Lamb to the Slaughter (Serenity's Plain Secrets #1)

Serenity Adams has returned to her childhood home of Blood Rock, Indiana as the new Sheriff.  She is quickly put to the test when the body of a local Amish girl is found in a cornfield. The Amish are secretive and unwilling to cooperate with the investigation, so she seeks the assistance of a local and former Amish member named Daniel Bachman. While getting closer to discovering the identity of the killer, she gets closer to Daniel and her own feelings begin to cloud her judgment. The stakes reach and all time high when Serenity's life is threatened and Daniel is at risk of losing his heart to her. 

Smoothly written, with one scene flowing into another, "Lamb to the Slaughter" begins on a rather entertaining note. Enjoyable descriptions of minor characters add a lot to the overall story yet a few stand out as being very unlikable. The romance between Daniel and Serenity is hot then cold and wavers between those two temperatures for most of the book. They are likable but not quite persuasive enough to completely win over the reader. Much of the detective work is intriguing and entertaining, but when Daniel is given too much of a role in the police work it loses credibility. A good mystery puts a firm hold on the reader. Although "Lamb to the Slaughter" is lacking the strength to get all the way there, most mystery readers are sure to enjoy it.

Margaret Faria