3.0 out of 4 stars.

There are so many Jodi Picoult books to choose from but I have heard ZERO recommendations for “Plain Truth”. The lack of information intrigued me even more to flip through it and see what it was hiding. When I read the blurb on the back I was surprised that she chose to write about the Amish culture. Having grown up with Picoult books I was fairly confident that she does not have any connection to that community (state of New Hampshire where she resides is not famous for their Amish background) so I admire the tenaciousness in her to take on such a big concept to research.

I am sure that Picoult and I are not the only ones in the dark on this religious practice so if you would like to learn more this book is definitely the place to start. Also, it includes a murder case so that jazzed it up a bit!

The book features Katie Fisher, an unmarried eighteen year old that lives on an Amish dairy farm in Lancaster, PA. Katie has just given birth and hours later it winds up dead. The question is if Katie is a murderer or if the baby died of natural causes. The odds seem grim for Fisher due to an essentially bloody path leading in her direction and the motive that Katie would get shunned from her community for the out of wedlock birth.

Luckily for Katie, her aunt is friends with a Philadelphia hot-shot attorney that is forced into taking the case. This unlikely pair makes for a story filled with traumatic court room scenes, home life issues, and eye-opening experiences of what matters most no matter what religion is practiced.

This book is on the longer side and that is fine if you are interested in the law. If you are not than this might bore you because Picoult is not one to skimp on the details.