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.

Gregg Olsen is awesome. he writes stories like no other - this kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. The concept of this book was really exciting but the actual book really fell flat and was boring.

This book was slow for me and I could not get myself into it. I thought It would pick up, but unfortunately it did not wow me.

The Amish Wife by G. Olsen, published by Thomas & Mercer, is a stand alone novel.
Telling the story of Danny and Ida, husband and wife.
The book investigates the death of Ida and the husband who may or may not get away with it. An interesting read that had me confused at times due to the huge amount of characters and names that was thrown my way. All in all an ok read, 3,75 stars.

I have a love/hate relationship with true crime. I’m fascinated by it, and yet it horrifies me. So I’ll be all into reading about a crime, then feel sick and swear off similar books…until another case catches my eye. It’s weird, I know.

The case of Ida Stutzman caught my eye. I’d of course heard of author Gregg Olsen—I read his book about Susan Powell a few years back (talk about horrifying) entitled “If I Can’t Have You”. So I thought I’d read his latest, and here we are.

Olsen (along with his assistant Robbin) is a master at gathering research, tracking down documents and eliciting new information from key players, there’s no doubt about that. Heck, he even pulled a page from “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and paid $5000 in the hopes of getting more leads. I fully respect the man.

I am glad that Ida Stutzman’s case is being brought up and called out for the absolutely corrupt coverup that it was. It’s so important to name names, even over 45 years later. Eli Stutzman was pure evil. If he opened his mouth to speak, it was to tell an elaborate fabrication, and chances are high that he came to believe his own lies. He left a trail of murder and mayhem as he traveled west, and if he’d been convicted of his wife’s glaringly obvious murder in 1977, at least five more people would be alive today (including his own son Danny, who lived a short life of unimaginable horrors).

However, and here’s where the honest part of my feedback comes in…there’s just not enough new material here to justify an entire novel. There are a few bombshells interspersed throughout, some new insights that he’s able to uncover, but nowhere near enough additional information to warrant a whole book. Olsen repeats himself often, and, as a result, the book definitely could be tedious at times. It just would have been better as a novella, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars, rounded up because, again, I respect the author and what he’s trying to accomplish here.


Trigger warning: There is some *Graphic* content in here, with a capital G. The parts that broke me were about Danny, who became known as “Little Boy Blue” to the world in 1985. I do believe that God is the ultimate judge, and I shudder to think what is in store for Eli Stutzman, even if we’re *only* talking about his treatment of that precious, innocent child. I will never read this book again. It’s too disturbing, ESPECIALLY if you’re a parent. I cannot dwell on this subject anymore.

Gregg Olsen never dissapoints!!

Book was interesting and keeps you up late to find out what happens. I will purchase anything the author writes!!

Always recommend his books

Thanks NetGalley for letting Me read and review

Gregg Olsen is an outstanding writer. His dialogue, character development, and narrative are natural and easy to follow. He keeps the suspense going and you never know how the ending will play out. It was fascinating to see the Amish way portrayed and quite shocking in some instances.

Gregg Olsen is one of my all time.favorite authors. He has a way of story telling that keeps you engaged and wanting more, even if the stories are horrid and heartbreaking. He puts a ton of research into these books and keeps the victims in light as well.