Undercover Amish (Covert Police Detectives Unit Series Book 1)
Page 1
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Undercover Amish
Ashley Emma
The characters and events in this book are the creation of the author, and any resemblance to actual persons or events are purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Cormar Covers.
UNDERCOVER AMISH
Copyright © 2016 by Ashley Emma
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be copied, shared, or used without the author’s permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner, except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, without permission.
Table of Contents
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Author's Note and Some Information about the Amish
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Looking for something new to read? Check out my other books!
Have you always dreamed of becoming an author?
Don’t forget to download three of my eBooks for free, plus the Fearless Author Book Launch & Marketing Checklist at http://www.ashleyemmaauthor.com! You will also get all my future eBooks for free!
Books by Ashley Emma:
Freya: an Amish Short Story (FREE!)
Undercover Amish
Read about when I lived with the Amish:
Ashley’s Amish Adventures: An Outsider Living with the Amish
Ashley’s Amish Adventures: Attending an Amish Wedding
Fearless Author: Prepare, Publish and Launch Your Own eBook
Coming soon:
Amish Under Fire
Legit Work at Home Jobs
Finding Forgiveness
The Secret City
Coming later on:
Identity
Amish Amnesia
Amish Twin Sisters
The Ring Thief
Praise for Undercover Amish
“Undercover Amish is the first Amish novel I've read, and I have to say it was a fascinating and insightful look into a different culture. Ashley Emma clearly did extensive research on the subject and portrayed this group in a compassionate, thoughtful manner. Couple her careful handling of this society with her compelling characters and heart-racing plot, and you've got a real winner!”
-Staci Troilo, author of Mind Control, Bleeding Heart and many other titles
“What can I say, I LOVE mysteries! I love getting to know the characters, their motivations and then trying to figure out the outcomes. I am therefore delighted to have discovered Undercover Amish. Not only does the main character, Olivia, has a unique background of being Amish, but the trajectory of her life from that background to becoming a policewoman is fascinating and totally unexpected. Not only did I find myself engrossed in the unraveling of a crime, but also in the learning about a culture, within my own country, about which I was, admittedly, basically ignorant. Kudos to Ashley Emma for creating this wonderful series. I can't wait to read more of them!"
-Leslie K. Malin, LCSW, psychotherapist, iLife Transition Coach, and author of Cracked Open: Reflections on the Transformative Power of Failure, Fear, & Doubt website/blog: http://www.JustThinkn.com
“Undercover Amish is a suspenseful, realistic work of fiction. Ashley weaves two opposite worlds together in a fast-paced story following Detective Olivia Mast. Olivia’s journey forces her to face issues of identity, rise up to work challenges, and eventually she finds love. It’s an easy read that will keep you guessing until the end.”
-J.P. Sterling, author of Ruby in the Water
“Buy this book! It's a five-star read in my opinion. Whether you have ever read Amish detective stories before or not, I know you'll like this one and be totally engaged from start to finish. The characters are well-developed, unique, quirky, and three-dimensional. I enjoyed the author giving her readers an inside view of the Amish community, especially during dangerous and unpredictable times. I eagerly await the sequel to this novel!”
-Wendy Pearson, moderator of The Write Practice
“I love a good mystery and this one has an interesting storyline. A relatively short read and kept me engaged and trying to guess the next twist. This is the kind of book I love to have when traveling or for an afternoon at the beach.”
-C.L. Ferrari, bestselling author of Enriching Your Retirement
“Ashley Emma has crafted an intriguing crime mystery with a surprising twist. I didn't see that ending coming at all. And I'm a little jealous. Once I got into this book, I couldn't put it down.”
-Michael Wilkinson, bestselling author of A Father’s Guide to Raising Daughters
“I really enjoyed this book, right through the last page!! Undercover Amish is a compelling read that will keep you going until the very end! The only disappointing thing for me about Undercover Amish was when the story ended—I already miss the main characters!”
-Sue M Wilson, author of Home Matters
www.suemwilson.com
“This book will take no time at all to grab you and take you into a world most of us know nothing about. Because the author spent time with the Amish, Ashley Emma is able to present her story in a truthful manner. After you read this, you will feel as though you know enough to say you understand them. (You may even find yourself wanting to wear more solids.) But murder has crept into their safe haven. Olivia, the main character, who was once Amish comes back and investigates a string of crimes, all while being undercover. I highly recommend this book. Ashley keeps you on the edge of your horse and buggy seat while making you fall in love with her characters. You’ll be sorry once it is over. Thankfully there are more of her books to read coming soon!”
