I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Amish Wife.
The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen is a non fiction that follows a book that he wrote years ago called Abandoned Prayers. There were a few deaths in the Amish community that seemed a little sketchy. Olsen dives further into what happened, rather they were accidents or murder. He finds out what really happened and why.
I really enjoyed this and all of Gregg Olsen's books (that I've read). I would highly recommend this one. I hadn't read the one before this and had no problem following it or understanding what was going on.

Obviously Gregg is a well established author , unfortunately this book was a bit of a let down. Overall I was just really bored with this one. But I’ll always pick up a Gregg book.

**Thank you to Thomas and Mercer/Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for this early release in return of my honest opinion**

This was my first Gregg Olsen book and possibly my last. I just did not love this, you guys. It took me way too long to get through and at times I was seriously cringing.

I don't know if my lack of understanding, this book was allllll over the place, was because I didn't real Olsen's first book or because it was just that, ALL OVER THE PLACE. We were in this state, then that state and talking to this person and then that person. My mind was spinning and trying to figure everyone out. And so many of the same names. If I would have been enjoying this book more I would have taken notes but truly didn't care enough to.

This is a SAD story. Poor Ida and Danny. I felt bad for them and wanted to dive deeper in all that and while the whole book is a run around of trying to piece it all together and find the TRUTH, I just didn't feel any closure?

I almost stopped reading a few times but pushed through because I wanted to know what actually happened to Ida and Danny. I didn't care at all about the gay relationships and who was sleeping with him. I am truly fascinated with the Amish but this just gave me such an IRK feeling of the gay Amish community and the hush, hush of what they will do to protect and keep the outside would out.

I requested this book not realizing it was going to be about a secreted gay Amish man living a double life. (Shame on me for not doing better research)

It felt long at times and exciting at times. But not exciting enough. I thought the book itself was well written and the extensive knowledge that went into everything was impressive, hence the two stars.

I had such high hopes for this one! The synopsis drew me in right away! But it kind of fell flat for me. I found myself kind of confused with all the different people/names. I saw a post that there's a book called "Abandoned Prayers" and perhaps I should have read that one first.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

After I read this tragic story, I had to go back and read more about this family and the tragedy.

We often hear about bthw community and family admisphere between the Amish and it is do hard to believe that this happened and no one had a clue or came forward to dovsomething. Just horrible what goes on right under our noses and we have no clue.

I hope this family found closure and peace

Highly recommend.

This was very informative and okay but personally it dragged for me. I tried to get into it and the story itself was interesting but it felt choppy.

Firstly I just want to say, I can tell the author put a ton of research, time, energy and many years of his life into finding out the truth that was this story.
I think it was very well written and researched and the author really wanted to give the victims justice.
I definitely could have done without all of the descriptiveness that we got on the activities that were occurring. I do understand why the author decided to put that in there, but honestly a few times it almost made me want to stop reading the book. I also just think it could have been shortened a little bit because there was a lot of repeating that ended up happening, just from hearing different witnesses say the same thing.
Other than that I think it was absolutely gripping and I really needed to find out all the details of what had happened. I completely wanted justice for the victims and their families and my heart broke for them along the way.
The story was totally captivating and I think the author did a really great job of giving us all the facts, while also turning it into a story. Thank you NetGalley for my arc copy, I am leaving this review on my own.

Some parts i.really liked, some parts did not keep my attention. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Elements I enjoyed but overall not my favorite. Appreciate the opportunity to read it. It was well written.

Interesting insights into the Amish people. This book is very well researched and thought out. Some very hard things to read about a child involved. Such a horrible sad story with so many people covering up a horrific incident.

I received an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This story has it all: true crime, biography, mystery and thriller. It’s very well written and interesting. The author writes a thorough account of Ida’s life and murder as well as Eli’s nefarious actions before and after. Definitely will recommend to others.

I’m not usually a huge fan of true crime but I am a big fan of Gregg Olsen’s novels so was curious to check out this true crime book. Olsen seeks to track down the truth surrounding a pregnant Amish woman who supposedly died in a barn fire. I found the look into Amish culture fascinating, living near Amish country in PA I have always been interested in reading about the Amish. It was very interesting to follow along on Olsen’s investigation and thought process as he sought the truth about what happened to Ida. It was a little hard to follow at times since so many individuals had the same name. But overall a good, but sad, book. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I thought this was going to be a murder mystery novel set in the Amish Community.

And it is but its a rehash of a very public murder from the 1980s. I found quite a lot of information on the Little Boy Blue case on Google.

I felt that nothing had changed, the author was bringing nothing more to the table; and writing could have done with a good bit of proof reading/editing.

