Night Owl Reviews provides author pages for published authors. To update or get an author page just click here!

Author: P. L. Gaus | Website


Published Works & Book Reviews

Harmless as Doves

As he goes about his milking chores on a cold October morning, Bishop Leon Shetler daydreams of escaping the Ohio winter and taking a bus to the Pinecraft Amish community in Florida for a vacation. His reverie is suddenly interrupted when young Crist Burkholder enters the barn, head down, hat in hand, to make a confession. “I just killed Glenn Spiegle.”

“An Amish murderer?” Sheriff Robertson asks when he arrives on the scene. “Who will believe that?” But Burkholder is adamant about his guilt, fueled by the passion of his love for Vesta Miller, the young woman both he and Spiegle so desperately wanted to marry.

No sooner does the sheriff start his investigation than he learns of two more murders in the Pinecraft community, and a startling connection is made. There’s no way around it—Professor Mike Branden will have to put his research trip on hold and, along with detective Ricky Niell, travel south to investigate. There they discover the disturbing truth about Spiegle’s conversion to the Amish faith and the reason for the long-smoldering hatred that has reached into the secluded pastoral valleys of Holmes County.

In Harmless as Doves, P. L. Gaus takes the action to Florida in one of the most exciting mysteries in the series. This is Gaus at his best.

Reviewer: Sherylyn
Review: Jul 21, 2011
Genre(s): Mystery, Amish
A quiet Amish community is thrown for a loop when a young Amish man comes to his Bishop early one morning and announces that he has killed a man. Bishop Shetler is not sure what to say, no one had ever heard of an Amish murderer. The Amish were peaceful people and not prone to anger and definitely not violence. Glenn Spiegle was one of the English and had recently come to the Amish community wanting a new l

Blood of the Prodigal

Large Print Version - Harback


Broken English

A compulsively readable new series that explores a fascinating culture set purposely apart.

In the wooded Amish hill country, a professor at a small college, a local pastor, and the county sheriff are the only ones among the mainstream, or "English," who possess the instincts and skills to work the cases that impact all county residents, no matter their code of conduct or religious creed.

David Hawkins came to the quiet town of Millersburg to escape his demons and unexpectedly found salvation in Amish life-until his English daughter is brutally murdered.

Reviewer: Sherylyn
Review: Apr 14, 2011
Genre(s): Mystery, Amish, Mystery: Sleuths
David Hawkins comes to Amish country for the peace it gives him. He is a military man and wants to get away from all the violence from his past. He has even fallen in love with an Amish woman with her own past that she would like to forget, and he has adopted the Amish way of life as he plans to marry her. He has vowed to a life of peace among the Amish. But when his only daughter is murdered and others conn

Blood of the Prodigal

A compulsively readable new series that explores a fascinating culture set purposely apart.

In the wooded Amish hill country, a professor at a small college, a local pastor, and the county sheriff are the only ones among the mainstream, or "English," who possess the instincts and skills to work the cases that impact all county residents, no matter their code of conduct or religious creed.

When an Amish boy is kidnapped, a bishop, fearful for the safety of his followers, plunges three outsiders into the traditionally closed society of the "Plain Ones."

Reviewer: Sherylyn
Review: Apr 14, 2011
Genre(s): Mystery, Amish, Mystery: Sleuths
The Amish are set in their own ways of doing things and their own beliefs, and do not trust "The English" or outsiders. But sometimes they might just have to rely upon others because of unexpected circumstances. A Bishop's grandson is kidnapped and a note is received from the boy's father, the Bishop's shunned son. The note states that he (the shunned son) just wants to spend time with his son and will bring

Cast a Blue Shadow

When the widow of a revered Millersburg College alumnus and one of the school's biggest donors is brutally murdered, authorities fear that Martha Lehman, a young Mennonite college girl, holds the key. but Martha-who was found covered in blood the morning after the murder- isn't talking.


Clouds Without Rain

A compulsively readable new series that explores a fascinating culture set purposely apart.

In the wooded Amish hill country, a professor at a small college, a local pastor, and the county sheriff are the only ones among the mainstream, or "English," who possess the instincts and skills to work the cases that impact all county residents, no matter their code of conduct or religious creed.

A fatal accident involving and Amish buggy and an eighteen-wheeler sets Professor Michael Branden on a quest to uncover the links between the crash and a spate of disturbing events.

Reviewer: Kittybooboo13
Review: Dec 17, 2010
Genre(s): Mystery, Amish
This was a book I loved from the start. I admit a weakness to Amish information, "bonnet novels", news articles, and crafts. This book melded all those items plus my love of reading mysteries to combine into a book (it's part of a series). Voila! An easy, relaxing read focusing my attentions on a place in the world where I thought life was without struggle. Boy was I wrong! This book addresses issu

A Prayer for the Night

Three young friends disappear while traveling on their Amish rite of passage, Rumschpringe, or wild days. In a race against the clock, the sheriff must find a murderer and break a ruthless drug ring operating within the heart of Ohio's Amish Country.

Reviewer: Angibabi4
Review: Dec 31, 2010
Genre(s): Mystery, Amish
Talk about an eye opener! I never knew all the intricacies of an Amish community. The research done on this book was astounding, with a wonderful tale surrounding the facts. I love a good mystery. This definitely qualifies. It's amazing how a rite of passage can quickly turn to the dark underbelly of society. A naive group of friends can easily get led astray with the right circumstances. The twists and turn

Separate from the World

Enos Erb, an Amish man, claims that his brother,-benny,-a dwarf like himself- has been murdered. Upon investigation, links to a controversial genetics study examining the effects of inbreeding within the Amish community are uncovered-a study in which both Enos and benny had participated.

Reviewer: Angibabi4
Review: Feb 15, 2011
Genre(s): Mystery, Amish
P. L. Gaus has done it again. Who ever thought there could be so much intrigue in an Amish Community, especially when it comes to bringing to light the substantial differences of opinion that can tear a community apart. In this case it's a difference of whether or not the "science" of the English can help an Amish community overcome and understand the varying degrees of genetic disorders in their fa

Great Deals

BOOK NEWS and more!

Enter your e-mail address to get book updates and more.

Share Night Owl with Friends

Meet the Authors: Interviews

Free Magazine

Click here to get NOR exclusive articles and interviews in our monthly magazine as well as reviews and tidbits.