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The Amish Wife
The #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen solves a murder among the Amish and reveals the conspiracy to keep it a secret in a heartbreaking and horrifying true-crime story.
In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed.
What really happened to Ida? The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded. Could Eli’s subsequent cross-country journey of death—including that of his own son—have been prevented if just one person came forward with what they knew about the real Eli Stutzman?
The questions haunted Gregg Olsen and Ida’s brother Daniel Gingerich for decades. At Daniel’s urging, Olsen now returns to Amish Country and to Eli’s crimes first exposed in Olsen’s Abandoned Prayers, one of which has remained a mystery until now. With the help of aging witnesses and shocking long-buried letters, Olsen finally uncovers the disturbing truth—about Ida’s murder and the conspiracy of silence and secrets that kept it hidden for forty-five years.
In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed.
What really happened to Ida? The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded. Could Eli’s subsequent cross-country journey of death—including that of his own son—have been prevented if just one person came forward with what they knew about the real Eli Stutzman?
The questions haunted Gregg Olsen and Ida’s brother Daniel Gingerich for decades. At Daniel’s urging, Olsen now returns to Amish Country and to Eli’s crimes first exposed in Olsen’s Abandoned Prayers, one of which has remained a mystery until now. With the help of aging witnesses and shocking long-buried letters, Olsen finally uncovers the disturbing truth—about Ida’s murder and the conspiracy of silence and secrets that kept it hidden for forty-five years.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2023
About the author
Gregg Olsen
112 books6,028 followersThroughout his career, Gregg Olsen has demonstrated an ability to create a detailed narrative that offers readers fascinating insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances.
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Olsen has written ten nonfiction books, ten novels, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.
The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen’s Snapped, Court TV’s Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E’s Biography.
In addition to television and radio appearances, the award-winning author has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.
The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington’s Secretary of State for the book’s contribution to Washington state history and culture.
Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Olsen has written ten nonfiction books, ten novels, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.
The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen’s Snapped, Court TV’s Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E’s Biography.
In addition to television and radio appearances, the award-winning author has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.
The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington’s Secretary of State for the book’s contribution to Washington state history and culture.
Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,146 reviews
December 7, 2023
Hearsay and speculation about a crime that really isn't much of a mystery. It feels like this book was written to HEAVILY promote the authors first book.
I'd rather dig my eyes out with crochet hooks than read this again.
I'd rather dig my eyes out with crochet hooks than read this again.
December 6, 2023
Wow. What a tragic story of Ida and Danny's lives. I only gave this 3 stars because I got confused throughout with all of the names and similar families and also because I felt I should have read Abandoned Prayers beforehand to gathering more insight on Eli. Although, I probably won't read it after learning the horrible things he did to his young son Danny through this book. Overall, it was a great read, just really sad and tragic. I also wish we got to hear about Ida's brother, Dan's, reaction to the epilogue when everything comes together. Hard work Gregg has encountered to find the truth!! I applaud him for his time, effort and resilience.
December 17, 2023
SO BORING
If you want to know how Ida was murdered, just go to the last 3 pages of the book. Throughout the rest of the book Mr. Olson yammers on and on and on and on, going off on tangents and repeating himself endlessly ..... After seriously trying to read the book for the first 40%, I finally just started skipping huge sections, and ultimately just skipped to the end- the only interesting part of the book. I can't believe I wasted so much time hoping the narrative would get better.... It didn't.
If you want to know how Ida was murdered, just go to the last 3 pages of the book. Throughout the rest of the book Mr. Olson yammers on and on and on and on, going off on tangents and repeating himself endlessly ..... After seriously trying to read the book for the first 40%, I finally just started skipping huge sections, and ultimately just skipped to the end- the only interesting part of the book. I can't believe I wasted so much time hoping the narrative would get better.... It didn't.
December 30, 2023
4 Stars
December 17, 2023
The phrases "self-serving" and "self-centered" spring to mind.
June 12, 2024
Ida Stutzman, a pregnant Amish wife died in a barn fire. Sad and tragic but did the fire kill her or someone else.?
Her husband, Eli, escaped being a suspect, but there were so many inconsistencies that there had to be a coverup and there was. Eli left the Amish community taking his young son with him. He gave up the Amish life and then went down the path to death and destruction.
Why was he never considered a suspect? Was it because of the tight lipped image of the Amish, or was there something else that drove the local police to ignore the evidence of his involvement?
I thought the story was fascinating and learned many things about the mysterious Amish, most of whom were and are good people. However, Eli and many members of his community had a secret that they strove to hide, a deadly secret in Eli's case.
Her husband, Eli, escaped being a suspect, but there were so many inconsistencies that there had to be a coverup and there was. Eli left the Amish community taking his young son with him. He gave up the Amish life and then went down the path to death and destruction.
