When The Bishop Needs an Alibi is book two in The Amish Bishop Mysteries series by Vannetta Chapman. Chapman has a great series with these two books so far. This book hooked me right from the start and it was very hard to put down. Henry Lapp is a unique Bishop and I can honestly say that I have never read of someone quite like him in any series previously.  This book can be a standalone book but I would recommend reading the first book in the series, What the Bishop Saw. There we learn of Henry’s ability as a savant. Emma Fisher, Henry’s dear friend, urges him to use his gift to help those in need.
Bishop Lapp goes to the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge planning to see the Sandhill Cranes, but instead he stumbled over a dead body of a young woman just to find out that she was a waitress from their local diner. As a frequent to the local diner, he knows of the troubles that Sophia has been facing as she confided in him some just a few days prior. When Henry becomes the main suspect in Sophia’s murder, the community must come together to assist him in uncovering the mystery Sophia had been investigating all along. 
This is another great suspense novel by Chapman and one that will keep the reader entertained until the end. What a great story line and well developed, likable characters. I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for Henry and Emma in the next novel.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher and netgalley in return for my honest opinion of the book.

Amish Bishop, Henry Lapp, has an unusual gift.  Did to a brain injury when he was 12, he is able to draw a scene or a person with photographic detail even long after the event.  This has been a mixed blessing.  For years he has tried to suppress the ability, considering it frivolous or vanity, but recently it has become instrumental in solving problems and even a crime.  

Bishop Lamp has been coming to a local restaurant for relief from his bachelor cooking and for society.  His caring nature has caused him to befriend a troubled young woman and, in the course of events, he draws several pictures of her in the cafe.  When the young woman is murdered, he looks to the pictures to see what they might reveal.  Suddenly, he becomes the chief suspect in her murder and it seems that a Federal agent isn't looking for anyone else.  How will the Amish community react?  How can Henry defend himself and find the real murderer?

Bishop Lamp was the one to find the dead young woman at the wildlife refuge when he went out to watch the return of the Sandhill cranes and the cranes provide the backdrop to this horrible crime.  In order to protect himself after being arrested, Henry has to depend on the members of his small congregation.  

The story is well written and the characters come alive to the reader with the added bonus of providing information on the Amish community, Sandhill cranes and the vital role that wildlife refuges play in the protection of the wild creatures we share this earth with. It is a very enjoyable book with a satisfying ending.

This is the second book in the Amish Bishop Mysteries and the adventures continue for Henry Lapp, bishop of his Amish congregation in San Luis Valley, Colorado, and his friends, especially his best friend, Emma Fisher.  I really enjoyed this book as the action kept me turning the pages and guessing until the end.  

Sophia is a new waitress working at Maggie's Diner and there is something about her that touches Henry.  She appears to be afraid and on edge.  With Henry's caring heart, he reaches out to her and tries to get her to talk.  When something happens to her, Henry is accused of harming her but someone is out to frame him.  He is even arrested and jailed for the crime.  Imagine, an Amish bishop having to endure an Englisch jail!  Henry's faith enables him to have strength and courage in the face of such a time.  After the judge at the initial hearing allows him to be released from jail, he, Emma and her family set out to try to figure out who is responsible for the crime.  As in the first book where we see Henry's extraordinary gift of drawing from his subconscious memory, he once more draws scenes of a photographic nature that help solve the crime.  As Emma and Henry are drawn into the investigation and their lives are endangered, they realize just how much they care about each other.

This is another great suspense that will keep the pages turning and mystery unsolved until the end.  I couldn't read it fast enough and had too many other things that interrupted my reading time.  Ms. Chapman once more has a winner with a great story line and well developed, likable and real characters.  Her stories always have a good lesson in faith, courage and wisdom.  I can't wait for another book to come out with more adventures for Henry and Emma as they continue to see where their feelings will lead them.  

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

When the Bishop Needs An Alibi was pretty good. I would recommend it.

Loved the writing style and cozy mystery.  The plot and characters were well developed and will keep the reader guessing until the end.
A great book to read.

