What do you think?
Rate this book
Lancaster Burning #3
The Witnesses
The Final Book in Bestselling Amish Writer Linda Byler's Lancaster Burning Trilogy
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?
In this third and final novel in the Lancaster Burning series, author Linda Byler takes us inside the home of Davey Beiler, the leader of this Amish district. He clearly feels the heat in more ways than one. Some of the younger members of his church are ready to testify against the man who has allegedly started at least several of the fires. Davey counsels patience and forgiveness.
But when Sarah, Davey’s daughter, spots flames late one night in the widow Lydia’s barn, Sarah refuses to let the fire win. She gets the horses out just in time, but not before a beam explodes overhead, knocking her to the ground as the barn rages in flames all around her. In that moment, Sarah’s life “turned darker than black.” Gone were her lovely good looks, her life as a teacher, and perhaps the attention of the two young men who had been so drawn to her.
No one suffers more torment than Davey, who wonders if he was really responsible for Sarah's accident. If he had agreed to have police guard the Amish farms, as some wanted, Sarah would not have been hurt.
The Amish may be peace-loving, but they are not without their tensions. Author Byler, who is herself a member of the Amish, writes 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?
In this third and final novel in the Lancaster Burning series, author Linda Byler takes us inside the home of Davey Beiler, the leader of this Amish district. He clearly feels the heat in more ways than one. Some of the younger members of his church are ready to testify against the man who has allegedly started at least several of the fires. Davey counsels patience and forgiveness.
But when Sarah, Davey’s daughter, spots flames late one night in the widow Lydia’s barn, Sarah refuses to let the fire win. She gets the horses out just in time, but not before a beam explodes overhead, knocking her to the ground as the barn rages in flames all around her. In that moment, Sarah’s life “turned darker than black.” Gone were her lovely good looks, her life as a teacher, and perhaps the attention of the two young men who had been so drawn to her.
No one suffers more torment than Davey, who wonders if he was really responsible for Sarah's accident. If he had agreed to have police guard the Amish farms, as some wanted, Sarah would not have been hurt.
The Amish may be peace-loving, but they are not without their tensions. Author Byler, who is herself a member of the Amish, writes a tautly told story, full of dark fears, difficult dilemmas, and deep love.
336 pages, Paperback
Published February 4, 2020
79 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Linda Byler
87 books227 followersLinda 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 38 reviews
August 23, 2015
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
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
January 2, 2018
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.
If you are interested in the Amish life style and beliefs, that may pull you through the book.
October 13, 2015
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.
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.
August 9, 2016
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.
December 23, 2015
It was worth the wait. I am so glad that I was finally able to finish this series.
December 19, 2015
Linda Byler has become one of my favorite Amish authors!
June 19, 2017
Page turner! Read all 3 books in trilogy in 5 days.
July 10, 2017
Really enjoyed the way this three book series ended.
August 25, 2024
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.
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.
July 27, 2018
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.
June 30, 2022
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.
May 12, 2019
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.
August 1, 2019
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.
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.
July 7, 2019
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.
The debate continues as the barns burn, testify or not. Forgive or revenge?
Matthew or Lee?
A great read, right to the last page.
March 11, 2021
I love her book's.
I can't wait to read more.
I didn't read this series in order I still need to read the 2nd book, I was able to get in to the 3rd book just fine.
I can't wait to read more.
I didn't read this series in order I still need to read the 2nd book, I was able to get in to the 3rd book just fine.
April 15, 2022
Love this series! Great author!!
June 5, 2022
Nice finish to a 3 book series.
August 4, 2022
Interesting
December 12, 2022
The third in the series that wraps up all the questions left from the first two.
February 23, 2025
very good book very goo seris
February 1, 2025
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.
September 20, 2015
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.
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.
October 2, 2016
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!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 38 reviews