I read The Amish Wife prior to reading this book so I unintentionally read these in a chronological order. This story is so disturbing and so fascinating at the same time. This is probably due to my own biases in that even though Amish enclaves exist near where I live, they are still seen as "other" and, because these are basically religious groups, there is a misconception that somehow these types of crime do not occur there. The reality is that sometimes nature is a far more important factor in whether individuals turn to crime. In retrospect, the crimes committed by Eli Stutzman would be appalling even with the Amish angle removed. And that is probably what makes this story so fascinating. Olsen does a great job of weaving the facts of the case with a carefully crafted narrative. The only thing I wanted was for Danny Stutzman to be a more fleshed out person but the lack of depth is actually inline with how Eli seemed to feel about his son.

The only caveat I have about this book is that there is homosexual relationships are central to the story and with that comes a certain amount explicit descriptions of sex that some readers may find off-putting. However, I didn't feel that these descriptions were gratuitous. ( )

Murder

Unpleasant - obviously in terms of its subject matter, but insidiously in terms of its attitude toward gay men in general. ( )

This book will seriously keep you on the edge of your seat! Absolutely shocking all Eli did! You have to read this if you love true crime but be prepared to be blown away! ( )

This was a very good book. The things this man supposedly did is just unbelievable. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it even more bone chilling. I would definitely read it again! ( )