Why was he never considered a suspect? Was it because of the tight lipped image of the Amish, or was there something else that drove the local police to ignore the evidence of his involvement?
I thought the story was fascinating and learned many things about the mysterious Amish, most of whom were and are good people. However, Eli and many members of his community had a secret that they strove to hide, a deadly secret in Eli's case.
December 15, 2023
The Amish Wife investigates the death of a young Amish woman and the husband who maybe got away with her murder. Intense investigation into her death and the subsequent history of the husband make for interesting reading.
December 11, 2023
Extremely Sad True Crime Story
Gregg Olsen has written a conclusion to his previous book Abandoned Prayers that will rip your heart out.
***SERIOUS TRIGGER WARNING
Olsen is very thorough but also able to convey the personality of the people he is interviewing. In this case, we are talking about the Schwarzentrubber Amish, a conservative Old Order group mostly in Ohio.
The Amish Wife details another side of the Amish than that which has been very popular in books. There are quite a few authors who are on the bestseller lists with serial love stories set in various places in Amish country. This book is a radical departure from the innocence and sweetness of those books.
Be prepared for frank, sexual discussion and portrayals of murder, drugs, child abuse and other potentially distressing topics. Although the author's goal is to right a long ignored wrong, he waded through humanity's seamier side in order to reach it.
I believe the author achieved his goal, and spent a long portion of his life chasing down the evidence. For sheer, dogged effort and a well written book, I'm giving him five stars. Sometimes, the ugly truth must be told.
Gregg Olsen has written a conclusion to his previous book Abandoned Prayers that will rip your heart out.
***SERIOUS TRIGGER WARNING
Olsen is very thorough but also able to convey the personality of the people he is interviewing. In this case, we are talking about the Schwarzentrubber Amish, a conservative Old Order group mostly in Ohio.
The Amish Wife details another side of the Amish than that which has been very popular in books. There are quite a few authors who are on the bestseller lists with serial love stories set in various places in Amish country. This book is a radical departure from the innocence and sweetness of those books.
Be prepared for frank, sexual discussion and portrayals of murder, drugs, child abuse and other potentially distressing topics. Although the author's goal is to right a long ignored wrong, he waded through humanity's seamier side in order to reach it.
I believe the author achieved his goal, and spent a long portion of his life chasing down the evidence. For sheer, dogged effort and a well written book, I'm giving him five stars. Sometimes, the ugly truth must be told.
December 23, 2023
DNF. I really tried to get into this true crime story. Its well written. As I read to 1\3 of it I lost interest.
In cold blood is my very first crime story I've read. It has always been an interest in my life. However, as horrific as murdering people is, this book was too mundane for me. I'm not diminishing the facts themselves regarding the fear witnesses had, regarding what they knew, nor disrespecting the ways of different sects of Amish. Its difficult for me to pin point the reason why I couldn't put the time into reading this in its entirety.
In cold blood is my very first crime story I've read. It has always been an interest in my life. However, as horrific as murdering people is, this book was too mundane for me. I'm not diminishing the facts themselves regarding the fear witnesses had, regarding what they knew, nor disrespecting the ways of different sects of Amish. Its difficult for me to pin point the reason why I couldn't put the time into reading this in its entirety.
January 5, 2024
Gregg Olsen does not tell Ida’s story in a proper manner. His narrative style is very self centered, and he seems to harass this community for his own personal gain.
Olsen’s mentions of visiting Dahmers childhood home and writing letters to Bundy on death row show that he’s everything wrong with true crime culture. He is mentioning these side stories in an attempt to inflate his ego, and it’s completely disgusting and unnecessary in this story about an Amish woman’s murder.
Wouldn’t recommend to anyone. Maybe some of Olsen’s other books are better, but not this one. I finished out of spite.
Olsen’s mentions of visiting Dahmers childhood home and writing letters to Bundy on death row show that he’s everything wrong with true crime culture. He is mentioning these side stories in an attempt to inflate his ego, and it’s completely disgusting and unnecessary in this story about an Amish woman’s murder.
Wouldn’t recommend to anyone. Maybe some of Olsen’s other books are better, but not this one. I finished out of spite.
December 31, 2023
This is my second Gregg Olsen read of 2023 (If You Tell was the first)and both were from his true crime shelf. Olsen writes in a way that makes a reader feel that their sitting right beside him-collecting all the evidence and listening to him re-interview many of the Amish people he had first encountered in Abandoned Prayers.
Honestly, I wanted more about Ida, the victim and I felt as true crime tends to do we get more about her potential murderer. But again, that's just my preference as a reader. Writers with publishers must fill a different bracket.
This was my December Amazon First Reads Pick.