-Emily L. Pittsford, author of A Most Incredible Witness
“Don't let the word "Amish" fool you, with more than one twist at the end, this book is very riveting. I didn't want to put it down. I've been looking for a new author to read for a while, so glad I found Ashley Emma. Can't wait for her next one.”
-Karen Herzog, court transcript proofreader
http://www.ProofIsInTheReading.com
Praise for Ashley’s Amish Adventures
“A refreshing glimpse inside Ashley Emma’s writing process. Reading about her in-depth, genuine curiosity and appreciation for the people she met on her adventure into the Amish community felt like an intimate behind-the-scenes tour.”
--Marie Schaeller, bestselling author of Breaking the Chains of Silence
http://www.Marieschaeller.com
“Emma Ashley is a brilliant author. I admire her work. I was wondering what it is like to be Amish and also what it is like to be inside an Amish community. Through her books, she leads the readers into an
unknown environment. She does it in a way that does not make me feel lost or left all by myself. She holds the reader's hand all along through the story. Therefore, I recommend you to get a tour with Emma Ashley in her Amish world.”
--Ndeye Labadens, multi-bestselling author of African Memories: Travels into the Interior of Africa, Secrets Book Launch Journey to the Ultimate Success, Relocation without Dislocation: Make New Friends and Keep the Old, and Australian Memories: Discover the Aussie Land and the Mysterious Red Center
“An intriguing and riveting read! This book gives readers a very rare peek into life in an Amish community. The author personally immersed herself into the Amish life, in order to authentically portray their passion for contentment, simplicity, and faith as the setting for an adventure of a lifetime. While it is an easy read, it is very intriguing and riveting! The author has a way of drawing a reader into every scene and keeping the momentum going. The characters she introduces us to are so real and relatable, despite the fact that they live such distinct lives from what would be considered main stream modern America! In fact, there is a sense of envy that causes an inevitable reflection on what we consider to be necessary and essential in our daily lives. It was a refreshing read!”
--Tracy Lee, author and pastor
“I LOVE these Amish books by Ashley Emma. They not only grab your interest and keep you reading, they give you a feel like you know a few Amish people and care about them. This is the most powerful step to understanding a culture different from your own. Thanks, Ashley, you have broadened my horizons and you made it fun on the way! There is also a homespun gentleness and honesty about the spiritual side of these differences. If everyone acted like this, Christianity would have a better world view and there would be less hatred in the world. There is nothing more we could ask for from a few books!”
--Chris McKay Pierce, author of Customer Service can be Murder
Acknowledgements for Undercover Amish
I first of all want to thank God for giving me a love of writing which began when I was a child. He has set me on this journey full of ups and downs, including eleven years of writing books and making writing mistakes that have gotten me where I am now. It has been a long road, but finally, the first of several of my books has been published and my dreams have come true!
I also want to thank my husband David who has cheered me up when things got difficult and encouraged me when I thought the book would be a failure. He has been on board with me from the beginning and is always by my side!
Thank you to my parents, the most generous people I know! Thank you to my dad for building our house and to my mom for being a saintly mother of all six of us kids. She homeschooled us and brought me to dance practices and encouraged all of us to follow our dreams. She was the one who first got me interested in the Amish when she let me borrow some of her Amish romance novels. My mom was also the one who came with me when I went to live with the Amish for the first time. She is the kind of person who will drop everything to help someone when they call, and I hope I can be as generous as my parents one day.
Thank you to Scott Evans, my brother-in-law who is a police officer, for answering all my questions about police procedurals and crime scene investigations.
Thank you to these particular beta readers who gave me valuable feedback that greatly improved this manuscript: Ethan Musser, Wendy Pearson, Peggy Lowell, C.L. Ferarri, Eve Foreman, Sue Wilson, Brittany Nidds, and Jen Mikesell. Thank you so much for your suggestions!
And thank you to these awesome proofreaders in my Facebook circle of proofreaders who found all those sneaky typos: Sharon Ferrell, Staci Troilo, Rachel Boice, Lisa Incarnato, Kelly Polvi, Suzette May, Diana Smith Busby, and Megan Romania.
A BIG thank you to Stacy Claflin, Kathy Ide and Carol J. Post, three amazing authors who answered so many of my questions over email. I hope that one day I will be half the writers you are and that I can pass down what I have learned to someone who will appreciate it like you did for me. I’ve never met either of you in person but I am so grateful to you for teaching me so much! Thank you, Carol, for reading and critiquing the book! You’ll never know how much I appreciate it.
