This is a good Amish Christian mystery with twist and turns. I thought some of the good guys could have been the the murder(s) but I am glad I was wrong. Henry and Emma are good friend and good at solving a mystery--they make a cute older couple. My grade for this book is A.

This is an intriguing book! Henry, an Amish bishop, tries to help Sophie, an English waitress who seems to be afraid of being followed.
They live in an area near a crane and wildlife refuge, which plays an important part in the story.
Sophie is befriended by Henry and Emma, she even stays a night at Emma's house. Sophie gives Emma a disk drive with files in it and she tells her to open it on a computer if anything happens to her.
Sophie is being followed by a group of people with a secret related to her husband's death, these people are desperate to keep their secret hidden!
Henry has the talent of drawing a picture that is so detailed that it looks like a photograph, this is a talent he acquired by being hit in the head when by a baseball when he was 12 . Henry draws a picture of Sophie helping an elderly woman at the diner, and she is shocked by his talent and she asks him not to show the picture to anyone.
Sophie leaves a message on her sister's phone telling her how much she loves her. That same day Sophie goes out to the crane refuge to take pictures of some elk licking a salt block. She is being watched by the people who killed her husband.
The next day Henry is out for a walk in the dunes with his dog, Lexie and he finds a body face down on the ground - it is Sophie!
Henry tells the police and goes home to rest, but he can't sleep, so he draws some pictures of Sophie at the diner and out at the dunes.
Henry is then accused of killing Sophie, and his friends and Sophie's sister Tessa have to prove his innocence.
Why was Sophie hiding?
Why would a picture cause her death?

Henry Lapp is bird-watching when he stumbles over the body of a waitress from the diner he frequents, and so the mystery begins. Henry is a widowed Amish bishop with a great love for his flock. His closest friend is Emma Fisher, a widow. Henry and Emma are thrust into the murder investigation when a gung-ho FBI agent accuses Henry of murder. I was so happy to meet up with Henry again in this second book in the Amish Bishop Mysteries. Once again Henry’s “photographic” memory stands him in good stead as the story unfolds. Book could be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading book 1 first as it has more of the backstory.

This book reminded me very much of a series I read back in the 80's...On Monday the Rabbi Took Off (and that whole series), only with an Amish bishop as the lead character instead. There was mystery and intrique, and a real storyline, but it was done cleanly and wholesomely.

When the Bishop Needs an Alibi is a cozy mystery. I enjoyed revisiting with the people we met in the first back. I loved the Bishop. He not only cared and loved the people in his flock but showed concerned and sympathy for those outside the Amish faith. Like in the previous book he uses his skills at drawing from his subconscious mind to solved a mystery. This mystery involves a woman he befriended and was murdered and he is the main suspect. All his family and friends and even some of his non Amish friends know he is innocent but how does he prove it? This book kept me turning the pages to see who did it. If you are looking for a book heavy on romance this book is not it. There is a developing friendship with an Amish widow woman close to his age that is turning into a sweet romance but no public display of affection in this book.

This book kept me engaged and I look forward to the next in the series which will be released in the Spring of 2018. Thanks to netgalley and Harvest House publishers for providing me a digital book to read and review. When the Bishop Needs an Alibi is due to be released on September 1, 2017.

"When the Bishop Needs An Alibi" is such a well written combination of the Amish and mystery/suspense genres. It kept me up most of the night and throughout a car ride home today from vacation! I just could not put it down! In "When the Bishop Needs An Alibi", readers are re introduced to Henry, an Amish Bishop in Colorado, and his community including Emma, and her daughter and son in law Clyde and Rachel and their family. Henry is a widowed bishop, who has "adopted" Emma's family and others in his community, as he does not have any children. He is very highly respected and admired by his community and by the English, or non-Amish, in the area. His friendship with a local new waitress, Sophia, leads to his grief when she is found dead, and to his deep concern when he is suspected in her death. Emma and her family work together, using his gift with sketching, to find clues to Sophia's death to prove Henry's innocence in a sinister scheme.
Throughout the story, it is touching to witness the beautiful friendship that continues to deepen between lifelong friends Emma and Henry, both widowed. Also, it is beautiful to witness her deep family ties, and also the deep caring that everyone has for Henry. I really hope to see more books in this series!