Goodreads review published 31/12/23
Honestly, I wanted more about Ida, the victim and I felt as true crime tends to do we get more about her potential murderer. But again, that's just my preference as a reader. Writers with publishers must fill a different bracket.
This was my December Amazon First Reads Pick.
Goodreads review published 31/12/23
December 2, 2023
Conspiracy, lies and coverups galore
I've always had an "unsettling" feeling since I read about Eli and Ida Stutzman years ago. Gregg Olsen felt it too. After many years Gregg heads back to Amish Country to do some more investigating. He sees Daniel Gingerich, Ida'a brother, and they talk about Gregg's suspicions regarding the night Ida met her demise in the barn fire. This book takes you through his investigation and is brilliantly documented by Olsen! I love how he gives us the facts but also puts his spin on it like only he can do. Just knowing what his thought process was during this interview was interesting. I have always thought that Ida was killed. It just did not make sense when I read it and now finally I think we're all able to put it to rest. There was so many lies and cover-ups that were on Earth in this book. Greg got to read letters that Daniel had saved. Trying not to give too much away but this is a very well written book that finally gives Ida, in my opinion, some justice. No one will ever be punished for this crime, but at least now we know. Thank you Gregg Olsen for caring so much that you gave Ida a voice after all these years. I'm still thinking about all the facts in this book and will be reading it again! Definitely 5 stars for this book. People ask me which of Gregg's books to read first. This is now on my TOP 5 LIST!!
I've always had an "unsettling" feeling since I read about Eli and Ida Stutzman years ago. Gregg Olsen felt it too. After many years Gregg heads back to Amish Country to do some more investigating. He sees Daniel Gingerich, Ida'a brother, and they talk about Gregg's suspicions regarding the night Ida met her demise in the barn fire. This book takes you through his investigation and is brilliantly documented by Olsen! I love how he gives us the facts but also puts his spin on it like only he can do. Just knowing what his thought process was during this interview was interesting. I have always thought that Ida was killed. It just did not make sense when I read it and now finally I think we're all able to put it to rest. There was so many lies and cover-ups that were on Earth in this book. Greg got to read letters that Daniel had saved. Trying not to give too much away but this is a very well written book that finally gives Ida, in my opinion, some justice. No one will ever be punished for this crime, but at least now we know. Thank you Gregg Olsen for caring so much that you gave Ida a voice after all these years. I'm still thinking about all the facts in this book and will be reading it again! Definitely 5 stars for this book. People ask me which of Gregg's books to read first. This is now on my TOP 5 LIST!!
January 11, 2024
Not my favorite
This is not my favorite book from this author. I felt it was too long and drawn out. It took me a while to get through it.
This is not my favorite book from this author. I felt it was too long and drawn out. It took me a while to get through it.
December 20, 2023
To quote Stefan from early 2010s SNL culture, "This book has everything".
Amish ✅
Arson ✅
Murder ✅
Conspiracies ✅
Scandalous gay affairs ✅
As ridiculous as that all sounds, mind you, this is a true crime story! Even more so, it's true crime set primarily in the late 1970s in Northeast Ohio (Wooster-area primarily). Growing up in Ohio, I enjoyed the geography of it all and understood the feeling of the small town culture the author was trying to convey.
The author, Gregg Olson, treated this book as a sequel of sorts to his book Abandoned Prayers (haven't nor will read). Not having that knowledge, I felt the author required much of the reader. At times, his writing style came off assumptive, telling this story as if you were fully familiar with his work and this case.
It is a fascinating case at the core. An Amish woman is dead after a suspicious barn fire. There is little investigation from local authorities and the woman's husband, continues to be involved with murders (one of which is his son) with very little recourse. This story tries to get to why that is - is it simply a lack of care from small town police departments? Is due to the secrecy of Amish culture? Or is there a greater conspiracy that ties a local sheriff and the murderer together?
If you like Dateline, you may enjoy this. For me, I DNF at 55%. The author interviews A LOT of people closely and loosely connected to the case - and because some are Amish, the names are similar or identical (like how am I suppose to know who Levi is versus Levi Levi). There were peaks of interest but the valleys inconsequential dialogue that was cumbersome to process.
This story would make a great fictionalized retelling but the author's choices makes this fall flat as a non-fiction true crime.
DNF at 55%. 1 Star.
Amish ✅
Arson ✅
Murder ✅
Conspiracies ✅
Scandalous gay affairs ✅
As ridiculous as that all sounds, mind you, this is a true crime story! Even more so, it's true crime set primarily in the late 1970s in Northeast Ohio (Wooster-area primarily). Growing up in Ohio, I enjoyed the geography of it all and understood the feeling of the small town culture the author was trying to convey.
The author, Gregg Olson, treated this book as a sequel of sorts to his book Abandoned Prayers (haven't nor will read). Not having that knowledge, I felt the author required much of the reader. At times, his writing style came off assumptive, telling this story as if you were fully familiar with his work and this case.
