Appleseed Creek Books in Order

The Appleseed Creek mysteries drop a tech savvy outsider into the middle of Ohio Amish country and let the culture clash play out against a backdrop of serious crimes.

Chloe Humphrey is a twenty four year old computer specialist who takes a job running technology services at a tiny college in Appleseed Creek. Her big city friends head for glamorous coasts; Chloe heads for a rural town where buggies share the road with sedans and cell reception is hit or miss. She arrives feeling uncertain and a little lonely, then almost immediately meets Becky, an ex Amish teenager who needs a place to stay and is not at all sure where she belongs.

When Becky, driving Chloe’s car, collides with a buggy and an Amish bishop is killed, what looks like a tragic accident quickly begins to look like sabotage. A cut brake line and a long list of people who might have wanted the elder out of the way force Chloe into the uncomfortable role of amateur detective. Becky's brother Timothy, a carpenter who left the Amish church for the Mennonite faith, becomes both ally and potential love interest as they try to work out who was really meant to die.

Each book in the series tackles a new crime that shakes the plain community and the English neighbors around them. An attacker cuts the hair and beards of Amish men and women and then escalates to murder. A Christmas outing turns grim when Chloe and Timothy discover the body of a young Amish woman. A bus tour meant to boost tourism ends with southern visitors poisoned on a dairy farm and Timothy’s father under suspicion. In every case, Chloe has to navigate both the formal investigation and the complicated web of expectations, traditions, and unwritten rules that govern Appleseed Creek.

These books blend the rhythms of Amish life, questions of faith and forgiveness, and the vulnerability of being a newcomer in a tight community. They are still cozy mysteries at heart, but Flower does not shy away from the tensions that arise when modern technology, economic pressures, and long standing religious practices collide. If you are curious about an Amish setting but prefer an outsider’s point of view, this series is a strong place to start.