WHAT BISHOP SAW by Vannetta Chapman. We meet Henry, home from the hospital, 12 years old, wanting to go out and play ball. All he can do is draw, pencil cramped his fingers, he had put so much detailed into it. Father sees picture, like a photograph, the detail. You shouldn't be able to do this. The sadness, anger and love, he had drawn. Was this from him being in a coma. Years later, a fire, at Vernon home all gone, Henry now a bishop, would tend to his flock, to help them thru this. Glass on the inside, fire was started, why kill him, even if not well liked. Would Henry use "his gift" after all these years, he hesitant, opening Bible. Verse "saying to use the gifts he was given". He saw Vernon the night before. A compelling story of a mystery with the touch of Amish. The story captures you from the first, to the last, what did the Bishop see. Great story for a light easy mystery to read. Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Henry Lapp is a widower in his mid 60s and the bishop in his close-knit Colorado Amish community. He is loved by his congregation and he is well-respected by the law. Henry has a God given skill that he has had since a child. He can re-create detailed drawings of things he has seen, things that are in his sub-conscious mind. When an unlikable person in the Amish community dies he decides to help the law to clear this man's name and then continues to help the law find the real culprit.

This book kept me guessing. I had no idea who it was until the suspect revealed himself. I loved all the characters and can't wait to visit with them again in more of the Bishop Mystery books. There was a touch of romance in this book but not a great deal. I saw on Amazon that the second one in the series, When the Bishop Needs an Alibi will be released on August 29, 2017.

What the Bishop Saw will be released on April 25, 2018. Thanks to Netgalley and Harvest House Publishers for providing me an digital copy of this book to review.

Vannetta Chapman creates an amazing read with "What the Bishop Saw", a return in theme to her earlier Amish mystery series, and a novel that is very difficult to put down! I was given this to read and review, and I enjoyed every second! "What the Bishop Saw" takes place in Monte Vista, Colorado, an area that the Amish have started settling into in the past 15-20 years in a search for affordable fertile farmland. The community is small but quite close knit. Henry, the bishop, who is a widower, guides the families with a very compassionate yet firm hand. The children and adults alike truly seem to adore him and appreciate his wisdom. Henry becomes involved, unusually so, for Amish, in an arson investigation aimed at stopping a string of arsons targeting the Amish community. Emma, a local Amish widow who lives with and helps raise her sons' family, is a dear and longtime friend, and she offers quite a bit of wisdom and input when Henry and her family members seek her guidance. Henry has quite a gift of drawing scenes from within his memory to the most minute detail, a gift that has helped solve crimes, though a gift he is reluctant to use. Henry, Emma, and others in the community work with the authorities to find the arsonist before more peoples homes and lives are threatened. I cannot recommend this book enough, it is simply compelling.