The Secrets We Keep is a dual point of view story involving Detective Nate Fisher and Rachel Hosteller a woman from his past..

Nate has been on hiatus after an incident involving the use of deadly force. The last place he wants or even expects to re enter his duty is in the conservative Amish community he left behind. Now his father has died and he’s faced with this choice. Hoping to clear his head and perhaps mend fences with his family, he returns to his small Mississippi hometown knowing he most likely won’t be welcomed. Well it’ll just be a quick visit which turns into a prolonged stay when his former love, Rachel, pleads for his help.

Rachel Hostetler found her brother’s body hanging in her family’s barn, but is sure her brother, Albie, did not kill himself. Albie was a gay man living in an extremely conservative Amish community., so you see Rachel is alone in her theory as everyone else sees it as a suicide. When she sees Nate, her ex, she enlist his help knowing he is the only one who may possibly believe and help her.

A past romance, some mysteries and secrets makes this story intriguing, but I found the events to be confusing and at times unresolved to this reader’s liking.
To me the author just had too many things going on, causing the slow burn to never catch fire.

Still I enjoyed reading this mystery.

Detective Nate Fisher has to return to his Amiah roots after the passing of his dad. Never having reconciled with his family, Nate finds going back isn't always easy.
Rachel Hostetler's family has faced a tragedy. Sure that her brother would never commit suicide, she has to fight to find answers. After seeing her ex back in town. Rachel begs Nate for his help. Is the saying we can't always go home true?

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

The old say "you can't go home again", resonates here, and is expressed throughout this read.
We have a man who has suffered a lot of loss and is dealing with a big hurt, when he hears that his former girlfriend's brother has died. He goes home, well he ends up staying longer than he planned.
Nate doesn't expect to become involved in looking into Rachael's brother's death. We do get answers here, and not what I expected.
I enjoyed the character of Nate, what a tough road he walked, and in the end he really lost a lot!
At the end of this read, I was left with several unanswered questions, and I'm sure hoping there is another book coming!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Crooked Lane Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

I’m not overly a fan of mysteries, but since the author is one of my favorite I gave it a try. Ended up loving it. Nate is an ex-Amish man that goes back home after his father dies. He’s under the Bann, since he joined church before leaving. Most of his family won’t speak to him. His ex-girlfriend Rachel has just lost her brother to suicide. Or at least that’s what everyone is calling it. But she doesn’t think he killed himself; she thinks he was murdered. And knowing that Nate is a cop, she asks him to help. Can’t say any more without spoiling it! But the ending is quite a twist. The relationship between Rachel and Nate kept me reading. The only problem I had with the book is it ended! There better be a sequel, Amy Lillard!

I received an ARC copy of this book for my review. My opinions are my own.

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books for providing the copy of The Secrets We Keep by Amy Lillard. This book was not for me. After we learn of the hanging, the book slows way down and there is nothing really happening for ages. Lots about how Rachel still pines after Nathan, and even more about her family, but things that do happen don’t make sense. If you already love this author’s writing, you might love this book, but it never caught my interest. 2.5 stars.

The Secrets We Keep, by Amy Lillard, focused on the Mississippi Amish community. I was surprised to learn there was an Amish community in Mississippi, but the rules regarding shunning seem familiar to the rules of the Pennsylvanian Amish community. The Secrets We Keep begins with a hanging, which seems less clear than a hanging might appear. The victim's sister, Rachel, wants her brother's murder solved. She thinks the hanging was not suicide. Rachel asks her former boyfriend Nathan, who has left the community many years earlier, to help her prove that her brother was murdered and by whom. This is the underlying basis for The Secrets We Keep.

There are many mysteries presented in The Secrets We Keep, among them what happened to Rachel's husband, who disappeared 3 years earlier? What is Rachel's brother-in-law doing in hanging about her father's farm? Who attacks Nathan? Who struck her brother, breaking his skull, and made his death by hanging seem a suicide? None of these questions are answered in The Secrets We Keep. These are the secrets that remain holes in the novel, which moves very slowly, and in some sense, predictably so. Nathan/Nate is wishy washy and cannot seem to make any decisions about his life and where he will live. I assume Lillard is planning a sequel, although The Secrets We Keep, really was not interesting enough to require a sequel.

I have read other Amy Lillard novels, and for that reason, I found The Secrets We Keep disappointing. Rachel and her community are interesting, but Nate is not likable or interesting, which makes the novel seem the same. Nate is not a heroic figure. I do appreciate that Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley provided this ARC for me to read in exchange for my honest review.. I realize the many of Lillard's fan will enjoy The Secrets We Keep, but as I know from decades of being an enthusiastic reader, not all books appear to all readers.

3 stars

The Secrets We Keep by Amy Lillard. In Mississippi Amish country, Rachel whose husband has been missing for 3yrs wakes up to her brother Albie’s apparent suicide. Ex Amish and cop Nathan returns home where he is shunned because of his father’s passing. Rachel asks him to look into Albie’s death because she knows he wouldn’t commit suicide. Old loves, a few mysteries and secrets going on makes this a very intriguing book. I’m seriously hoping that there is a second book coming soon!! I like my stories to finish when the book does do the only reason for the four stars is there was a few things left unfinished. It does leave it open for a new book. Thank you to #AmyLillard, #NetGalley and #Crooked Lane Books for this Arc. This is my honest review.

I went into this book really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it misses the mark. First off, there are so many inaccuracies about the Amish characters behaviors. I did really like Rachel. Nate however, not a fan. He spends the entire book back and forth on where he belongs. Which would be okay if the majority of his dilemma wasn't about women. Which he seems to think he is the golden gift to. I skipped a large chunk just to get to the end. Which was frustrating in itself.

I love the cover, very intriguing for a mystery book. This is an Amish mystery which I was drawn to because I live amongst the Amish here in Pennsylvania.
The book starts off with a bang, as we get right to the mystery. Fast paced this was hard to put down. A tragedy strikes an Amish family and a former Amish man who is now a policeman/detective comes back home. While there he seems a former girlfriend who the tragedy happened to. As he tries to fight romantic memories and those renewing feelings she begs him to help investigate the case because the local police aren't taking it seriously. I enjoyed the book but there are some unrealistic things here the Amish would not get involved in and also some repetitive thoughts throughout the book but it did not take away my enjoyment of the book. Fast paced and I had a hard time putting it down. Looking forward to reading more by the author soon.

I was given a complimentary copy of the book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Hooked from the very beginning! I loved reading "The Secrets We Keep" by Amy Lillard. The cover and title first drew me in and then the beginning jumping right into a mystery that had me hooked to find out what happened. I find the life of the Amish so interesting and this books gives you peeks into their lives when tragedy hits an Amish family and an ex-Amish policeman/detective comes back home. With a mystery and a memory of romance, I recommend this read and would love to see it continue. At times, some of the memories/thoughts/emotions of the characters were a little repetitious, but did not take away from the mystery or story. I hope to read more from Amy Lillard and these characters in the future!

A mystery that I couldn't put down. From the beginning to the end, I was captivated by the story and the characters. Friendship, love, faith, trust, death, and suspense fill the pages of this book. A great read. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

Nate is a police officer who has been involved in a line of duty incident. When he hears of a death back home, he goes back home to Mississippi- to the Amish community he’s been shunned from.

He sees his old flame Rachel right off the bat and she finds him at his hotel to have him help solve her brother Albie’s suicide which she believes to be a murder.

Nate does just that, having always had a soft spot for Rachel. You learn he left home to play MLB to get money to get his sister a heart transplant, but she dies, and because he left, he was shunned, no matter the reason.

We learn Albie is gay, this is not okay with the Amish community, and because he’s both Amish and gay, the English community hazes him.

There’s also a mysterious Jay Anderson, who wanted a puppy, which was also hinted as someone who could have killed Albie, yes, over a puppy,

Also going on, Rachel’s husband is missing along with her BIL’s wife, this is never resolved. Her BIL is a creep. Rachel
Is sure her dad bashes Nate in the head, but we never find out who did, the journal is never found nor is the person who took it, We learn Albie dies because of the shame of him being gay and Amish, but by someone Amish, and Rachel and Nate don’t work it out, BECAUSE HE SOLVES THE CASE.

Also!!! He gets an air bnb for 2 days, somehow the renter wants to get with him and he has to be “only hers” after one spaghetti and one taco night but he can’t because of the girl and cat back home, and you guessed it, Rachel.

Nate goes back to OK, the cop from MS calls him to come back because another Amish murder happens, but this time to the creepy abusive bishop.

I tried so hard to get into this book and enjoy it. I couldn’t get a good rhythm, the book was pieced together and there were so many pieces and parts that never came together. At about 80% when the puppy part came into play, I just had a really hard time continuing. With 40 minutes left, I pushed through, and the conclusion was exactly what I thought it would be.

It felt like the author just had too many things going on, the slow burn never caught fire, and making Albie die because he was gay in the Amish community hurt my heart. Poor Albie. I also just couldn’t with Nate going back to beg his way back into the Amish community after the ending to go back and solve the murder of the bishop.

**Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the ARC and the ability to leave an honest review.

Full disclosure, I grew up Amish so I am very critical of Amish fiction. Most is so out there and not realistic that I can't read it. This author got some of the Amish life down better than other authors, but poor writing and hanging details lead me to a rating of "needs editorial help." Some things are too unbelievable to happen in real Amish life; a lone women going to see an ex at a local motel at night, an elder staging a hanging, burying a body with little outside oversight, all a bit of a stretch about the realities of Amish life. It kept my interest due to checking for untruths more than anything!

This is an engaging mystery novel set against the unique backdrop of an Amish community in Mississippi. The story follows Detective Nathan Fisher, who returns to his conservative hometown after his father’s death, only to be drawn into investigating the suspicious death of his former love’s brother. The author skillfully weaves themes of faith, family, and hidden truths, offering readers a fresh perspective on small-town mysteries. While some of the novel is pacing slow and certain plot points are repetitive, the emotional depth and well-developed relationships more than make up for that. Overall, it’s a compelling read that delves into the complexities of returning to one’s roots and confronting past secrets.

Well that sucked. I can't even be bothered to do my usual review format. I should not have read this book. I did not realize it was going to be Christian fiction, for one thing. I also was not prepared for it to be this poorly written. So many plot holes. So much whining from main characters. So much describing gay men as effeminate. So much homophobia in general. Yet I think the author is proud of herself for her oh-so-enlightened portrayal of homosexuality. So much repeating the same information and phrases. No actual ending. Blatant fishing for a sequel even though who would possibly want to read more after this. Goodness. What was the point??? This is the first time that I have really been like, wow, I have wasted my time. I am sorry to Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon, my previous read. You look better in hindsight. Now I truly know what a one star book looks like. A curse upon NetGalley's honor for having this at the top of my librarian newsletter. I shake my fist at thee!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

The Secrets We Keep hooked me from the start. I really felt for Nate, caught between his past and the duty he’s trying to escape. Returning to his hometown brings back so many painful memories, and the tension between him and Rachel is electric. The mystery of her brother’s death kept me guessing, and I loved how the investigation unfolded, with Nate and Rachel’s complicated history adding depth to the case. The characters were well-developed, and while the pacing slowed a bit toward the middle, the emotional stakes kept me engaged. A solid four stars—gripping, heartfelt, and full of suspense.

Detective Nathan Fisher reluctantly returns to the Amish community where he grew up after he receives word that the former love of his life, Rachael Hostetler, desperately needs his help. After being banned from the close-knit community after his father’s death, he hoped that his unwelcome visit would be short.
Rachael’s younger brother Albie was found hanging in her family’s barn, and it is being ruled as a suicide. She knows that he would never kill himself, but the police and her own family are convinced it was murder. Even though she and Nate were once lovers and were planning to marry, she is confident that they can overcome their past and work together to uncover the details surrounding Albie’s death.
Convinced that the murder was not a suicide, they desperately work together to find the truth despite the resistance of the Amish community.

Didn't get too far into this story, I was hoping for more, but it didn't capture my interest in the early chapters, unfortuneately. I did learn more about Amish communities, and I appreciate that. Thank you for the ARC.

I’ve been reading Amy’s books for many years. This one veers much darker and edgier than her previous work. It deals with crime and deceit in and around an Amish community in Mississippi. Some of the limitations of Amish culture are probed pretty deeply here. Lillard has always been pragmatic in her Amish fiction but never as much as this. I’ve never been a fan of over romanticized Plain life and as a professional have seen how secrecy can allow evil to flourish. This book is a quick read and *feels like* the start of a series. I don’t know that but the ending is fairly abruptly as if there is more to come. This isn’t for anyone who only wants to see the Amish as saccharine and quaint.

I think I'll be honest here and say that I loved her other novels much more.
There were definitely many many secrets here. Enough to keep me turning the pages. That part was OK.
But the character Nate got on my nerves a little too much. He was too emotional and not sure of himself. But as we read on we soon see why.
Eventually I found myself rooting and praying for him. That's a lot to live through!
Poor Albie is the one whom I felt sorry for.
Did Albie really kill himself or was he murdered? An interesting question. His sister Rachel didn't think so.
I liked her immediately. Reaching out to help family is a plus in my book.
This is told from different pov which at times can be confusing but I soon caught on.
I am giving this book 5 stars because of the excellent guessing and writing.
I was kept on the edge of my seat anxiously turning the pages.
Who do we really feel sorry for in this story?
Nate, Albie or Rachel? Y'all will just have to read this book to find out!
I will say the mysterious cover of the book was what drew me to read it and also the author.
I will recommend this book.
My thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.