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Crimson Stain: The Shocking True Story of the Only Amish Man Ever Convicted of Homicide
The shocking true story of murder in Amish country revisits the chilly March evening when Edward Gingerich slaughtered his wife with his two children as witnesses. Original.
354 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 12, 2016
I loved this book! I am a fan of reading amish fiction and I came across this one. My friend had given me a recommedation to this book and I was very excited to get my hands on the book. It came to my attention it was amish non-fiction about a true crime to make it even better! After reading I found this book at a garage sale in wonderful condition! Lets say I had an amazing day when I found it! :) I highly recommend this book to anyone who's into true crime or Amish reading. It is definitely one of my favorite books of all time.
May 2, 2011
I have to give this book three stars out of five because as a true-crime aficionado, I just wasn't feeling the tension in the story for a long while. This is the story of the only Amish man ever convicted of murdering his wife, and it was a rather gruesome crime at that, but I had to read most of the book waiting for that to happen. The murder happens around page 185 and I was frankly starting to get bored with reading it prior to that. There was some tension leading up to the murder, of course, but that was only present in the fifty pages prior to the murder; there was just an awful lot of character development and background that I wasn't certain was really necessary to the story. I also felt that the story ended rather abruptly with the sentencing of the Amish man. There was one small concluding paragraph, but I felt like the conclusion was rushed, and it left me wanting to know more about what happened to the man after he served his time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2018
I was terrified when this book was announced as our book club selection and was prepared to be unable to finish. I needed a book of true crime for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge, so if I could get through it, I’d at least have that off the list. I was so surprised.
Yes, the event and its description are gruesome. Yes, those images are going to be hard to shake. The writing is mediocre. The reason I am giving it three stars is the complete captivation that I felt having actually lived in the area when I was a teenager and even knowing one of the key English players in the horrible series of events. Not living in the area at the time, this is the first I have heard of this event in any sort of detail. I am more heartbroken than horrified. I didn’t see that coming at all.
Yes, the event and its description are gruesome. Yes, those images are going to be hard to shake. The writing is mediocre. The reason I am giving it three stars is the complete captivation that I felt having actually lived in the area when I was a teenager and even knowing one of the key English players in the horrible series of events. Not living in the area at the time, this is the first I have heard of this event in any sort of detail. I am more heartbroken than horrified. I didn’t see that coming at all.
January 17, 2016
I find the Amish community fascinating, and living in an area near them helps to learn more about them. I was kind of shocked reading this book because I had a different opinion of them even though an Amish friend told me once that they aren't that different then us "Yankees" except for dress, their beliefs, and staying away from worldly things. They have family problems, domestic vilolence, rape, incest and more.
I think the graphic way in which this book was written is most what shocked me, and how brutal and sick this Amish man was. Interesting...yes, but I can't say that I couldn't wait for it to be done. Not very many true crime novels bother me, as far as reading them, but this one sickened me. Would I recommend it...I'm not sure, but if you don't like reading about
the horrors that murderers can do to a human body...then its not the book for you.
I think the graphic way in which this book was written is most what shocked me, and how brutal and sick this Amish man was. Interesting...yes, but I can't say that I couldn't wait for it to be done. Not very many true crime novels bother me, as far as reading them, but this one sickened me. Would I recommend it...I'm not sure, but if you don't like reading about
the horrors that murderers can do to a human body...then its not the book for you.
January 2, 2013
Out of all books I have read in my life this one really affected me. First I'll say my husband grew up in the Brownhill community and after we got married we lived there for four years. I didn't know the Gingerich's personally like my In-Laws did but I got to know my amish neighbors who were mentioned in the book. So this story hit close to home. Being the avid reader that I am, I can't believe it took me this long to read it. When it came to describing the way Ed killed his wife, Katie...it was gruesome. Ed Gingerich was more disturbed then I've ever imagined. For me the story was well written and it described Ed's life before that dreadful evening of March 18, 1993. I breezed through it but that may be because of my connection to the area and for knowing some of the people mentioned in the story.
