The Witnesses

Lancaster Burning #3

by Linda Byler

The Witnesses is the third novel in Amish novelist, Linda Byler’s current series, Lancaster Burning. Byler takes readers inside the home of the leader of the local Amish community, Davey Beiler, who finds himself at the center of mounting fear and controversy. Fires have destroyed two more nearby Amish barns, and many of the farmers are ready to ask for police protection, an unheard of action. Beiler counsels against this, but then his beloved daughter, Sarah, is caught in the flames and severely injured. The Witnesses is a tautly told story, full of dark fears, difficult dilemmas, and deep love.

Who is responsible for setting the barn fires that continue to keep the Amish of eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on edge?

Who is responsible for seeing that they are stopped?

Genres: Amish, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Christian, Amish Fiction, Mystery

336 pages, Paperback

About the author

Linda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. Growing up, Linda Byler loved to read and write. In fact, she still does. She is well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper. Linda and her husband, their children and grandchildren live in central Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[April]

The third and final book in the amazing "Lancaster Burning" series. Can be read as a stand alone, however, I would suggest reading the others in this series.
Ms. Byler is a gifted and talented authors, who writes with passion, compassion, about difficult dilemmas, fear and love. Can tragedy bring about love, or cost Sarah? Can Lee love Sarah for her inner beauty or be turned away for her now scarred face? Someone is setting Amish barns on fire, but who and why? In this the conclusion readers learn all the dark secrets, and fears that have been long since buried.
Ms. Buler writes a compelling, and intriguing story with quaint, and engaging characters. A powerful story, with intrigue and romance!

*Received for an honest review from the publisher*

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Sweet
Reviewed by: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

[Susan Phelan]

Although I read through the trilogy and enjoyed the POV of someone in the Amish religion/way of life, the writing could have used some more editing. Lots of things happening , little plot, lots of telling rather than showing and a protagonist who let things happen to her more than making things happen.
If you are interested in the Amish life style and beliefs, that may pull you through the book.

[James D.]

AN EXCELLENT READ

This story has it all, adversity and failure, courage and recovery, all under the provision and grace of a loving God.
Many stories have these elements present, but few are woven together so beautifully. The prose at the end is full of the timeless realization of God's provision, reminding me of Ecclesiates.

[Alice Ricard]

A Beautiful Love Story

Love Amish books but this was such a sweet story. I laughed, I cried and just could not put the book down I had to know how it ended. Highly recommend this book

[Gladys Landing-Corretjer]

Superb! I loved how the author used Levi's character to provide wisdom and humor. She did an excellent job at tying ALL loose ends, yet leaving room for future action. The moral of the story is that despite all of life's struggles, longings, and yearnings, a solid faith in God will see us through.

[Susan Moxley]

It was worth the wait. I am so glad that I was finally able to finish this series.

[Lynda]

Linda Byler has become one of my favorite Amish authors!

[Gay Ann]

Page turner! Read all 3 books in trilogy in 5 days.

[Pat Arnold]

Really enjoyed the way this three book series ended.

[Ann Evans]

This series was good, but definitely long! It could have been written in one volume easily. IT became tedious at times.

[Debbie Phillips]

Book 3 of the series... the conclusion. I read book 1 for my book challenge and am so far ahead in my reading this year (exciting and surprising) that I get to read book 2 and 3 for fun.

Can tragedy lead to love or will it cost Sarah? Can Lee love Sarah for her inner beauty or will he be turned away by her now scarred face? Can she accept love? Someone is setting Amish barns on fire, but who and why? In this the conclusion readers learn all the dark secrets, and fears that have been long since buried, and find out who has been setting the fires.

This was a compelling conclusion to the series. An intriguing story with quaint, and engaging characters we came to love in books 1 and 2. A powerful story with mystery, faith, and romance.

[Barbara Smith]

Magnificent

I believe as never before that with this trilogy of the fires and lives that were touched by them that Linda Byler has entered the ranks of those few very talented writers who can rise to the top of their profession. Her books are not just sold and top sellers to the overall public but to 1000 who are not Amish. She is the best selling Amish author for a reason. She writes colorful, well written and exceptional books. I have read 100's of her books and enjoyed them all.

