate has to return to his real life and face the shooting that has him so desperately searching for peace?

If you follow this blog, you know suicide is a trigger for me, so after reading the above synopsis, you probably think it is crazy for me to choose this book for review. The synopsis did give me trepidation, but I enjoy Amish stories and Amy Lillard’s writing. I have also learned that in these stories, the suicide is usually found out to be murder. That being said, I skipped reading the prologue and skimmed other parts of the story that were too graphic for my heart. 

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Detective Nate Fisher left his Amish family behind in Mississippi with a plan to help his sister, but when his plan fell apart, he ended up in Oklahoma working in law enforcement. He had just returned to work following a leave for using deadly force, and was still having trouble dealing with what was called “a good shoot” when his brother called to tell him his father had passed away. Torn about returning to the place where he is shunned, he decides that it may be the place to heal, and maybe start to repair his relationship with his family.

What started out as a quick trip ended up taking a turn when the woman he loved and left behind in Cedar Creek begged for his help after her brother’s death. A death that looked like it was clearly suicide. Rachel couldn’t get anyone, including her father or the police, to hear her feelings or concerns. She hopes Nate will listen and help her prove that her brother Albie was murdered.

They both know they still have feelings for each other that they must ignore as they try to focus on finding the truth about Albie’s death. They also know that when they do, Nate will be going back to Oklahoma to deal with that fatal shooting and try to get on with his life.

Ms. Lillard created characters in this story that will touch your heart. Nate is a genuine, caring man who left Cedar Creek with one mission: to use his God-given talent to raise enough money to save his sister Mattie. She needed a new heart, and the medical costs were daunting. He feels like he let his family down because he failed, and Mattie died a few years later. Because he left the Amish community shortly after joining the church, he was excommunicated and couldn’t go back. Also, his “clean shoot” was anything but clean in his eyes. His head and heart are unable to deal with going against what he was taught all his life. Rachel Hostetler is not your typical young Amish woman. Life hasn’t been easy, and she had to be strong-willed and minded to care for her daughters and her sister, Miri, who has the rare Angelman syndrome. Losing her brother Albie has shaken her to her core, and she needs justice for him. These characters, along with many others in the cast, are complex and very well written.

I was touched that one of the characters had Angelman syndrome. I had never heard of it until a little girl of a young mom I have known all her life was diagnosed with the genetic condition. This mom is a warrior when it comes to fundraising and awareness. She organizes a fundraiser each summer and is involved nationally. Her daughter just finished her kindergarten year and is a delightful ray of sunshine. Care for this syndrome is hard, but like Rachel in the story, families do make it work and do their best to give them the best lives possible. Including it in stories like this one brings awareness. Hopefully, someday there will be a cure.

The mystery of Albie’s death is complicated. Nate doesn’t have jurisdiction, and the Sheriff does everything he can to avoid dealing with the Amish. He delegates any investigations to his Chief Deputy, Shane Johnson, whom Nate had known “back in the day”. Shane acts as a go-between for the sheriff, Nate, and Rachel, but points out many times that Nate has no authority there. Every day, Nate thinks he has done all he can and makes plans to leave, but more clues and secrets are uncovered, which keep pulling him back into the case. I was surprised by some of the things brought to light and how they twisted the reasons for what happened. I knew what was coming, and my heart was breaking as all was revealed.

Ms. Lillard is an awesome storyteller. The Secrets We Keep is so much more than a mystery; it is an emotional story that will grab you and hold on tight. It is the story of Nate and his family, his brother Leroy, sister Mattie, mother, and father Karl. It is the story of Rachel and her family,  her two daughters Kate and Amelie, her sister Miri, her father, and her brother Albie. It is a story of the Amish and the Englisch and their interactions. It’s a story of love and trying to understand life when it is different from what you believe. It is a story of knowing what’s right and doing the right thing.

While this appeared to be a standalone, there are still mysteries to solve in Cedar Creek, including a new homicide. I am invested in these characters and would be thrilled to see it turn into a series.

Warning – This book has a suicide theme that is graphically described in the Prologue.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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