March 23, 2021
A bit more graphic than I like. This had some shocking twists.
April 25, 2025
Reading about the true homicide story so close to home was both shocking and very interesting. Especially it being such a rare case of an Amish community.
The graphic depictions of what were done were very vividly described and really had a powerful impact on how seriously messed up things had become.
My only real complaint is that some of the pacing felt hard to keep moving, without just feeling like you're reading a history and law textbook.
Overall, this story was very interesting, especially as a local. It was truly eye-opening how messed up the mental health system is, alongside the justice system.
The graphic depictions of what were done were very vividly described and really had a powerful impact on how seriously messed up things had become.
My only real complaint is that some of the pacing felt hard to keep moving, without just feeling like you're reading a history and law textbook.
Overall, this story was very interesting, especially as a local. It was truly eye-opening how messed up the mental health system is, alongside the justice system.
February 14, 2018
This is my second reading of this book. I have read many true crime over the years. I chose 4 stars because it stays with you. Jim Fisher was a professor of Criminal Justice at Edinboro University. He was not an english major. It is gruesome. Most true crime is. This has so many different aspects to consider- the mental issues, the religion aspect and our judicial system. So many things play into the outcome.
October 1, 2021
Very informative
September 17, 2023
This was a reread. I have a copy of the original version which came out in 2000, but I bought a new copy that included the events that happened after the original book was published.
I've always been interested in this case because I grew up very close to where this happened. I lived with my grand parents as a kid, and they lived a few miles from the Brownhill settlement. The house sat along a stretch of road that Amish buggies traveled on to get to the closest town from the Brownhill settlement, so we saw them often and had to avoid the buggies. The grocery store in town had hitches for them to tie their horses to.
This is a very sad case. When it happened, most people felt Ed Gingerich received far too lenient of a sentence. I was a teenager when it happened, and I remember feeling the same. The author lays out a pretty good case for why he believes a different conviction should have been chosen and why the jury chose the wrong one. When you read the details of what Katie went through and what she lived with leading up to her death, it's hard to argue with him. She died a horrible death, and it was clear Ed felt no guilt or remorse after he murdered her.
I feel the case has never gotten the attention it deserves in part because it's about the Amish community. They are reluctant to interact with the "English, " and they avoid being photographed and filmed as much as possible, so it makes it hard to create documentaries about the subject. Still, Katie's story deserves to be told. She was a woman, a daughter, and a mother, and she was loved by many. What happened to her was terrible. Jim Fisher does an excellent job of telling the story of the events leading up to her murder and what transpired afterward. I highly recommend this book.
I've always been interested in this case because I grew up very close to where this happened. I lived with my grand parents as a kid, and they lived a few miles from the Brownhill settlement. The house sat along a stretch of road that Amish buggies traveled on to get to the closest town from the Brownhill settlement, so we saw them often and had to avoid the buggies. The grocery store in town had hitches for them to tie their horses to.
This is a very sad case. When it happened, most people felt Ed Gingerich received far too lenient of a sentence. I was a teenager when it happened, and I remember feeling the same. The author lays out a pretty good case for why he believes a different conviction should have been chosen and why the jury chose the wrong one. When you read the details of what Katie went through and what she lived with leading up to her death, it's hard to argue with him. She died a horrible death, and it was clear Ed felt no guilt or remorse after he murdered her.
I feel the case has never gotten the attention it deserves in part because it's about the Amish community. They are reluctant to interact with the "English, " and they avoid being photographed and filmed as much as possible, so it makes it hard to create documentaries about the subject. Still, Katie's story deserves to be told. She was a woman, a daughter, and a mother, and she was loved by many. What happened to her was terrible. Jim Fisher does an excellent job of telling the story of the events leading up to her murder and what transpired afterward. I highly recommend this book.
February 4, 2015
OH MY!! This book is NOT for those who have a weak stomach!!! I read this book during my addiction to the True Crime genre ... and because this crime happened so close to my hometown & where I still live now. WOW!!
