Where Secrets Sleep

House of Secrets #1

by Marta Perry

In small town Laurel Ridge, not everything is as simple as it appearsAfter a terrible betrayal, Allison Standish flees Philadelphia for the small Amish village of Laurel Ridge to claim an unexpected inheritance. Allison intends to sell the mansion housing various shops on Main Street-until she meets Nick Whiting, a single father and tenant of Blackburn House, who challenges everything she believes about her estranged grandmother and the Amish community.Strange stipulations in her grandmother's will soon bring distant relatives and seething townsfolk to Allison's door. As anonymous threats escalate, Nick grows protective of Allison, and she finds herself falling for the handsome carpenter… But then she discovers her grandmother's death may not have been accidental, and someone wants Allison gone. Permanently."Perry's story hooks you immediately. Her uncanny ability to seamlessly blend the mystery element with contemporary themes makes this one intriguing read."-RT Book Reviews on Home by Dark

Genres: Mystery, Amish, Fiction, Romance, Mystery Thriller, Amish Fiction, Romantic Suspense

378 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Marta Perry is a Pennsylvania-based author of over 35 novels, many of them inspirational romances. She uses her rural Pennsylvania life and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in writing her books, especially in her Pleasant Valley Amish series for Berkley Books and her new Amish-set suspense series for HQN Books.

Marta and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a quiet central Pennsylvania valley. They have three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren, and when she's not busy writing her next book, she's usually trying to keep up with her gardening, baking for church events, or visiting those beautiful grandkids.

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected inheritance from the grandmother she has never met sees Allison Standish head to the Amish village of Laurel Ridge. Her thoughts are it will also give her time to come to terms with betrayal from one she loves and decide what she wants from her future. Her plan is to sell Blackburn House, the mansion which houses various shops on Main Street. Her encounter with Nick Whiting, father of young son Jamie, leaves her unsettled. A prowler, anonymous threats and inexplicable accidents have Allison and others on edge. Who is responsible? And what secrets are they trying to keep hidden?
This story captured my attention from the outset. I liked Allison, Amish quilt maker Sarah is another lovable character and then there’s Nick and young Jamie. Just love the two of them. The setting and the snippets of Amish life were well conveyed. One of those books where I just wanted to keep reading every chance I got. A book of mystery, secrets, family, friendship, and romance I really enjoyed this one. Ending a little uneven but still definitely well worth reading. A definite recommended read.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHERE SECRETS SLEEP is a mystery of who done it with the twists and turns of a great page turner that I just couldn’t put down. Marta Perry creates a suspenseful atmosphere, and leads the reader to a variety of conclusions.

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dorine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story with Amish characters but the romance is between the Englisch among them, along with some suspense to keep everyone in this rural town on edge and helping one another through a wave of unexpected crime. Enjoy more suspense reviews at TBR MOUNTAIN RANGE.

I always sit with a sappy grin on my face when I begin a Marta Perry book. Perry's stories are like coming home to homemade apple pie after a stressful journey. They're sweet and wholesome with some suspense seasoned in to keep the reader turning the pages. The character conflict of a city girl landing in Amish country because of an inheritance creates ambience instantly for some cute situations to lighten the serious nature of the suspense in this latest endeavor. These key ingredients combined are why I began WHERE SECRETS SLEEP with a satisfied sigh.

Interior Designer Allison "Ally" Standish catches her boyfriend in bed with her boss. Now, not only has Allison lost her job, she's lost someone she thought was a good friend and mentor, not to mention her heartache over her boyfriend's cheating when he thought Allison had already left for her trip. How could she have been so blind?

Allison left that day with her cat for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, after being disrespected by these two people in her life. She had already scheduled personal time off to look over the property that her estranged father's mother, who is the grandmother she never knew, left her in her will. Blackburn House is a historical mansion that is currently being used commercially and Allison is the new owner, per the lawyer who contacted her. Her initial gut instinct is to get rid of this "white elephant" as fast as possible and get on with her life.

Life has a funny way of becoming more complicated than expected as Allison finds out when she realizes that more than one person wants this property she inherited, or she must make it profitable within a year if she wants to keep it. Should she sell or accept the challenge? Someone is determined to convince her to leave, or so it seems, as one thing after another seems to go wrong, including implicating Allison as a criminal. Can there be a new beginning for this city girl in a small rural community, or should she hightail it out of there as fast as possible?

Carpenter Nick Whiting is a single, divorced dad trying to make a good life for his son in the town where his family has a carpentry business. Nick's shop and showroom is at Blackburn House and he's not so sure he trusts the new owner, an outsider, to do what's best for all those who share the space. Blackburn House rents to a quilt shop, a bookstore, a lawyer and a realtor, in addition to Nick's family's business. Nick needs to think of his son first and not follow through on his attraction to Allison. Can he keep his heart closed off to someone who has begun to impress not just his friends and family, but also the young boy he's trying to protect?

WHERE SECRETS SLEEP contains likeable characters you'll find familiar if you love small town rural America and all the intricacies that make it a well-rounded place to live. It's a quaint story that focuses on the relationships of the Amish with the Englisch, exposing their differences as well as their willingness to be compatible as neighbors. There are some references to Amish faith and how it affects their way of life, but this story isn't about faith, or just the Amish, as much as it's about learning to live a fulfilling life. This story is modern but still exemplifies the less modern way of life in an Amish community.

The romance is sweet between Allison and Nick but there is some violence that is typical in a romantic suspense that reads more like a cozy murder mystery. Blackburn House is the perfect setting for a blending of characters from the charming Amish spinster, to the city girl who is transplanted into rural America and is attracted to a handsome carpenter with a cute child, to the meddling Englisch bookstore owner who can't keep his nose out of anyone's business, mixed in with various other characters including some devious villains.

I'm a fan of Amish suspense but I found the originality in this story particularly engaging. The setting lends itself to an almost Gothic Romance feel, without the ghosts, where the house is creepy and especially so when the plot quickens. If you need to relax, a trip to Amish country always does it, even when there's murder and mayhem afoot as in this story. If you're familiar with Amish country, then WHERE SECRETS SLEEP will certainly make you yearn for it.

As the first book in the HOUSE OF SECRETS series by Marta Perry, WHERE SECRETS SLEEP engages the heart. Great suspense mixed with delightful characters you'll look forward to revisiting in the next book.

Reviewed by Dorine, courtesy of Romance Junkies and TBR Mountain Rance. ARC provided by NetGalley.

[Karyn Niedert · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Where Secrets Sleep" was an extremely enjoyable book with plenty of twists and turns to keep a reader involved with the story. I enjoyed how Perry allowed the relationship between Allison and Nick to develop, with both of them having time to come to terms with their fears. It was particularly heartwarming to read about young Jamie and his little boy charms, seeming to sweep Allison off her feet as much as Nick did!


So glad I had the opportunity to read this story, and am hoping for a follow up that involves Sarah with a chance for romance with Aaron King.


Tremendous thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! How have I never read a book by Marta Perry before?? I cannot wait to get to book two, I love the inclusion of Amish in the story without the whole story revolving around the Amish. A good mystery. I figured out who did it but not why. A great read.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rats! Another time I thought the book was Christian Fiction and it wasn't. Ah well. It was a pretty good book, just dragged on a lot.

One thing I enjoyed about this book is that it wasn't an Amish book, but there was an Amish woman who owned a quilting shop in the building the main character just inherited. This woman, through conversations with Allison explained things about the Amish people I'd never heard explained in Amish books... at least not to my satisfaction. Things like why they don't have electrical wires attached to their homes. They have electricity in the form of generators and batteries, and gas lights, but they are not allowed to go on the city grid. Also, I learned about their aversion to pictures of them and modern gadgets like computers.

Good book.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, solid suspense set in the Amish community. This book kicks off a new series. Loved the mystery and had the book finished in no time.

[T.J. Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wasn’t jazzed by this book. While the basic story with regards to the mystery/suspense part of the book was pretty well done, it totally lacked the support of the romance aspect of it. That came across as something of an afterthought on the author’s part. You would be reading along and getting into the story and then it was as if the author remembered that this was also supposed to be a romance and threw those characters together for a brief moment before getting back to business.

I don’t need a book to have loads of steamy for me to classify it as a romance, but you absolutely need more personal interaction than a few tiny kisses here and there for me to believe the emotion behind a relationship. You definitely need more than a few hours together over a few weeks for me to believe that your characters are deeply, emotionally connected to each other no matter what else may be going on in the story. Heck, even if those personal interactions are just conversations and time spent doing anything together, it works way better than the effort that was put into this.

