Overview (from Goodreads): There's more to the
quaint northern Indiana town of Shipshewana than handcrafted quilts,
Amish-made furniture, immaculate farms and close-knit families. When a
dead girl is found floating in a local pond, murder is also afoot. And
Reuben Fisher is in jail as the suspect Reuben refuses to divulge any
information, even to clear himself of a crime Deborah is certain he
didn't commit. So, with her English friend, Callie -fellow sleuth and
owner of Daisy's Quilt Shop-Deborah sets out to uncover the truth. But
the mystery deepens when an elderly man seeks Callie's help in finding
his long-lost daughter, missing since the days of the 1965 Palm Sunday
Tornadoes. An old man who has lost his past. A young man who may lose
his future. Once again Deborah and Callie find themselves trying to
piece together a crazy quilt of lives and events---one that can bring
unexpected touches of God's grace and resolve the tragedy that has
shaken this quiet Amish community.
Review: I read A Perfect Square as I normally eat a piece of
delicious chocolate cake: slowly but steadily, savoring each sentence, each
paragraph, enjoying author Vannetta Chapman’s use of words, descriptions,
emotions and sensations. The way Mrs. Chapman tells a story is similar to how a
fine quilter stitches patterns together: every detail fitting in perfectly so
that in the end, what looked like a scarf at first, turns out to be a
beautiful, intricate and lovely quilt. Here, what looked like nice, enjoyable
mystery turned out to be a beautiful, intricate and lovely story of love,
loyalty, friendship, honesty, mercy and grace.
Good friends Callie and Deborah are once again deeply
involved in what appears to be a murder investigation, with their friend Reuben
as the only suspect. The mystery, or more accurate, mysteries are so engaging
and interesting that I found myself sneaking extra coffee breaks at work just
to be able to keep reading. I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop reading.
This novel is a great example of how details can make or
break a novel. Here, every detail, every description serves a purpose either to
add a piece for the mystery puzzle or to help the reader get to know the
characters better, go deeper into their personalities, what they’re thinking,
how they feel. I loved the fact that we got to see more of Deborah, we got to
know her and her family better. I also loved to see more of Esther, but missed
Melinda. I’m guessing book 3, Material Witness, will have a whole lot more of
her.
Seeing how Callie interacts with her three Amish friends,
how their relationship grows and how she starts letting go of her past is a
wonderful added plus to this remarkable story. I really liked how Mrs. Chapman
is, slowly but surely, resolving one of the most intriguing mysteries this
series has (at least for me): Which of the three guys —Trent, Shane or Andrew—
will Callie choose in the end? Now, I’m not saying that I like where it seems
to be headed (let it be Andrew, pleeeeeease), but I love to see Callie figure
it out, figure herself out and make the decision.
Great story. Wonderful read. I cannot wait to start reading Material
Witness, the last of the series.
5 stars out of 5
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