Review: In Review: Lamb to the Slaughter by Karen Ann Hopkins
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 20, 2014
I don't read a lot of mysteries. It was a genre I thoroughly enjoyed in my teens, but I think I read too many Fear Street, Nightmare Hall and Christopher Pike books back then. I got burnt out. Nowadays it's rare for me to be interested in a mystery book, but when I learned Karen Ann Hopkins was writing an Amish mystery, I knew I had to read it. I was fascinated by the characters and culture in her Temptation series and found myself just as enamored by Serenity, Daniel and the others in Lamb to the Slaughter.Serenity is the sheriff investigating the death of Naomi, a rebellious Amish girl. Content to sweep it under the rug as a hunting accident, the community neither welcomes her nor seems all that upset about Naomi's death. Serenity is an outsider and the members of this Amish community aren't particularly welcoming when strangers dig around in their business. They prefer to handle issues in their own way. That's not acceptable to Serenity and she enlists the help of Daniel, a local builder and former Amish man, to aide her in getting accepted to the community and ultimately finding out what happened to Naomi. The dynamic between them is complicated at first, but they were definitely attracted to each other. Romance isn't a big part of this book – at least in the present tense – but I couldn't help hoping Serenity and Daniel would fall for each other while they were solving this case.Naomi's romances definitely came into play in this story. She was seeing an Amish boy and an English boy and, as you can imagine, that caused a world of problems from all directions. As Serenity uncovered more, she learned about the surprising connection she had to Naomi, which I found to be an interesting twist. I'll be up front with you and say that I guessed what would happen in the end... to an extent. (I always was pretty good at that.) However, I couldn't have ever guessed all the details.What I loved most about this book was the multi-POV format from which it was told. Readers are treated to chapters from the perspectives of Serenity, Daniel and even Naomi. It was interesting to read about Naomi's romance(s), her struggle with her parents and her desire for freedom. I found Serenity and Daniel's stories to be equally fascinating. Serenity was a strong and determined woman; a fantastic heroine. Daniel was a sweet guy. He had a very interesting backstory and the dynamic between him and his family added another level to this story. Lamb to the Slaughter doesn't fit easily into any one age range, but I think it would be appealing to young adult, new adult and readers.While any mystery around Naomi's death was solved, the ending left an opening for more stories from Serenity's perspective and, I have to say, I'm really excited about the possibility of more books in this series. Serenity was a kick-butt heroine. I more than a little loved Daniel and they made a fantastic team. I do hope the author continues their story.I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.