Thank you to Stephanie Blore and Marilize Roos for reading this book, helping me tweak certain parts and making it is so much better! I appreciate your help and feedback so much.
Also a big thank you to my Amish friends in Unity, Maine, who let me stay with them and befriend them as I did research for this novel. They are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met and I truly do admire them.
Author’s Note and Some Information about the Amish:
Thank you for reading Undercover Amish: A Covert Police Detectives Novel. I had a lot of fun spending time with the Amish of Unity, Maine for this series when I was twenty years old, then I wrote this book (and a few other Amish novels coming soon) shortly after.
I wrote two books that describe when I lived with their community for several days in my series Ashley’s Amish Adventures. If you are curious about what it would be like to live with the Amish, I bet you would like these books!
Many people have preconceived notions about the Amish that are just not true, thanks to unrealistic novels and TV shows. There are numerous communities scattered across the USA, and there are also some in Canada. All of them are unique and have different rules.
For example, many people might think that the Amish speak very formally, but in Maine they talk just like you and me when they are speaking English. Some of the houses do have an outlet for charging battery-operated devices. Also, they eat food that one would not think is Amish, like taco casseroles. They ride bikes, but they don’t play instruments. They shop in stores to buy things like toothpaste, perfume, hair elastics, crackers, and cereal.
They have first names that don’t always sound very Amish, and “dating” and “courting” mean the same thing to them. They do not use electricity, but they do have indoor toilets. The Amish are known for being pacifists and they do not report crimes within their community. They are against answering questions from the police about those crimes. They believe that they should forgive and move on, and they believe that vengeance is the Lord’s, no matter what.
A few of these things might differ for other Amish communities, such as the Amish of Lancaster County, because I based this novel on the Amish of Maine. They are a really awesome group of people! They are very friendly, outgoing, and approachable. They welcomed me, a total stranger, into their homes and befriended me. They were also happy that I was doing my research before writing this book.
Covert Police Detectives Unit is a fictional branch in Maine made of police officers, detectives, special agents and bodyguards who all work together. In the upcoming books in this series, you will meet characters who work in the different departments of CPDU.
I do hope you enjoy this story! If you enjoyed it, I would appreciate an honest review on Amazon so other potential buyers can see what you thought of the book. Here is the link.
Please visit http://ashleyemmaauthor.com to download some of my books for free and join my email list so you can be the first to know about new book releases. You can also become a beta reader—one of the first people to read my new books—and get them all for free!
If you want to see photos from my Amish adventure, check out my author Facebook page. Also, I love to hear from my readers. Please feel free to email me at amishbookwriter@gmail.com or ashley@ashleyemmaauthor.com and we can chat!
Happy reading!
Ashley Emma
Chapter One
“Did you find everything you were looking for?” Jake asked.
Olivia Sullivan looked up to see her husband staring at her with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. The anger flickering in them would soon grow into a hungry flame. He wouldn’t yell at her here in the grocery store, but she should hurry to avoid a lecture later at home.
For a moment, she pondered his question. Had she found everything she was looking for?
No.
/> This was not the life she had signed up for when she had made her vows to Jake Sullivan.
“Liv? Did you hear me?” His voice, low and menacing, came through clenched teeth.
“Sorry. I just need to find some toothpaste. I’ll be right back.”
“Hurry up. I’m hungry and want to go home.”
Liv scurried with her basket toward the other end of the store, her long purple dress flapping on her legs. She tugged on the thin ribbons of her white prayer kapp to make sure it wasn’t crooked and almost ran in to her neighbor, Isaac Troyer.
She halted so fast, her basket tipped and her groceries clattered to the floor. “Hi, Isaac. I’m so sorry! I almost ran you over.”
“It’s all right, Liv. Don’t worry about it!” He grinned, green eyes sparkling reassuringly. Then the smile slid from his face and concern shadowed his expression.
Fear swelled within her. Did he know?
She squirmed and avoided his gaze. “I’m so clumsy. I really should watch where I’m going.” She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she dropped to the floor to pick up her groceries. Isaac hurried to help her.
“Really, everyone does these things. So how are you, Liv?” he asked in all seriousness, using the nickname he used to call her when they had dated as teens. They had been so in love back then—until Jake came along and stole her heart with his cheap lies. Isaac was an old friend now and nothing more. The piece of her she had given to him when they had dated died the day she married Jake.