★ ★ ★ ★ //5

The Amish Wife

I want to thank net galley & the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

THOUGHTS:

I picked this book down and didn't set it down until the very last page. This book was truly saddening and such a tragic story. I had never read anything by Gregg before and I will be on the lookout for more from him. You follow the investigation of Ida'a and another look into the husband that may have got away with it. This is a true crime story that involves arson, murd3r, conspiracies and more. This book absolutely gave me investigation discovery vibes and I loved everything about it. The writing is well done, you feel the emotions of the story and the people surrounding and this will absolutely stick with me long after reading. I would recommend this to all those who love a good true crime story!

In 1977 in an Amish village in Ohio, Ida Stutzman died in a barn fire. Shortly afterwards, her husband, Eli left the Amish community with his young son Danny, who also died in mysterious circumstances. When years later Eli was eventually convicted for killing his roommate, true crime novelist Gregg Olsen seeks to determine if Eli was also involved in his wife’s death. The Amish Wife details the author’s extensive investigation into Ida’s death, hampered by the passage of time and reluctance of the Amish community to turn on one of their own. The author, who previously wrote a book about the death of Eli’s son Danny, revisits the Amish he first encountered when he wrote that book, and comes to the conclusion that Eli killed Ida and staged the fire to cover the murder. Unfortunately, almost everyone that was involved in the circumstances of the fire have died, and the author’s conclusions are based on his interviews and a review of the shoddy and suspect police investigation. This book is a little personal to the author, as he traces his steps from the first book and he clearly forged some close relationships with Ida’s family members long ago, so his judgement may be understandably clouded. But this is a rare glimpse into a secular community, with exhaustive research and effort.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a crazy true crime story out of Dalton, Ohio. Wish we all had more certainty as to the answer in this case but the author thoroughly explored what he could. Very intriguing.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175532363

Gregg Olsen has a way of telling a true crime story without making it feel stiff and just regurgitating the facts. I wish more authors would follow suit. I would have liked more of a flow and more details with this one, but felt like I was lacking more information when I learned this was really a follow-up book to the first. I will continue to pick up Gregg's books and encourage others to do so as well.

While I deeply feel for the horrors Ida and Danny experienced in life, there wasn’t much mystery and at times, I was very bored.

The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen is about an investigation of the death of a young Amish woman and her husband who maybe got away with her murder. It was an interesting read, but this book sadly just dragged on a little. I found it didn't have the sparkle like his other books I have read or listened to.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, sadly I wouldn't recommend this latest book by Gregg Olsen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another great true crime book by Olsen.
Well researched and well written.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I did his previous true crime books.

I enjoyed this book - this type of true crime in a book form is new to me. I did find that some of the stories told seemed gratuitous, or a bit self-indulgent - the story could have been shorter and meatier. Or perhaps I'm not the intended audience - I feel like my father would have enjoyed this type of story more than I did. But the actual crime and the story of digging up the truth were riveting, and I'm still glad I read the book even if it's not quite my style.

This book is a great follow up to the previous book by this author titled Abandoned Prayers which focused on the death of Danny Stutzman who was found dead in a ditch in Nebraska wearing blue sleeper pajamas and thus became known as "Little Boy Blue." Danny's pregnant mother, Ida, perished during a barn fire that was very suspicious when Danny was very young. As the years passed, people began to have doubts about the death of Ida Stutzman as to whether it was really an accident or something much more sinister. Author Gregg Olsen has done an outstanding job researching and examining this very interesting and complex case.

This wasn’t my favorite read by Gregg Olsen as it felt very repetitive. It felt like the author was trying to fill up space at some parts.

The hours that Gregg Olsen has put into this investigation is admirable. What a journey he has been sent on and how frustrating it must be with so many answers to his questions lying with the deceased.

This book kept me captivated with trying to find one more piece of information that would lead to answers. I definitely became invested with the investigation into the deaths of Ida and Danny. Not having known about this case prior to this book, I did find it quite difficult to keep track of all of the people that were being interviewed or had connections to the case. The names were similar, but there were just so many people I became confused and frustrated. I wish there were a family tree to look at to keep families and their connections straight, or even just a reference table to peek back at when things were getting muddled.

With the investigation jumping back and forth throughout the decades, I also felt loss and kept having to stop and figure out where in the timeline of events this took place. It wasn't until the end with the letter and the bullet points that everything came together. I would have loved to have seen those summaries at the end or beginning of each part of the book. I think that would have helped lessen my confusion.

I would continue to follow this case as well as read other books by Gregg Olsen.

This is my second Gregg Olsen book and he does it again!
Being from Indiana and living close to the amish community, this story just hits home. Gregg has an amazing way of explaining the amish culture with respect as an outsider. You can tell with the way Gregg writes that he too is just as committed to finding out the answers as Ida's brother is to his sisters strange death...some might say murder... I havent read Abanoded Prayers, but jumping into this book, you dont need to. He does a great job in reviewing his previous writing and reintroducing all the key players again. You dont miss a single step in his untwining of this extremely confusing and twisted story of murder, death and secrets.

#NetGalley

I grew up in south central Nebraska. We all knew the story of Danny Stutzman, a.k.a. Little Boy Blue, who was found in a field near Chester, Nebraska on Christmas Eve 1985. However, as I child, I only knew the snippets I overheard. I had never heard his mother’s story. In The Amish Wife, Gregg Olsen tells the story of Ida Stutzman, how she lived and how she died, most likely at the hand of her husband, Eli Stutzman.

Olsen isn’t like most true crime writers. He’s much more conversational, even a little bit humorous. He not only shares the story he uncovers, but takes his reader along on the investigation. Olsen isn’t afraid to dig deeper, to make people uncomfortable, to push a little harder; however, he also has integrity and respect. No flashy moves, no “look at me” moments. He makes it clear - uncovering the truth is his utmost priority.

It took me a little while to get invested in the story, but once I did, I really enjoyed this one.

Thanks to Gregg Olson, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This is my first book by this author and I am very interested in the topic. I enjoyed the attention to detail and the care that went into the research and investigation but I felt that it got a too bogged down and convoluted at times. It was also a bit frustrating to feel like the community was not interested in learning what really happened. I did like it enough to look for other books by this author.

Gregg Olsen always delivers impeccably researched and well supported true crime accounts. This one is extra special because he includes so much about the investigative process itself and drifts into other cases while the core story is told. With the utmost respect for the Amish community, their practices and beliefs, Olsen takes the reader into their world and shows the complexities of solving a crime in the context of a world within a world. Just fascinating.

Gregg Olson has a way of researching true crime stories and I love it! It’s a sad, heartbreaking, twisted story that I just couldn’t put it down.

Gregg Olsen has done it again with "The Amish Wife". He transports you into the murder and follow up and doesn't let go.

did not read the first book - didnt realize it was a follow up so found the names confusing. Felt was written long winded, trying to stretch into a book.

Be sure you’re in the mood for this type of story and you’re sure to enjoy it. It’s very tragic and sad, but the main character is so relentless in his pursuit that you have to give him props. I always enjoy this author.

I love the way Gregg Olsen writes. I was completely engaged after the first sentence. Very interesting read that felt like a true crime podcast.