I used to really love the mystery genre, but I haven’t been all that interested lately. I picked this up because I wanted something different for a change. The potential for a good mystery romance seemed to be just want I was looking for. Since the romance totally fell flat for me, I hoped I’d get a lot more out of the mystery aspect of the story. While it was decent, it wasn’t awesome and definitely didn’t make up for the missing romance. Besides, there are only so many times when the bad guy spills his guts at the end to wrap everything up nicely in a bow before it becomes a cookie cutter ending to a mystery and leaves the reader half expecting to here “… darn meddling kids!”

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young woman quits her interior design job after finding her lady boss getting comfortable with her boyfriend. She takes her cat and heads to a large town house in Lancaster County, which she recently inherited.

The girl has not been close to this side of her family, after her father left her mother years ago. Her expectation - and everyone else's - is that she will sell the Italianate premises. There is a cabinet maker's on the ground floor at the back, a quilting shop in the front and a small bookstore too. All the proprietors are worried about their leases. Another relative has already made a bid to buy the house. But the lawyers explain that in order for the title to pass, the new owner must run the premises as a going concern for a year.

Then the prowler who has been seen around town shows up, and accidents start to happen. Does someone have a reason to scare away the newcomer, and how far are they prepared to go? And whom can she trust?

This is an unusual romantic suspense story, set in Amish country but involving a mix of Amish and Englisch people. The descriptions are great and suspects abound. I loved this read and recommend it to fans of light crime or romance equally. It's a clean read, suitable for young adults or adults.

[Rowena Philbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Marta Perry book and I really liked it. I'm fixing to get the 2nd in the series to read. If you like amish mysteries this is a good one to read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn’t really call this “Christian fiction”, but it was clean. There wasn’t really any talk of God or the Bible or doing things God’s way, other than what the Amish believe. I did learn some things about the Amish that I didn’t learn in the wide array of Amish fiction I’ve read, so I appreciated that. I thought it was going to revolve around the Amish character, but she was simply a character in an otherwise “English” book. If Amish fiction isn’t your cup of tea, you will enjoy this book because it’s not predominantly Amish at all. I was nervous at a few mentions of sexual tension, wondering where that was leading, but nothing actually happened beyond kissing, so thankfully to remained clean. I loved this romantic suspense book. The best part about it was when it was over, I found out it was a series. So I get to see the lovely characters agin in 2 more books!

[Sharon Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

i rate a book high when it excites me . This book starts with a bang and keeps you suspended all the way through. Each page has a small secret that keeps you to keep on reading and reading. i started at 10 pm and finally had to stop at 3 am and could hardly wait to go back to bed to read again the next nite. a woman inherited a manor in a small town by a grandmother she never knew and on her wait out of town she went to say good by to her boyfriend. what she finds sets her on a road of anger and heart break. When she gets to the manor she is told she has to live in the manor for a year before she could sell it or if she doesn't it will go on to the next of kin. But each day something happens. is the manor haunted or is someone trying to force her out. Each page keeps you glued to the story .

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I was drawn in by this intricately woven suspense novel. Who doesn't love a small town mystery with sinister undertones, engaging characters, and a well-developed plot? When Allison Standish is left an inheritance - a Victorian home with various businesses - by a grandmother she never knew, she plans to make quick work of thr situation. Hoping to sell and get out of the small town and back to her city life, things come crashing down once she realizes there are stipulations to the inheritance. And then mysterious happening occurs leaving her confused and unsafe. Add in a disgruntled cousin, a determined businessman, and a handsome cabinetmaker - and you have a great mystery! I listened to the audiobook and was spellbound

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grandmother that she's never met leaves her a house in Amish country. Allison is left a mansion house that has been converted into many small shops. Stipulations in the will leave her and handyman Nick updating and renovating. As Allison meets Nick's son Jamie and his family, she wonders if she could settle down in rural America.

However, as Allison gets to know the other shop owners and townspeople it becomes evident that someone doesn't want her there but why?

The characters are good without being too cheesy. Only a periphery idea of Amish culture and country as she's co-owner of a quilt shop with Amish Sarah.

The narrator did a good job.

