Plain Missing


Book Description

When sweethearts disappear, is it an elopement—or a crime? An Amish mystery by an author who “sympathetically portrays the members of this religious sect” (Publishers Weekly). Inn owner Rachel Mast is no longer a devout member of the Amish community of Stone Mill, Pennsylvania, but she still cares deeply for them. So she’s staying at her family’s farm to help her mother through an illness—and at the same time, trying to track down two missing people… When the young gather to sing, it’s usually an evening of wholesome fun—but this time, the event has stirred whispers of scandal. Elsie Hostetler and her sweetheart, Dathan Bender, never came home afterward. There’s not even a trace of their horse and wagon, leading some to suspect that they’ve run off to marry and join the Englisch world. But Rachel fears there’s more to the story than a rebellious elopement. Her fiancé, a state trooper, is out of town, so she starts investigating herself, using her Amish background to pry information from the tight-lipped community. It turns out things were not so peaceful between Elsie and Dathan—and there was also a confrontation at the singing with a short-tempered ex-Marine. Among the simple houses and quiet country roads of Stone Mill, Rachel must find out just what kind of sins have been committed—and who is need of forgiveness . . . Praise for the Amish Mystery series “An excellent addition to the Amish mystery subgenre.”—Library Journal “An exciting tale of mystery, love, and danger.”—Booklist “A well-informed look into the tranquil world of the Amish with a fairly edgy puzzler.”—Kirkus Reviews




Confessions of a Sociopath


Book Description

The memoir of a high-functioning, law-abiding (well, mostly) sociopath and a roadmap—right from the source—for dealing with the sociopath in your life. “[A] gripping and important book . . . revelatory . . . quite the memorable roller coaster ride.”—The New York Times Book Review As M.E. Thomas says of her fellow sociopaths, “We are your neighbors, your coworkers, and quite possibly the people closest to you: lovers, family, friends. Our risk-seeking behavior and general fearlessness are thrilling, our glibness and charm alluring. Our often quick wit and outside-the-box thinking make us appear intelligent—even brilliant. We climb the corporate ladder faster than the rest, and appear to have limitless self-confidence. Who are we? We are highly successful, noncriminal sociopaths and we comprise 4 percent of the American population.” Confessions of a Sociopath—part confessional memoir, part primer for the curious—takes readers on a journey into the mind of a sociopath, revealing what makes them tick while debunking myths about sociopathy and offering a road map for dealing with the sociopaths in your life. M. E. Thomas draws from her own experiences as a diagnosed sociopath; her popular blog, Sociopathworld; and scientific literature to unveil for the very first time these men and women who are “hiding in plain sight.”




Plain Confession


Book Description

“Miller does an excellent job of portraying Amish life and its often conflicted relationship with mainstream culture.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) When Rachel Mast returned to Stone Mill, Pennsylvania, she unwittingly became a bridge between the closed Amish community and the Englisher police. Now, as she prepares for her wedding, she’s drawn into an investigation that could end in a different ceremony—her funeral . . . Rachel didn’t know Daniel Fisher well, but it still comes as a shock when her fiancé, a state trooper, tells her that the young Amish man’s death may not have been a hunting accident. The police believe he was murdered and they need Rachel’s help telling the family. But when she does, they don’t seem upset or even surprised. Even more unsettling, Daniel’s brother-in-law confesses—while his mother begs Rachel to prove his innocence. But why would he give a false confession? Who is he trying to protect? As Rachel’s search for answers overshadows her wedding plans, rumors swirl that she might not show up at the altar—and that Daniel wasn’t as upstanding as he seemed. While the list of people who wanted him dead grows, Rachel is caught in the killer’s crosshairs, and if she’s not careful, it may be more than her feet that turn cold . . . “[Miller] continues her streak of successfully combining local color and detection.”—Kirkus Reviews Praise for the Amish Mystery series “An excellent addition to the Amish mystery subgenre.”—Library Journal “An exciting tale of mystery, love, and danger.”—Booklist