When one thinks about the Amish & there style of living, I'm pretty sure something like what happened here would never cross their mind. Sure never crossed mine! This story of Gingerich is gruesome, it's mind blowing and it's simply a story of Satan himself. Every once in a while this story crosses my mind again, mostly because the man continued his wicked ways once let back into his community & was once again in our local papers, and it still makes my jaw drop!
I highly recommend this book to True Crime lovers, but only if you have a thick stomach!
When one thinks about the Amish & there style of living, I'm pretty sure something like what happened here would never cross their mind. Sure never crossed mine! This story of Gingerich is gruesome, it's mind blowing and it's simply a story of Satan himself. Every once in a while this story crosses my mind again, mostly because the man continued his wicked ways once let back into his community & was once again in our local papers, and it still makes my jaw drop!
I highly recommend this book to True Crime lovers, but only if you have a thick stomach!
May 2, 2021
Very balanced look at the life of this Amish man, the community that bred him, the crime he committed, and the strengths and failures of the criminal justice system. Everyone’s attitudes, it seems, need to change toward mental illness.
One small note, in the appendix (pictured), Trooper Bey’s name is incorrect. Jerry’s full first name is Gerard, not Gerald (he’s my father). I would’ve thought an otherwise meticulously researched and collected work would have made sure to get that correct.
One small note, in the appendix (pictured), Trooper Bey’s name is incorrect. Jerry’s full first name is Gerard, not Gerald (he’s my father). I would’ve thought an otherwise meticulously researched and collected work would have made sure to get that correct.
June 24, 2019
Poor Ed didn't stand a chance. If only help had been available both Ed and Katie would still be alive. The kids would not be without parents and a whole host of people would have been spared the heartache. Jim Fisher did a wonderful job with his research and telling this story! A true crime like no other!
March 7, 2016
On March 18, 1993 Edward Gingerich killed his wife Katie in front of their two kids.
Not the best written True Crime book but this story is so heartbreaking, compelling and so vile that it pulls you in on its own.
Not the best written True Crime book but this story is so heartbreaking, compelling and so vile that it pulls you in on its own.
February 18, 2016
Not a literary masterpiece or anything, this tracks the mental decline of an Amishman who eventually committed murder in a psychotic rage. Take-home message: never try to treat schizophrenia with reflexology.
April 18, 2010
Good book. Of course even more interesting since I live in the same area as this incident.
December 14, 2017
A friend loaned me this book, as it was written by his former criminology professor. It kept me riveted, although not so much because of the actual crime reporting, as for the description of contemporary life among the Amish. I can say that I probably tripled my knowledge of what they are like, their beliefs and attitudes, and the types of contact they have with the general community and with isolated pockets of Amish in other areas.
As for the crime itself, I found it more sad than outrageous, as the murderer was pretty clearly a schizophrenic with very serious delusions made even worse by exposure to toxic fumes in his workshop that may have caused progressively worse brain damage.
What the author does best, in my view, is to track the main subject's progressively worsening psychological state as witnessed by those around him.
As for the crime itself, I found it more sad than outrageous, as the murderer was pretty clearly a schizophrenic with very serious delusions made even worse by exposure to toxic fumes in his workshop that may have caused progressively worse brain damage.
What the author does best, in my view, is to track the main subject's progressively worsening psychological state as witnessed by those around him.
Want to read
July 17, 2019This is at our house. This is our friends this is what happened Ed gutted his wife like a deer I'm not going on with the entire details. So his nephew comes next they didn't put the rest in the story after all the . But. then the lawyers talk to their kids after talking to the Steiners stanley Steiner made them tell CYS they was playing in the woods acting like Indians so they said Albert rape them but nothing ever went on he put in his article at prison and told the lawyers nothing ever went on so then their daughters standed up convinced and saying that never happened. So now we're fighting to get Albert Gingrich out of prison or something and never went on. Their whole family was shunded on
August 20, 2018
Reader beware! This book is very graphic.