I will never get back the time that I spent reading this travel adventure.

This is not true crime, This is not Justice for Ida. This is pure drivel by the author. What happened? Nothing was accomplished except for him going back and visiting his friends in Amish Country.

Towards the end of the book, his wife was like what is Justice For Ida?
After some back and forth the author stated, it was to uncover that there was a web of lies, a cover up in the death of Ida.

He then emailed the current Sheriff about his "findings".

Did it change anything for Ida's family? Did the author solve the crime? Did the author really do anything to move the story along?

The resounding answer to those questions are NO!

From chapter 1, I wondered what was his motivation of reopening this old case. All of the key players are dead: the sheriff, the medical examiner, the alleged killer. So why reopen it.
The last section in the book tells you why....his publisher gave him money to write this book.

The author has done a great disservice to Ida and to fellow readers for putting out this detailed diary of him traveling around Amish country. So much of the book is fluff its unreal...going to Jeffrey Dahmers Childhood home, getting the suicide investigation into Jim Frost. So unnecessary.

True Crime readers should stay far away from this book and this author from now on.

OMG! The best true crime I’ve read in a long time. Thirty years after ABANDONED PRAYERS introduced us to Eli Stutzman, Gregg Olsen revisits the case of Ida, pregnant wife to Eli and mother of young son, Danny in THE AMISH WIFE. I could NOT put this book down. It was fascinating and I can’t wait to read the first one to see how this whole story began.

Contacted by a family member of Ida after old letters and papers are found, Gregg Olsen returns to Ohio to dig deeper into the life of Eli, the death of both IDA and her son, Danny, (aka Little Boy Blue) and the secrets and half truths creating a wall of silence around convicted serial killer, Eli Stutzman. Are people staying tight-lipped out of fear of retribution by Eli or is the Amish underworld at play here?

As always with Gregg Olsen, the research and interviews are so delicate but telling in their broad timelines. It is only after careful consideration and the proverbial bulletin board with the push pins and red string that the full story comes into view. How did this guy get a chance to get out of prison? I just don’t get it. Nevertheless, this was a great reminder of why Olsen is a master of true crime. I LOVED it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I enjoyed this book! The information presented was interesting and I found myself wanting to know more. I’d recommend this book to others.

2.5/5 Stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC of The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen for an honest review.

This was not my type of book. I picked this book because of the cover and title. I felt like it wasn't much of a mystery but just an explanation of what had happened. This ebook was dragging for me and I found myself skimming through the chapter pretty quickly just to get it off my Kindle and onto something else. This is definitely a book for people who like to read the collection of facts - also, there were so many names I got confused and really lost interest.

When I read Gregg Olsen’s novel The Hive, I said “I’m not sure whether Gregg Olsen is inconsistent, or I am, but it sort of seems like I don’t know what to expect when I pick up one of his books. There have been some excellent ones in the true crime genre (If You Tell) but I have found the fiction titles (mostly in series) to be uneven…often I just don’t care for the protagonist. So, it may be me that is uneven? “ Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, I had the opportunity to read and review Olsen’s The Amish Wife in. exchange for my honest review.

The book is true crime, one of my favorite genres. Described as a sequel to 2007’s Answered Prayers, I admit I had a hard time with it. It tells the story of the death of Ida Stutzman, whose husband Eli claimed she died in a fire in the barn. Eli subsequently took their son Danny, left the faith, and moved away from the Ohio community where they. had lived. Ida’s death was ruled as from natural causes, and Eli wasn’t a suspect, but weird deaths after Ida’s seemed more than suspicious.

In Colorado, Eli had affairs with several gay men, and was a prime suspect in several deaths, including those of two of his former lovers. Then, his roommate was found shot dead and his son Danny’s death was “inconclusive,” despite his being found frozen to death in a field. Eli was convicted of the roommate’s murder and of abandoning Danny. Sentenced to 40 years in prison, Eli committed suicide after being paroled in 2005.

The book is filled with facts, details, and revelations about many people and incidents. I found it creepy as hell and confess it isn’t one of my favorite of Gregg Olsen’s…but sometimes his books are so good, I know I will continue to seek them out. Four stars.

This is a well researched and well written book that I would recommend! Going into to this book, I wasn't very familiar with this case but it's written in a way that is easy to understand and kept my interest. I would recommend this to those who like true crime books. Special Thank You to Gregg Olsen, Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book from Gregg Olsen. I did love it because I do love true crime. The way it wrote the book I felt like I was with him looking for evidence on how Ida died. Gregg did a great job investigating all the information on the crime.