Rating: 
Summary: Mystery-lite
Review: Magdalena Yoder has turned her family farmhouse into a famous Amish country inn. Booked well in advance, she has the privilege of selecting her customers. So she's a little surprised when she discovers she's booked a hunting party led by a well-known Senator and an anti-hunting, animal rights group for the same week, the opening week of hunting season. With the varying dietary requirements of the two groups, she has her hands full keeping the guests happy and fed while keeping her cook in the kitchen and her sister in line. And that's before the first body shows up!As a mystery this book is a little slow. The first body doesn't show up for quite some time, and then it's the one guest we've forgotten about. Still, there is plenty of conflict to keep the reader going and I never felt the pace lagged. The guests are interesting characters, however the characters that are to be regulars seem like they could become annoying caricatures. Still, this is a fun, promising first novel and I plan to read more books by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious and mysterious!
Review: Magdalena Yoder is the owner of the PennDutch Inn, located Hernia, Pennsylvania. When deer-hunting season arrives, so do a group of animal rights activists who are vegetarians. This frustrates the meat-loving cook, Freni Hostetler, and she quits. Soon afterward, a guest (who looks like a moth, according to Magdalena) is discovered dead on the stairs. But was it foul play or a fatal fall? Magdalena disarms you with her humor, saying that Melvin Stolzfus looks like a praying mantis, and says when somebody is talking about him, "Praying mantises eat their mates," and then the person says "Pardon me?" and Magdalena says quickly, "Never mind." This happens frequently throuhgout the story. Magdalena will say something that she is thinking and then the person to whom she is talking will say "Pardon me?" or "Excuse me?" Another one of the things Ms. Yoder says is "I plead the fifth amendment", but I don't want to spoil any more of the humor, or the broth. A must-read for....everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Promising debut for this series
Review: Magdalena Yoder is the owner of the PennDutch Inn. She is a no-nonsense lady and cleverly includes in the options for the inn the Amish Lifestyle Plan where the guests clean their own rooms. This corresponds to the Amish culture and saves Magdalena a whole lot of work. Magdalena also cooks for her guests and Myers sprinkles recipes throughout her book. In her spare time, Magdalena tries to keep her more worldly sister Susannah on the straight and narrow, argues with her tempermental cook, Freni, and works on solving the murders of two of her guests. She is an interesting and amusing character and is not quite as "over the top" as Myers' heroine, Abigail Timberlake, in the Den of Antiquity series. This is an enjoyable introduction to the series with amusing characters, complicated enough plot and all the loose ends put together at the end.
Rating:
Summary: A light hearted mystery by a fun and savvy author.
Review: Miss Magdalena Yoder is the innkeeper of the chi chi PennDutch Inn in southern Pennsylvania. Here you pay through the nose for the spartan furnishings, simple food, and the privilege of cleaning your own room. It's all in the name of atmosphere-the 43-year-old Miss Yoder is a Mennonite, and her farm (the legacy left by her parents' sudden death 10 years ago) is now an inn with the longest waiting list in the state. With a client list that reads like People magazine, Magdalena has her hands full keeping the inn running smoothly. Her sister Susannah is too busy staying out late and (gasp!) putting on makeup to be of much help, and Magdalena's cantankerous cook is prone to quitting every day or so. When an ambitious congressman comes to the inn for the start of deer hunting season, followed by a group of animal rights protestors, Magdalena thinks she might be in over her head. But it's not until a body turns up that she realizes just how out of hand things can get. With the reputation of her inn at stake, Magdalena sets out to find a killer. Magdalena is a wonderful character. She's irreverent at the same time she is true to her Mennonite upbringing. Her shock at her sister's behavior (and the behavior of the English) is truly reflective of this different culture. At the same time, she yearns to travel, she's not too pious to sneak a peak at the television every now and then, and she's been known to let slip a rude remark when provoked. Better yet, Myers is a fun and savvy writer, someone to read closely. Look for her description of "Tammy Myers," the chief of police's wife. There's also a character named Dorothy Gillman, and a reference to Poe's "The Purloined Letter," which is also the name of the newsletter for the High Crimes Mystery Bookshop in Boulder, Colorado. I'm sure a close reader will discover more treats for the avid mystery fan. But best of all, read closely and you will enjoy Myers' subtle sense of humor as much as her overt one. The Amish Lifestyle Plan Option is abbreviated ALPO. One character belongs to the New Age Church of Holistic Oneness (NACHO), and the animal rights group is the Animal Parity Endowment Society (APES). My only complaint is that the resolution to the mystery is a bit weak-the reader is never provided all the clues that help to solve the case, and things wrap up a bit too quickly. Still, Miss Yoder is a wonderful addition to the world of amateur sleuths, and the book even comes with recipes. Who could ask for more?
Rating:
Summary: A Toothsome Read!
Review: Tamar Myers' character Magdalena Yoder is a hoot! The dialogue is great, imagine it with a Penn-dutch accent and you'll find it even better. The people around Mags all add to the excitement. The recipes included in the book also sound great, and having now read the first three books of the series, I can say they get better and better!
Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: Tamar Myers' Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries are very enjoyable, "put your feet up" books. The characters are warm and human. In particular, they show the Amish/Mennonite characters to be individuals with faults and good points like the rest of us, which in other books is not usual.
Rating:
Summary: Chuckles galore!
Review: This author is a stone-cold riot! I have read her other books, Den of Antiquity, and have found the same thing to be true: she knows how to write humor. I find myself giggling throughout most of her books but, at times, I find myself laughing my head off at some scenario or another. Her strong suite is describing those times when screaming begets screaming which begets more screaming which begets even more screaming. She has a style that is rare and I really enjoy reading her. I find myself reading passages over and over to myself and then grabbing my husband to read them to him. He, who is very picky, says she is a good writer. You will enjoy everything about "Mags" and her trials and tribulations. Be ready to giggle.
Rating:
Summary: A Melt in your Mouth Mystery
Review: This first book in the Penn-Dutch mystery series by Tamar Myers is nothing short of wonderful. From start to finish this page turner is full of kooky characters that we quickly cherish (well, most of them), a hilarious narrative, and a darned good mystery to boot. Not to mention the recipes! A pure pleasure to read. Thank you, Ms. Myers!
Rating:
Summary: A Melt in your Mouth Mystery
Review: This first book in the Penn-Dutch mystery series by Tamar Myers is nothing short of wonderful. From start to finish this page turner is full of kooky characters that we quickly cherish (well, most of them), a hilarious narrative, and a darned good mystery to boot. Not to mention the recipes! A pure pleasure to read. Thank you, Ms. Myers!
Rating:
Summary: Who Knew the Amish Were so Funny?
Review: This is a wonderful book in a great series. I originally read this book when I was looking for new culinary mysteries. To my delight, I discovered that this was also a humorous mystery. I laughed aloud several times during the course of reading this book. The characters are all interesting, particularly the regulars, Magdalena, Susannah, Freni, etc. The author did a nice job describing the personalities of the guests and the ensuing friction between them. I found the homespun dialogue and descriptions to be enchanting and engaging. The storyline is fun and interesting, with a plot that allows you to figure out "whodunit" if you put some thought into it. The recipes included after each chapter is a pleasant plus. A thoroughly enjoying, cozy read that leaves you anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.
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