This is the story of the first Amish man to be convicted of homicide. Edward Gingerich brutally kills his wife, in front of two of their children, and proceeds to mutilate her body. This book tells Gingerich's story, including his battle with mental illness. Taking place in the 1990's readers get a glimpse into Amish life and interactions with "the English".
I was very drawn into this book due to my fascination with Amish life, though it was a little too dry for my taste. I'm not a squeamish reader, but the murdery parts of this book were pretty tough to handle. Sensitive readers should avoid completely.
This is the story of the first Amish man to be convicted of homicide. Edward Gingerich brutally kills his wife, in front of two of their children, and proceeds to mutilate her body. This book tells Gingerich's story, including his battle with mental illness. Taking place in the 1990's readers get a glimpse into Amish life and interactions with "the English".
I was very drawn into this book due to my fascination with Amish life, though it was a little too dry for my taste. I'm not a squeamish reader, but the murdery parts of this book were pretty tough to handle. Sensitive readers should avoid completely.
January 24, 2018
Ok, this is not a badly written book ... but the story is horrible, horrible, horrible ... so my rating is based solely on how much I enjoyed, or rather did not enjoy, the story. The brutality is horrible, but even worse is the treatment of people, the manipulation of the law, etc. It's just a horrible story ... not my kind of book at all.
August 23, 2019
Dark and depressing. I'm sorry that Edward was mentally ill but don't believe the Amish community and the justice system gave Katie fair treatment. And, I believe the Amish community and the justice system didn't pay enough attention to the evangelicals proselytizing to Edward. That was not the cause of his insanity but it seemed to contribute greatly to it.
January 15, 2023
It is a well written book that starts out slow, but not in a bad way. There is a lot of information about the Amish way of life. The murder is written in detail as well as the reactions of the other Amish in the community. I would recommend this book to all True Crime readers.
September 24, 2019
Easy read. Interesting, captivating good read.
March 1, 2022
I'm not sure I can accurately rate this due to the true events of this book and how much of an impact they had on my childhood
February 21, 2024
This was a hard read. Just a horrible, tragic story all around.
November 18, 2024
The book tells the story well though I am shocked at how easily he got off. I wonder why the persecution left out what they did.
August 4, 2016
For some reason I read several GR reviews of this book before starting and the party line was: This guy is nuts. So there I am reading the book and thinking he's not nuts, he's just moody and wants to break free from the Amish bonds that contain him but is afraid to/doesn't know how. But then... yeah. He lost his grip on reality and fell into full blown mental psychosis. I feel the author really tried to push that the reason was because his English friend tried to convert him to his religion and I'm sure that added to his confusion, but I think Ed was headed down the bumpy road to madness with or without that. I found it interesting that his Amish community washed their hands of him.
October 1, 2011
The true story of a mentally ill Amsih man who refuses conventional treatment for schizophrenia. As hsi illness progresses unchecked, he becomes more and more paranoid and violent, eventually killing and mutilating his longsuffering wife in front of his small children. Despite a feeling of compassion towards him, after all the man is ill, it was hard to feel anything but anger. Once agan a story where th plight of the perpetrator is put above the victim. Poor Kate Gingerich ends up forgotten before the last page of the book can be turned.
June 15, 2012
Finally finished. This is one of the strangest true crime books I've ever read. Everyone knew who did it. The first 2/3 was all crime set up. It was shocking to see how insane Gingerich was and how the community reacted. He was taken to quack after quack and whenever convinced to see a real doctor quickly went off his meds, at his wife's urging. I was shocked at how gruesome the murder was; it was hard to read.
April 8, 2012
This story was shocking, horrifying and the graphic descriptions! On the other hand the story of this whole descent into insanity which was mistreated and in some instances totally ignored is tragic.
I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their way of life but this book highlights the problems inherent in being so regimented by rules and a refusal to accept that maybe your ways are not the best to deal with a problem.
I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their way of life but this book highlights the problems inherent in being so regimented by rules and a refusal to accept that maybe your ways are not the best to deal with a problem.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews