Paul L. Gaus is an American author, well-known for his Amish-themed mystery novels. He is best recognized for his Amish-Country Mysteries series, which is set authentically in the Amish settlements of Holmes County, Ohio. Gaus was born in Athens, Ohio, in 1949, and has spent a significant portion of his life in Ohio. His extensive travels throughout Holmes and the surrounding rural counties have provided him with extensive knowledge about the culture and lifestyle of the numerous Ohio Amish sects. This insight is evident in the mysteries he writes, which are deeply flavored by the Amish settlements of Holmes County.
Gaus's Amish-Country Mysteries series features three life-long friends - Professor Michael Branden, Sheriff Bruce Robertson, and Pastor Caleb Troyer - who work together to solve mysteries involving the Amish sects of the region. The rich cast of English characters includes the professor's insightful wife Caroline, Holmes County's tenacious Medical Examiner Melissa Taggert, and young Ellie Troyer, the sheriff's resolute dispatcher/secretary. Through these characters and their investigations, Gaus's novels illuminate Amish culture and lifestyle, providing readers with a unique insight into the daily lives of these purposefully plain religious separatists.
Gaus received his B.S. from Miami University and his Ph.D from Duke University, and had a long career teaching chemistry at the freshman, junior and senior levels. He became interested in writing in 1993 and was encouraged to start by the late Tony Hillerman. Gaus and his wife Madonna still make frequent trips to Holmes County, Ohio, where his Amish-Country Mysteries are set. His writing style has been compared to that of Tony Hillerman, and it was his friendship with Hillerman that first inspired him to write culture-based mysteries about Amish people. The ninth novel in the series, Whiskers of The Lion, is soon to be published by Plume.