It is a fascinating case at the core. An Amish woman is dead after a suspicious barn fire. There is little investigation from local authorities and the woman's husband, continues to be involved with murders (one of which is his son) with very little recourse. This story tries to get to why that is - is it simply a lack of care from small town police departments? Is due to the secrecy of Amish culture? Or is there a greater conspiracy that ties a local sheriff and the murderer together?
If you like Dateline, you may enjoy this. For me, I DNF at 55%. The author interviews A LOT of people closely and loosely connected to the case - and because some are Amish, the names are similar or identical (like how am I suppose to know who Levi is versus Levi Levi). There were peaks of interest but the valleys inconsequential dialogue that was cumbersome to process.
This story would make a great fictionalized retelling but the author's choices makes this fall flat as a non-fiction true crime.
DNF at 55%. 1 Star.
February 9, 2024
I did not enjoy this book. I felt like it was a lot of rambling and did not present a cohesive digestible narrative. Many sentences were long and confusing and descriptions of characters were jumbled. The Amish community was portrayed in a very bad light.
April 10, 2024
I thought the first book about this story was fucking horrifying but this one was even worse. We got an updated and deeper dive into the details and it just made me sick to my stomach. I’ll never get how humans can be so awful and twisted.
December 23, 2023
2.5 stars
I chose this book as my December Kindle First Read, because nothing else appealed to me. I do like crime stories from time to time, so it wasn't a hard decision.
But this book was all over the place. The first half to two-thirds of the book were so full of asides, descriptions of Olsen's rental cars and hotel rooms, unrelated commentary (including references to Weird Al Yankovic and Schitt's Creek), bad coffee, weather...and so much of Olsen's experiences (car accident, descriptions of each flight to Ohio...) while investigating and researching the murder, that I didn't know what to think.
Also, he meets so many people, many of whom having same or similar names to others (which is, apparently, not unusual in Amish culture), that I got lost and confused several times. Who is this person? What did he do? Olsen also repeats himself a lot, which is helpful, I guess. I could have done with a "cast of characters" list, although flipping back and forth on a Kindle is not ideal.
I was ready to quit the book several times, but I persevered. I give Olsen a lot of credit for the balance and respect he shows the Amish and the LGBTQ characters in the book.
Because of this wide-ranging, somewhat structureless (at least for me) approach, I think The Amish Wife is a misnomer. Relatively little of the book is actually about Ida Stutzman. All we know is that she was an Amish woman, quite well-liked in the community, and loved by her family. The book is really about Eli, her husband and how trauma and societal rules of the time formed him and caused many horrific events. And yes, "a conspiracy that let a killer go free." So much wasted time and humanity.
I gave the book 2.5 stars, because the last part of the book picked up for me, as certain facts and information became available, and we were coming to some conclusions. It started to make more sense, although the ending was still less organized than I would want.
So I leave this book with sadness and a sense of loss for the people involved...and also a wish that the text had been more structured and easy to follow.
I chose this book as my December Kindle First Read, because nothing else appealed to me. I do like crime stories from time to time, so it wasn't a hard decision.
But this book was all over the place. The first half to two-thirds of the book were so full of asides, descriptions of Olsen's rental cars and hotel rooms, unrelated commentary (including references to Weird Al Yankovic and Schitt's Creek), bad coffee, weather...and so much of Olsen's experiences (car accident, descriptions of each flight to Ohio...) while investigating and researching the murder, that I didn't know what to think.
Also, he meets so many people, many of whom having same or similar names to others (which is, apparently, not unusual in Amish culture), that I got lost and confused several times. Who is this person? What did he do? Olsen also repeats himself a lot, which is helpful, I guess. I could have done with a "cast of characters" list, although flipping back and forth on a Kindle is not ideal.
I was ready to quit the book several times, but I persevered. I give Olsen a lot of credit for the balance and respect he shows the Amish and the LGBTQ characters in the book.
Because of this wide-ranging, somewhat structureless (at least for me) approach, I think The Amish Wife is a misnomer. Relatively little of the book is actually about Ida Stutzman. All we know is that she was an Amish woman, quite well-liked in the community, and loved by her family. The book is really about Eli, her husband and how trauma and societal rules of the time formed him and caused many horrific events. And yes, "a conspiracy that let a killer go free." So much wasted time and humanity.
I gave the book 2.5 stars, because the last part of the book picked up for me, as certain facts and information became available, and we were coming to some conclusions. It started to make more sense, although the ending was still less organized than I would want.
So I leave this book with sadness and a sense of loss for the people involved...and also a wish that the text had been more structured and easy to follow.
December 7, 2023
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Gregg Olsen is an outstanding writer. His dialogue, character development, and narrative are natural and easy to follow. Moreover he is an excellent detective who seems to possess both the patience and dedication to find answers even if the endeavor takes ages. To boot, I get the feeling he is a really nice guy and a good human being. Perhaps I need to read some of his novels—and I definitely plan to do so. Where the fascinating tale of The Amish Wife falls short for me is in being so detailed and comprehensive that I began to grow weary of the minutiae. It probably did not help that important characters inevitably had very similar names—Eli, Levi and even Eli Eli. 5 stars for thoroughness for sure and for the heart and energy to find answers to a horrible crime even if the solution took over thirty years. A good tale so worth telling.
Gregg Olsen is an outstanding writer. His dialogue, character development, and narrative are natural and easy to follow. Moreover he is an excellent detective who seems to possess both the patience and dedication to find answers even if the endeavor takes ages. To boot, I get the feeling he is a really nice guy and a good human being. Perhaps I need to read some of his novels—and I definitely plan to do so. Where the fascinating tale of The Amish Wife falls short for me is in being so detailed and comprehensive that I began to grow weary of the minutiae. It probably did not help that important characters inevitably had very similar names—Eli, Levi and even Eli Eli. 5 stars for thoroughness for sure and for the heart and energy to find answers to a horrible crime even if the solution took over thirty years. A good tale so worth telling.
February 2, 2024
Some parts i.really liked, some parts did not keep my attention. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion
June 4, 2024
Well written and researched but can’t recommend fully because of how much homosexual content comes to light and the details of it :( I thought it was more of a murder mystery and it turns into a plug for the author’s previous book and this immoral lifestyle I don’t want to read about and the lies surrounding everyone having to accept it or be called unloving!
I believe the word of God and what it says about sin and this kind of sin!
I believe the word of God and what it says about sin and this kind of sin!
December 25, 2023
I received a hardcover copy The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen in the mail. I'm not certain if it was directly from the publisher Thomas & Mercer or from the publicist Jennifer Musico, who has sent me quite a number of e-books. The Amish Wife was about a real life monster.
The Amish Wife states that the Amish believe that saying negative things about someone reflects poorly on the speaker. This belief is probably why Amish were unwilling to say things they knew about killer Eli Stutzman. Olsen calls Eli "an Amish fabulist". I understand "fabulist" to mean someone who tells stories that are either not completely true or absolutely false. The stories with elements of truth are the most insidious because listeners need to determine when the fabulist is lying.
Olsen tells us that the only way a marriage could be ended in the Amish community was death. He believed that Eli killed his wife, Ida. Eli was evidently gay and wanted out of his marriage. So Olsen thinks the fabulist manufactured a story about her death that would allow him to evade responsibility for it.
I found Eli Stutzman's mug shot at a website called Daily Crime for those readers who are interested. He killed quite a number of people. He looked like the sort of person who didn't care about anyone or anything. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 1985, but was released in 2005. Stutzman committed suicide in 2007.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book, but it was eye opening that this happened in the Amish community. I suppose that the Amish are like everyone else. They run the gamut of personalities. Some Amish people try to behave decently toward their fellow human beings, and there may be a few who perform notable acts of benevolence, and then there are the people whose lives are horrors like Eli Stutzman. I could never write one book about Stutzman, let alone two. I wouldn't want to live with Stutzman's terrible actions for the length of time it would take to research and write about him. This book was about terrible events. It was well-researched and convincing, but I would be very happy not to encounter such a monster in the pages of a book in the foreseeable future. True crime isn't a genre that appeals to me. I hope my next read deals with people who don't make me feel sick.
For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
The Amish Wife states that the Amish believe that saying negative things about someone reflects poorly on the speaker. This belief is probably why Amish were unwilling to say things they knew about killer Eli Stutzman. Olsen calls Eli "an Amish fabulist". I understand "fabulist" to mean someone who tells stories that are either not completely true or absolutely false. The stories with elements of truth are the most insidious because listeners need to determine when the fabulist is lying.
Olsen tells us that the only way a marriage could be ended in the Amish community was death. He believed that Eli killed his wife, Ida. Eli was evidently gay and wanted out of his marriage. So Olsen thinks the fabulist manufactured a story about her death that would allow him to evade responsibility for it.
I found Eli Stutzman's mug shot at a website called Daily Crime for those readers who are interested. He killed quite a number of people. He looked like the sort of person who didn't care about anyone or anything. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 1985, but was released in 2005. Stutzman committed suicide in 2007.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book, but it was eye opening that this happened in the Amish community. I suppose that the Amish are like everyone else. They run the gamut of personalities. Some Amish people try to behave decently toward their fellow human beings, and there may be a few who perform notable acts of benevolence, and then there are the people whose lives are horrors like Eli Stutzman. I could never write one book about Stutzman, let alone two. I wouldn't want to live with Stutzman's terrible actions for the length of time it would take to research and write about him. This book was about terrible events. It was well-researched and convincing, but I would be very happy not to encounter such a monster in the pages of a book in the foreseeable future. True crime isn't a genre that appeals to me. I hope my next read deals with people who don't make me feel sick.
For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...
January 5, 2024
The title “The Amish Wife” almost evokes the currently popular literary genre Amish romance (chaste “bonnet rippers” that are written for denomination-curious Christian evangelical women), but the real story of this Amish woman is far more tragic and gruesome. Back in 1989, Gregg Olsen first explored the murder of a little boy abandoned in a field, which led back to the death of a pregnant Amish woman in a barn fire (but not adjudged to be foul play) and produced his debut book “Answered Prayers.” Olsen did his best to investigate the story of “Little Boy Blue” at the time and his very graphic non-fiction book determined even then that psychopathic Eli Stutzman murdered his son and got away with it. Olsen had encountered numerous coverups and roadblocks 30 years ago and was prompted to revisit what happened to Stutzman’s pregnant wife when her brother, still a member of one of the strictest Amish sects, contacted him again with a box of letters.
I love Gregg’s true crime style — he really should turn his updated books into podcasts. In this narrative, he’s once again trying to track the truth, hopeful that enough has changed (and enough participants have died) to shake the memories and tongues of the survivors of that period. As usual, he unfolds his tales as if they were fictional thrillers — you’re rooting for him to find the truth, even if the final proof is revealed in the epilogue. 4 stars!
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer/Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for a free reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I love Gregg’s true crime style — he really should turn his updated books into podcasts. In this narrative, he’s once again trying to track the truth, hopeful that enough has changed (and enough participants have died) to shake the memories and tongues of the survivors of that period. As usual, he unfolds his tales as if they were fictional thrillers — you’re rooting for him to find the truth, even if the final proof is revealed in the epilogue. 4 stars!
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer/Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for a free reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
December 21, 2023
2.5 DNF after 40%. I enjoyed the beginning. The frequent jumping around and self talk from the author drove me to boredom. I was interested in knowing what really happened so I did my own research on Eli instead. Interesting.
January 19, 2024
1. If I had known this was a sequel, I would not have started with this book, I was missing so much context
2. I always find it interesting in documentaries or true crime content when the content creator just blabs about other people's business. Like, I know that's the medium, but it's so jarring to read things like "this person told me to keep this secret," but you're telling everyone??? 😩
3. I tried very hard not to get confused with the names, but I really did, I respect the Amish tradition, but it was kind of hard to follow the thread with so many people sharing the exact same names
2. I always find it interesting in documentaries or true crime content when the content creator just blabs about other people's business. Like, I know that's the medium, but it's so jarring to read things like "this person told me to keep this secret," but you're telling everyone??? 😩
3. I tried very hard not to get confused with the names, but I really did, I respect the Amish tradition, but it was kind of hard to follow the thread with so many people sharing the exact same names
February 15, 2024
There is a case here in my home state of Indiana that came to mind quite often while reading Gregg Olsen's "The Amish Wife." It involves two young teenagers, Abby and Liberty, who were murdered on the outskirts of town while spending an unseasonably warm winter day hiking on a defined trail.
While there has been an arrest in the case (results still undetermined), the entire case has been chaotic and bungled from point one. Time and again, it has appeared to be a case that appears to have facts unspoken and secrets untold.
In "The Amish Wife," Olsen revisits a case he wrote about in Abandoned Prayers in which a young boy was found dead in a town on Christmas Eve in a small Nebraska town. For two years, the identity of "Little Boy Blue" was unknown until eventually a phone call from Ohio would lead authorities to Eli Stutzman, the son of an Amish bishop and a public-facing responsible member of the strictest Amish order.
Secrets would be revealed, however, and secrets involving pornography, sadomasochism, and drugs would come to the light. They would add greater mystery to the death of Eli's wife, Ida, whose death while pregnant due to a barn fire on their property was determined as "natural causes." Following this death, Eli would leave the Amish community behind, not for the first time, and head out on a nationwide journey that would eventually end in his son's death and other tragedies.
"The Amish Wife" picks up 30 years later, Ida's death has long been suspicious and yet authorities have steadfastly refused to re-open the case. The reasons would range from cultural issues in the Amish community to, as Olsen vividly portrays, many key figures being implicated themselves with their knowledge of the truth of Eli.
For Olsen, who leans toward this type of literary endeavor, it's clear that Ida's unresolved death and the failure of the larger community to to connect the dots hasn't settled well. Throughout "The Amish Wife," it's clear that he's intent on bringing some sort of justice to Ida and this community even if the community itself doesn't seem to want it.
While the book is entitled "The Amish Wife," the truth is that Ida often feels like more of an afterthought in Olsen's storytelling. While her death is undeniably part of the foundation of this story, much of the book is focused more on Eli's deceptions and the failure of those who knew the truth to call him out. What would have happened if just one person who knew the truth of Eli came forward?
The story that serves as the foundation of "The Amish Wife," and for that matter also "Abandoned Prayers," is a compelling story worthy of our attention. It has clearly bothered Olsen and Ida's brother, Daniel," for years. It's also clear that there are key individuals who have long believed that Ida was not a victim of a barn fire but instead a victim of her charismatic yet troubled and potentially sociopathic husband.
In "The Amish Wife," Olsen returns to connect the dots and to bring some sense of closure to Ida's case and the people impacted by it. Interviewing now elderly witnesses and reviewing letters since revealed, Olsen connects the dots and seemingly uncovers truths that have been, if we're all being honest, long known and the conspiracies that left the entire case unresolved for over 40 years.
As a thrilling procedural, "The Amish Wife" has its engaging moments. It's undeniable that the material itself is fiercely seductive and fans of true crime will likely find much to appreciate here. Often told in the first person, particularly Olsen's own voice as the investigator, "The Amish Wife" often feels like it's more about Olsen's lack of resolution than the lack of resolution around Ida's death and the actions that followed.
We learn more about Eli than Ida - everything from his sexual preferences to his periodic departures from his Amish community to his keeping a phone despite his Order's mandate that it be given up and to, well, the fact that he was "hung like a horse." It's clear that Ida married a charismatic man with nary a conscience and quite the agenda.
However, the book is called "The Amish Wife" and we learn very little more about Ida herself other than an oft-repeated description of how she was found and how it couldn't have been the accident or "natural causes" claimed. We learn a couple of minor facts, however, "The Amish Wife" never really even tries to get to the soul of this Amish wife who seemed to have strong insight that Eli didn't love her but who more than once welcomed him back.
I can't help but think that "The Amish Wife" should have been called "The Not So Amish Husband."
I didn't hate "The Amish Wife." I find the case absolutely involving and emotionally riveting. However, I also felt like it was often a missed opportunity to live into its stated purpose of finding out the truth and bringing some sense of justice to Ida and, to a certain degree, her son Danny and her unborn child. I learned more about Eli and even more about Olsen himself than I did Ida or the true innocents here. While there is some modest conviction toward the Amish community and those who "knew" more about Eli, it's the "English," those people of authority who all happened to be non-Amish, who are the most convicted here as people who clearly hid significant truths and whose actions allowed an Amish wife to die in vain and for the cycle of violence continue for far too long.
Ida Stutzman deserved a far better life than she had. She deserved a far better husband than Eli Stutzman. Sadly, she also deserves a better novel than "The Amish Wife" to tell her story.
While there has been an arrest in the case (results still undetermined), the entire case has been chaotic and bungled from point one. Time and again, it has appeared to be a case that appears to have facts unspoken and secrets untold.
In "The Amish Wife," Olsen revisits a case he wrote about in Abandoned Prayers in which a young boy was found dead in a town on Christmas Eve in a small Nebraska town. For two years, the identity of "Little Boy Blue" was unknown until eventually a phone call from Ohio would lead authorities to Eli Stutzman, the son of an Amish bishop and a public-facing responsible member of the strictest Amish order.
Secrets would be revealed, however, and secrets involving pornography, sadomasochism, and drugs would come to the light. They would add greater mystery to the death of Eli's wife, Ida, whose death while pregnant due to a barn fire on their property was determined as "natural causes." Following this death, Eli would leave the Amish community behind, not for the first time, and head out on a nationwide journey that would eventually end in his son's death and other tragedies.
"The Amish Wife" picks up 30 years later, Ida's death has long been suspicious and yet authorities have steadfastly refused to re-open the case. The reasons would range from cultural issues in the Amish community to, as Olsen vividly portrays, many key figures being implicated themselves with their knowledge of the truth of Eli.
For Olsen, who leans toward this type of literary endeavor, it's clear that Ida's unresolved death and the failure of the larger community to to connect the dots hasn't settled well. Throughout "The Amish Wife," it's clear that he's intent on bringing some sort of justice to Ida and this community even if the community itself doesn't seem to want it.
While the book is entitled "The Amish Wife," the truth is that Ida often feels like more of an afterthought in Olsen's storytelling. While her death is undeniably part of the foundation of this story, much of the book is focused more on Eli's deceptions and the failure of those who knew the truth to call him out. What would have happened if just one person who knew the truth of Eli came forward?
The story that serves as the foundation of "The Amish Wife," and for that matter also "Abandoned Prayers," is a compelling story worthy of our attention. It has clearly bothered Olsen and Ida's brother, Daniel," for years. It's also clear that there are key individuals who have long believed that Ida was not a victim of a barn fire but instead a victim of her charismatic yet troubled and potentially sociopathic husband.
In "The Amish Wife," Olsen returns to connect the dots and to bring some sense of closure to Ida's case and the people impacted by it. Interviewing now elderly witnesses and reviewing letters since revealed, Olsen connects the dots and seemingly uncovers truths that have been, if we're all being honest, long known and the conspiracies that left the entire case unresolved for over 40 years.
As a thrilling procedural, "The Amish Wife" has its engaging moments. It's undeniable that the material itself is fiercely seductive and fans of true crime will likely find much to appreciate here. Often told in the first person, particularly Olsen's own voice as the investigator, "The Amish Wife" often feels like it's more about Olsen's lack of resolution than the lack of resolution around Ida's death and the actions that followed.
We learn more about Eli than Ida - everything from his sexual preferences to his periodic departures from his Amish community to his keeping a phone despite his Order's mandate that it be given up and to, well, the fact that he was "hung like a horse." It's clear that Ida married a charismatic man with nary a conscience and quite the agenda.
However, the book is called "The Amish Wife" and we learn very little more about Ida herself other than an oft-repeated description of how she was found and how it couldn't have been the accident or "natural causes" claimed. We learn a couple of minor facts, however, "The Amish Wife" never really even tries to get to the soul of this Amish wife who seemed to have strong insight that Eli didn't love her but who more than once welcomed him back.
I can't help but think that "The Amish Wife" should have been called "The Not So Amish Husband."
I didn't hate "The Amish Wife." I find the case absolutely involving and emotionally riveting. However, I also felt like it was often a missed opportunity to live into its stated purpose of finding out the truth and bringing some sense of justice to Ida and, to a certain degree, her son Danny and her unborn child. I learned more about Eli and even more about Olsen himself than I did Ida or the true innocents here. While there is some modest conviction toward the Amish community and those who "knew" more about Eli, it's the "English," those people of authority who all happened to be non-Amish, who are the most convicted here as people who clearly hid significant truths and whose actions allowed an Amish wife to die in vain and for the cycle of violence continue for far too long.
Ida Stutzman deserved a far better life than she had. She deserved a far better husband than Eli Stutzman. Sadly, she also deserves a better novel than "The Amish Wife" to tell her story.
March 30, 2024
Intriguing story especially as the first page mentioned towns close to where I grew up.
True crime is usually rather horrifying and this was exactly that. 😳
The author is just bringing the facts to light, but there was way too much to wade through that I’m almost quit the books multiple times! (Graphic murder scenes, men in relationships, child abuse, etc 🙈)
This Amish man killed his wife in 1977, and the author set out to prove this fact, hence why I kept reading. There was not much of an investigation, and this man went on to kill 4 or 5 more people including his own son. 💔💔
He was finally caught, sent to prison for 40 years, but only served 8! A few years after being released he eventually committed suicide.
The author finally proves the Amish wife was murdered as the man who did the autopsy told relatives that she had many wounds on her body, not possible if she just fainted from smoke in the barn or a “bad heart.”
Definitely don’t recommend unless you are really into true crime and want a wild story. But be forewarned of a lot of mess to go through.😬
There’s a lot more going on in the Amish community than meets the eye. 👀
True crime is usually rather horrifying and this was exactly that. 😳
The author is just bringing the facts to light, but there was way too much to wade through that I’m almost quit the books multiple times! (Graphic murder scenes, men in relationships, child abuse, etc 🙈)
This Amish man killed his wife in 1977, and the author set out to prove this fact, hence why I kept reading. There was not much of an investigation, and this man went on to kill 4 or 5 more people including his own son. 💔💔
He was finally caught, sent to prison for 40 years, but only served 8! A few years after being released he eventually committed suicide.
The author finally proves the Amish wife was murdered as the man who did the autopsy told relatives that she had many wounds on her body, not possible if she just fainted from smoke in the barn or a “bad heart.”
Definitely don’t recommend unless you are really into true crime and want a wild story. But be forewarned of a lot of mess to go through.😬
There’s a lot more going on in the Amish community than meets the eye. 👀
January 15, 2024
So, I didn't read 'Abandoned Prays' before picking this up, but that didn't diminish this book at all. Pertinent information was all explained for this book. I haven't liked most of Gregg's books up to now but I keep trying because I love true crime. This book was a pleasant surprise for me as I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. It had mystery, intrigue, puzzles, and I loved Greer's point of view. Excellent tale. Riveting.
January 18, 2024
This was an interesting story, but as the author never made any new discoveries in the case and the murderer is deceased, it was really just him revisiting a cold case with no hope of a solution. I read it because I remember the story of “Little Boy Blue” when it happened and didn’t know how the story turned out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2023
Bland.
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