The Amish Wife

Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free

By: Gregg Olsen

Narrated by: George Newbern

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 report: 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.

©2024 Gregg Olsen. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Olsen has a gift for taking mountains of paperwork and interview material and weaving them into a cohesive narrative that is often difficult to put down, especially for die-hard true-crime fans. Because he frames the book as a step-by-step process of discovery, readers will feel like they’re right there with him as he’s knocking on doors and spinning out on the Midwestern ice. An engaging, well-researched historical excavation…”—Kirkus Reviews

“The details of the case are gripping enough, but Olsen elevates them with sturdy prose, meticulous research, and admirable journalistic tenacity. This addendum to a once-settled story lands as much more than a footnote.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The story is riveting…Folks interested in that peek behind the curtain will love this.”—Booklist

Great book

Didn’t think I’d like it but was pleasantly surprised. Reader had a great voice and it was a great storyline

Great read

Great follow up story from the first book. Love Gregg Olsen's books, he's one of my favorite authors now.

Did I just read this?

I have never thought about the Amish having so many things happen to them. This story blew all my conceived ideas out the window.

all the new information about the Amish

nothing at all. it was a good read, well listen. I hope I find another just as good. lots of twists and turns

Round about.

Not what I expected. Sometimes are to keep straight and f it was present day origins ast.