WHEN BISHOP NEEDS ALIBI by Vannetta Chapman. Series Amish Bishop Mystery book 2
Having read the first one, which I thought was very good, interesting plot, and showed  the bishop as someone human, approachable. His gift helped solved  a murder. 
Henry is once again, drawing, most the time unaware of what he is capturing. He's trying to embrace this gift from God, and with encouragement from Emma, his friend. The waitress, wants to know why, did someone tell him  to do this, its not a drawing, the detail, is like a photo, she says. The community is trying to keep Sophia safe. Her thoughts are of doubts and fears, didn't trust her instincts anymore. They give her a place to stay, without a phone, internet, maybe they can't find her, she thinks.
While at the reserve Henry stumbles upon a body, that leads to his arrest. Will the community and his drawing, give the details needed to free him. Another good plot, intriguing to the end, the characters are well defined. 
Readers will enjoy this new series.Looking forward to the next one, in this series. Given ARC by Net Galley for my honest opinion and my voluntary review.

When The Bishop Needs an Alibi ( The Amish Bishop Mysteries - #2)
By: Vannetta Chapman
When The Bishop Needs an Alibi is book two in The Amish Bishop Mysteries series by Vannetta Chapman. Wow, I absolutely love it . Chapman has herself another winning series. She captured me right at the start and I was hooked. She did not disappoint. I really love Amish Bishop Henry Lapp. I don’t think that I have ever read of a bishop like him. He is kind and loving and wants to help everyone. Bishop Henry goes to the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge planning to see the Sandhill Cranes, but instead he stumbled over a dead body of a young woman he knew.  This was not what the bishop was looking to find. Who would want to kill this woman? If you read the first book you know about  Bishop Henry’s special talent, God’s gift. Henry has gotten close to Emma Fisher and she urges him to use his gift. I love the friendship between these two. Who would want to frame the bishop? Will Bishop Henry’s friends help to free him? Bishop Henry is a suspect, did he do it? When I started reading When The Bishop Needs an Alibi I did not want to put it down for nothing. Looking forward to reading book three in this series. 
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers and NetGalley, But I was not told that I had to give a positive review.

Great second book for The Amish Bishop Mysteries! I wish we could do 1/2 stars because it would have been 4 1/2.  Seems the Bishop is always is caught up in a mystery and this time he is accused of murder after finding the body of a waitress from the diner he frequents.  Henry and Emma have to decide who they can trust as they try to discover who killed Sophia and why he is being framed.

There is also information on the migration of cranes in the San Luis Valley in Colorado and there are sand dunes in Colorado that I did not know. I'm used to the sand dunes in Michigan.  Interesting facts and new places to visit soon. I can't wait for the next book in this series and other books by Vannetta Chapman!

I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Fantastic book!!! love the story the story matches the title. She does such A great job on these stories I was glued to my seat the minute I picked up the book. Because I couldn't put it down. You will love this story really great mystery. Loved the cover. I wish you could rate more stars than 5!!!

While at the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge watching the annual arrival of the sandhill cranes, Bishop Henry Lapp stumbles over a dead body of a young lady he knows. In a bizarre turn of events, the FBI take over the investigation and Henry is arrested for her murder. 

Henry has used his gift before to help solve crimes so he creates several drawings of the woman at different times he was around her. His best friend, Emma, and her family know there are clues to the real murderer in Henry's drawings. Will they be able to unravel the mystery and reveal the killer before Henry is convicted of a murder he did not commit? The community knows their Bishop can not be guilty but when the English law enforcement officers think they already have the guilty party, will the Amish community go against their pacifist ways to prove Henry innocent? 

I really enjoyed When the Bishop Needs an Alibi by Vannetta Chapman, Book 2 in The Amish Bishop Mysteries. My favorite quote in the book is "Courage is simply fear that has said its prayers". What an awesome Amish Proverb and it really speaks volumes about having faith and believing God does have your back, no matter the situation you're in. I highly recommend this book and can't wait for Who The Bishop Knows coming out in the Spring of 2018. 

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion and views.

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!