The Protector

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Having read The Peacemaker, the second book in The Mifflin County Mystery trilogy, I immediately turned to The Protector to fill in some of the back story. Now that I have read both books, out of order, I recommend reading this series in order. This Amish mystery-romance centers around the disappearance of Rosa Petersheim and how it affects her family and friends to not know what happened to her. Did she leave on her own because she did not want to join the Amish church or was she the victim of foul play?

This novel centers on the Big Valley in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, where Rosa’s family lives and operates the family business, the Meat and Cheese store. Her father is a bishop in the local church and expects his family to conduct themselves in such a way as to reflect positively on their faith and family. Rosa has been dating Ephraim, but they have an argument at a youth event. She tears off into the night rejecting Ephraim’s offer to see her safely home. When her family discovers the next day that she never returned that evening, the police initiate an investigation. They can find no evidence of foul play or of where Rosa might have gone. They soon decide that Ephraim is not involved in her disappearance despite her older brother’s determination to connect him with Rosa’s vanishing. This brother, Norman, sees himself as the family’s protector and thinks he has let everyone down, especially Rosa. Meanwhile, he neglects his relationship with his girlfriend Salina.

There are many characters and threads. Those that interest me include an unhealthy jealousy Rosa’s sister has, the introduction of an arsonist into the story, and Rosa’s mom’s ill health. The story makes a clear connection between our physical health and our emotional and mental health. The portrayal of the character Rosa is unusual in that she never appears in either of these books. We learn about her through how other characters describe her from her guilt-ridden mother to her angry father and others in between. Everyone has an opinion about her.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance,Christian, Mystery

Notes: I recommend you read this trilogy in order.

Publication:   August 1, 2024—Barbour Publishing

Memorable Lines:

“If the bad things people do bother us so much, can you imagine the way God must feel as He looks down from heaven at the beautiful world He created and sees so much corruption?”

He remembered hearing Dad say once that TVs and computers were the devil’s playground and nothing good could be found on either of them. Although Norman didn’t miss having those things to use in his parents’ home, he thought there were some good things about both. It was just a matter of how a person used them.

Norman was still a caring person, but the stress of worrying about a matter over which he had no control had robbed him of the ability to care for himself or even enjoy time spent with others.