Note: I read this novel whilst participating in a readathon challenge for INSPY and Clean Literature (christianfictionsummerreadingsafari.blogspot.com) - the larger print copy I read is from my personal library of books. I was not obligated to post a review and a review was not a requirement of the readathon.

Talk about a nail-biter! You don't even get the chance to catch your breath as this non-stop INSPY Suspense is simply heart-clutching & brilliantly plotted - Burke wrote a novel that grips you straight out of the gate!

From the very first moment I settled into Elizabeth's life, I didn't feel I could extract myself from her story until I learnt the truth behind what had happened to her best friend Hannah! As the truth slowly unfolds through a sequencing of events which have an alarmingly rate of increased danger - you start to see how her life has re-shifted into the Amish community. She had spent such a considerable amount of time 'away' from them, living with the English and living as a modern woman - although her heart was in the right place, it was difficult for Elizabeth to make peace with the baggage of her past she had unfortunately brought with her as she returnt to her family and close friends within the Amish community she called home. It was here - in the back-story where you started to feel your heart go out to Elizabeth - she hadn't had an easy road in life to walk - before or after she left her family home.

Its not an easy plot to pin down either - there are more questions than there are answers - even if the actions of one person seem to be motivated by something keenly obvious, it is not readily known if that is the motivation behind the increasing crimes in this community or if something else is going on entirely. All you can do is simply tuck close into the chapters and observe how Elizabeth and Thomas are choosing to handle the evolving chaos.

For Thomas it is a double-blade sword seeing Elizabeth return back to their community as she was his sweet-heart once upon a moon. For her, it is seeing someone living a life she wished she had had for herself - though there is much more behind their break-up than you first realise; a credit to Burke who has layered in not just believable drama between the two old friends but allowed circumstances not generally attached to the Amish during their gap year(s) to be central to the plot. This is a powerfully realistic story-line with a thread about violence against against women and the strength it takes to overcome a past you hadn't realised was your own.

The scene which put me on high alert involved the knife throwing note on the door! As soon as that happened, I was aching to know how this could resolve in a way where Elizabeth and her mother could survive this ordeal but also Thomas with his two young children. They were all caught up inside this twisted plot of a person unknown to them who sought to do them harm for a reason which we hadn't even had a chance to confirm!

The gutting reality, of course, is this is a suspenseful plot rooted around an observer and witness. (hence the title!) Someone had the unfortunate moment in their lives where they oversaw something they should not have and it is that single act of being at the wrong place at the wrong time which set the whole stage for "The Amish Witness" to unfold!

In the background of all the turmoil, Burke has tried to show how you can lean on your faith - hold close to your prayers and realise that you're never truly alone when your going through a particular trial or ordeal in life. This was the root of the issue with Elizabeth's own walk of faith - as Burke attempted to show how her personal growth was also tethered to how she needed to re-learn how to trust in her faith. The consequences of her loss of trust in her faith were attached to what happened to her when she was younger - in fact, overall, Burke had a lot of depth moving in and out of this story if you consider how she had three incredibly well-thought out plot points - the past wherein Elizabeth and Hannah step outside the Amish community together; the relationship Elizabeth had with Thomas before she left and the current state of everyone's lives now as we re-enter where they are in the present. I loved how Burke was able to shift us forwards and backwards - understanding individual choices and the regrets that each of the characters she included in the story would have to process and work through before the conclusion.

This is another Love Inspired Suspense novel I read in tandem with my Mum; she wasn't kidding about how once the action begins, it is a rollercoaster of a ride until the conclusion! I almost didn't know how to react in the final chapters - so much happened and all I wanted to know is how Elizabeth, Thomas and Mary (her Mum) would come out of all this - Burke truly anchours you in the realistic drama she's envisioned for her characters. To the point where you're hardly ready for what she is going to disclose as the story continues to hurdle you closer to the final chapter and epilogue!

This is one of those books that once you turn the cover you will soon be reading the last page, yes it goes that fast.
Evil people don’t often think rationally, and it is proven here, so much of what happens makes no sense, and yet it seems so real. The author has woven a tale that covers both the Amish and English worlds, and boy do the converge into one another, and the consequences become deadly, and you will be asking yourself “Why?”
Some of the reason why some of the things happen will leave you scratching your head, and yet other seem so real and yes, you really can see that taking place. There are terrifying moments along with some subtle romance, and children that will warm your heart.
A book to pick up when you want to be quickly immersed in a story that will linger after the last page has been turned.
I received this book through Net Galley and Harlequin Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )