Before you pick up Shadows of Lancaster County, make sure you have a block of time to read it. This book is a delightful rush: the present twists into the past in a way that pulled me through from page one to the end, the pages flipping ever faster as the end neared.

When Anna’s brother vanishes from the genetics lab where he works DNA research and gene mapping, Anna has no choice but to depend on her Silicon Valley training, her instincts, her faith in God, and the help of the Amish community to find him.

That sentence summarizes one layer of the plot. But so much more is involved. And the so much more is what makes this book an absolute page-turner. Anna has tried hard to run from her past. Now it’s calling her back. Either she ignores it and let’s her brother’s disappearance remain a mystery, or she rushes back and risks everything she’s worked hard to build. This book reached a point toward the end where I simply could not put it down. It didn’t matter the list of things I needed to accomplish — life had to wait while I raced through the twists and turns with Anna.

Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going with its high-tech DNA plot, the author surprised me. The book pushes the frontiers of genetic research and pulled me into that world.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Mindy’s mysteries, but this book is one I’ll read again and again. It’s a wonderful addition to the suspense genre.