[Jess Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a lot of Perry's work previously but I will be reading more. Allison and Nick had a great story to tell. I loved watching the secrets unfold in this small town. The suspense was intense and kept me wondering who the evil person tormenting this poor town was. I have to say it actually took me a little by surprise. I expected someone else. I loved Sarah and hope one day she will get her own story! If you want some suspense, small town life, and family issues this book is definitely for you!

[Cheryl Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but confusing at times. Amazing how quickly Allison's ankle healed and she was able to up and down stairs and run away from the bad guys. Being a visual reader, I had a hard time visualizing the inside of the Blackthorne House. I could picture the inside of the shops but not the hallways, central place where the Jumble Sale took place and the stairways. It just added to the confusion.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

after finding her boss and her boyfriend together in "their"a bed, Allison Standish flees Philadelphia for the Amish village of Laurel Ridge to claim an unexpected inheritance. The Grandmother she never met, Paternal grandmother, left her a historic house changed into businesses. The trick, she has to keep it running in the black for a year. But someone in town seems to want her to not succeed.

[Kathy Bialkoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Secrets Sleep was a fun, enjoyable read. Mystery, suspense and romance combined with some interesting and entertaining characters. The plot, motive and suspicion kept moving among them. I don't know much about the Amish, but cell phones, computers, electricity and cars were worked into the situation which was ok by me.
This was not a nail biting, edge of my seat suspenseful book, but it kept me wondering . An enjoyable read.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. It was a first time read by this author, and I didn't want to put this book down. It had mystery, relationships, family gatherings, and was written in a way that you couldn't wait to find out what happens next. I will read more of her books, and if I like them as much as I did this one, she will be a favorite author.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are just g-o-o-o-d. Ya know what I mean? Stories like this make you postpone whatever you SHOULD be doing because you just HAVE to know what happens next. I will not give away a single thing about this book. I just highly recommend it. But you if you have something you really need to get done ... well, I've warned you.

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Musings

While I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and loved the characters, the romance was weak and lacked any substance. Certainly an element and not the primary focus. That's fine but if romance is part of the story then it still needs to have a story arch to follow the growing attraction between the pair. I just didn't feel much of that. Happy reading!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to complete one of the items on the 2020 Reading Challenge I am participating in. This one covers 2 possible categories for me....A Book by a local author (Marta Perry lives nearby) and a book outside my comfort zone - Amish Fiction. It was a lovely story with engaging characters. Overall the book was interesting.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marta Perry pulls you into this book thinking its about getting away from one devastating situation into another, she had not seen or heard from her grandmother since she doesn't remember ever hearing from or seeing. Then all of a sudden there's more to add to the story. You will want to keep reading to see if things are as they appear.

Okay, I'm on to book number two, "When Secrets Strike"!

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent book. The suspenseful parts felt rushed, and the slow parts dragged on & on in exceedingly boring detail. It had some romantic tension but no spicy stuff at all, so if that’s what you’re into, this isn’t the book for you. Honestly, it was a decent mystery but felt more like a young adult or hallmark mystery than an adult suspenseful mystery.

[JayeL]

Allison Standish inherited property from her estranged grandmother. Of course, it comes with conditions.

This book was ok. I did not see the ending coming, which was good. I also appreciated seeing the Amish characters in the story as the author wrote them.

I didn't appreciate the narrator's work as much h as I could have.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent!

From the first page, this book captured my attention. The mystery of “whodunit” was woven masterfully throughout. I am a pretty good detective, but I couldn’t even venture a guess until almost the end.
Another thing I appreciated is that although there was a bit of romance, it wasn’t syrupy or overdone. Just right. I recommend “Where Secrets Sleep.”

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda different ... there was two times that info was given that I thought was a hint as to who dunnit ... but nothing was ever said about it again ! So ... why did we care if the elevator was not working at 100% and how did her cat get home ? Hmmmm ... unsolved mysteries . Oh well .

[Alyssa White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really glad I picked up this book, it was a wonderful read. I was quite curious to see where it was going to go because it had so many different angles to it, but it was good. I am going to be getting the rest of the books in this collection for sure.

[Rita Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found another fantastic fiction author, Marta Perry!!!! This book kept me so enthralled during two days of being sick and I think she helped me get through two more days of a bronchial/sinus ordeal.
Mystery, romance, families, greed, murder this book has it all!!!