Confession


Book Description




Plain Killing


Book Description

Rachel Mast finds the Amish are no more immune from crime than the people they call the English. It's been years since restless Rachel fled her family's farm as a teen. Starting with only the eighth-grade education afforded most Amish kids, she earned an MBA from Wharton and became successful in business. But Rachel never felt at home in the English world. So she came back to run a bed-and-breakfast in Stone Mill, near central Pennsylvania's thriving Amish community. Now she lives between the two worlds. Her boyfriend, Evan Parks, is a state trooper, but her best friend remains her cousin Mary Aaron Hostetler. Her uncle Aaron and aunt Hannah, tolerant of Rachel's English ways, allow her to drive Mary Aaron and a group of Amish teens to swim at the local quarry, where they're horrified to find the body of Beth Glick. Like Rachel, Beth left Amish life, but unlike Rachel, she left after her baptism and therefore was shunned by the community. What caused her to come back, dressed in Amish garb, to a place she knew she would be unwelcome? Rachel is determined to find out. Ignoring Evan's pleas for caution, she investigates the paths of teens leaving Stone Mill. A panicked call from Hannah Verkler, who disappeared years ago, convinces Rachel she's on the right track. But Hannah's call is from New Orleans. Can Rachel and Mary Aaron find Hannah in a city that represents everything the Amish reject?







Plain Heathen Mischief


Book Description

Of The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living, Martin Clark’s first novel, the New York Times Book Review wrote, “Like Nick Hornby in High Fidelity and Thomas McGuane in Nothing But Blue Skies, Clark has produced an oddly stirring portrait of a man in existential disarray.” Which–noted Malcolm Jones in Newsweek–“made me laugh so hard I fell off the sofa.” Plain Heathen Mischief ups the existential ante, as Joel King, a defrocked Baptist minister, finds life even more bedeviling once he’s served six months for a career-ending crime he might not even have committed. Now his incommunicado wife wants a divorce, the teenage vixen of his disgrace is suing him for a cool $5 million, a fresh start in Montana offers no hope for ex-cons of any religious persuasion, and the refuge provided by his sister turns as nasty as his parole officer. Talk about a crisis of faith. On the upside, a solicitous member of Joel’s former congregation invites him into a scam that could yield some desperately needed cash, and soon the down-on-his-luck preacher is involved with a flock of charming con men, crooked lawyers, and conniving youth. In a feat of bravura storytelling, Martin Clark ranges from the cross to the double cross, from Virginia to Las Vegas, from jail cells to trout streams, as he follows his Job-like hero through dubious choices and high-dollar insurance hustles to a redemption that no reader could possibly predict. Wildly imaginative, at times comic, at times profoundly sobering, and even more audacious than his wonderfully idiosyncratic debut, Plain Heathen Mischief is a spiritual revelation of the first order.




Book of Confessions, Study Edition, Revised


Book Description

This revised study edition of the Book of Confessions contains the official creeds, catechisms, and confessional statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), including the new Confession of Belhar that was added at the 222nd General Assembly (2016). Each text is introduced by an informative essay providing in-depth historical and theological background information. The book also includes two appendixes that explore the purpose of confessions. This study edition is ideal for seminarians and leaders looking for more extensive information about the history and theology of the confessions along with the official documents, all conveniently located in one volume.







Credo


Book Description

One of the world's leading scholars offers unique insights into the history and significance of Christian creeds Eminent theologian Jaroslav Pelikan has been translating, editing, and studying the Christian creeds and confessions of faith for sixty years. This book is the historical and theological distillation of that work. In Credo, Pelikan addresses essential questions about the Christian tradition: the origins of creeds; their function; their political role; how they relate to Christian institutions, worship, and service; and how they help to explain the major divisions of the Christian church and of Christian history. Credo standsas an independent reference work devoted to the subject of what creeds and confessions are and what their role in history has been. It is also the first of the four volumes of Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, edited by Pelikan and Valerie Hotchkiss.