Book Review: The Pretender by Wanda E. Brunstetter
A Woman Missing for Two Years Suddenly Returns Home
IIn book three of the Mifflin County Mystery series, Rosa Petersheim’s return creates more hurt and confusion in the Big Valley.
Two years since Rosa Petersheim mysteriously disappeared from her Amish home, there has been no word from her. Her family and friends have suffered in the silence, though they have tried to move on with life.
Then one day Rosa just as suddenly reappears at her parent’s home. . .with a husband in tow.
Rosa is ashamed of the choices she made that caused her to leave home. And now that she is back, her father is not welcoming and her siblings and friends want explanations that she can’t give.
Will Rosa’s family accept her and Anthony? Can the Big Valley ever be home again?
My Review and Reflections
Well, this series has come to a wrap. It was more of a sweet ending as opposed to a dark and sinister one, which made the series feel more like a cozy mystery than a suspenseful one. But that is on brand for Brunstetter. This book didn’t really have much mystery left in it. It was like that part ended with book 2, but I am still glad I read this one because otherwise I would’ve really wondered about Rosa and what happened to her. I’m also curious if there is more to be said about the Petersheim family, maybe in another book or another series.
Now, about this book. Rosa suddenly goes home, and we learn what she’s been doing for the last two and a half years. Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t read the first two books, I highly recommend them. While this book is a three star, I rated the other two much higher, so overall the series has been really good. Rosa is afraid to go home because she’s pregnant and not married, and her dad is a pretty strict guy and the bishop, so you know, tough crowd. She confides in Anthony, the cook at the restaurant where she works. She doesn’t know him very well, and he doesn’t know her either, but he decides to go home with her and pretend to be her husband, hence the name of the book The Pretender. The story goes on from there. Later in the book, it does wrap up a few things from the first two books, so a little bit of the mystery is still there. I guess I was just hoping for something darker. But it’s Wanda Brunstetter, she’s the queen of sweet, and I should know that. Still, I felt like the first two books set this up to go in a different direction. Even so, this was a sweet and well-done story, and I’m hoping the Petersheim family shows up again later.
If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, or if you simply want a feel-good Amish fiction read, I recommend this book. But only after you’ve read books one and two, wink wink.