[Alison L]

This Lancaster Burning Trilogy came to a nice conclusion in this 3rd book. While I am not raving about it, I did enjoy the story and enjoyed learning about a way of life that I didn't know much about. It was, however, hard to get through the last 30 pages - the wedding preparations were a bit boring and dragged on. Also, the grandfather clock thing seemed to come out of nowhere. But all in all a nice read.

[Rachel]

I did not read the first 2 novels, only this one. While I enjoyed the story line and reading a book from an Amish perspective, parts of the book seemed tedious. It was sometimes hard to follow the dialogue and action, and I also felt that some subplots were unresolved. Since I grew up in Lancaster County, however, I did have a connection to the story and could picture some of the places mentioned in the book.

[Beatrice Moore]

Very Inspiring Story

This story has ups & downs but came out in the end showing how God guides us in our every day walk with Him and showed how we are suppose to be in obedience to His written word.

[Debra]

I thought I knew who it was. I was right. The need to take out your anger on an entire community for the misdeeds of one person is beyond my understanding. As usual Linda Byler has weaved a fascinating story and given so many insights into the Amish culture. A culture she lives daily.

[Jackie Parrott]

All's well that ends well

I loved this story cause it shows that we can only find peace through forgiveness.And also that beauty is not only on the outside but what's inside of us. This is a very good book for anyone.

[Christine]

This book had it all suspense and intrigue! Love Amish books and reading about how they live their traditions and their way of life always fascinated me ! Love to learn the German dialect ! Nice to read a book with a happy ending

[Corrie]

The main character can be infuriating throughout all 3 books in this series,but she is still a well written character who you love,but want to smack (oh wait ....this is an Amish book ...No violence!🤣)We see her growth throughout the series and in the end, she is afforded her (and the communities) fairytale ending. Highly recommended, but read them in order!

[Di Schlenk]

The final book in the Lancaster burning trilogy.

The debate continues as the barns burn, testify or not. Forgive or revenge?

Matthew or Lee?

A great read, right to the last page.

[Marilyn Rushing]

Love this series! Great author!!

[Claudia]

Nice finish to a 3 book series.

[Danni]

Interesting

[Cheryl]

The third in the series that wraps up all the questions left from the first two.

[Becky]

very good book very goo seris

[Sheila Myers]

A very good ending to this series. I really enjoyed the way Linda Byler wrote the epilogue by weaving the events to a clock.

[Carol]

This is the third in the series, and somehow I missed the second volume, but it continues the story. A firebug is loose in Lancaster County, Penn., and is targeting the barns of Amish farmers. When Sarah’s friend Lydia’s barn catches fire, all Sarah can think of is to save the horses. A beam explodes overhead and she is burned. The two men in her life, her heartthrob Matthew, who never joined the church and is now Christian, and good friend Lee, who is a member of the Amish church, visit her separately, but they have different reactions to her burned face. Both say they want to marry her, so she must choose. The alternate story line is about her father, Bishop David Beiler, and his insistence that the firebug must be forgiven and no Amish person should go to a court of law to testify, as specified in their faith. But with so many burned barns and tempers running high, the men are not listening. And now that his daughter is burned, will Bishop David change his stand? Interestingly enough, a third story line is about Sarah’s older brother Levi, who has Down Syndrome, and the way he is viewed in the family and community.

[Nat Kidder]

The story starts off fast, with an arsonist torching an Amish barn and a young Amish lady pining for a charming, if flirtatious, young Amish man. But neither of these subplots get fully resolved; Ms. Byler might as well have put a To Be Continued... at the end. Moreover, the dialogue sequences are so choppy that the reader often wonders who is saying what.

Some reviewers complained about the product placements in the novel. Personally, I think Ms. Byler, who is Amish herself, just wanted to make the point that even the Plain folk buy, rather than make, their own household items. (Of course, they probably purchase private-label, as opposed to national, brands.)

All in all, an interesting peek into the true world of Amish living. But as a story, it leaves much to be desired.

[Kate]

I think this was my favourite of the "Lancaster Burning" trilogy. Not only did it finally answer some questions about what was going on in Sarah's life and in the community at large, there were some really rich details about Amish life itself in the narrative, moreso than in the other books, I think. As I was finishing the last few chapters, I realised just how *much* I enjoy Linda Byler's writing style, and she has moved to near the top of my must-read authors of Amish fiction!