What do you think?
Rate this book
Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery #1
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
This debut mystery introduces Magdalena Yoder, prim, proper, and persnickety proprietor of the PennDutch Inn, where guests luxuriate in the true "Amish experience," (read: doing Magdalena's chores and paying top dollar for the opportunity!).
When one of her more reclusive guests takes a tumble down the PennDutch's picturesquely steep staircase and breaks his neck, the timing couldn't be worse. It's the start of hunting season - and her inn is packed to capacity!
What at first seems to be a horrible accident (and insurance nightmare for Magdalena!) could turn out to be a much more sinister event; and when another mishap occurs, Magdalena is certain there is a killer in her group - and it's up to her to sniff out the culprit…before the world's most incompetent town sheriff throws her in jail!
When one of her more reclusive guests takes a tumble down the PennDutch's picturesquely steep staircase and breaks his neck, the timing couldn't be worse. It's the start of hunting season - and her inn is packed to capacity!
What at first seems to be a horrible accident (and insurance nightmare for Magdalena!) could turn out to be a much more sinister event; and when another mishap occurs, Magdalena is certain there is a killer in her group - and it's up to her to sniff out the culprit…before the world's most incompetent town sheriff throws her in jail!
Hardcover
First published December 1, 1993
125 people are currently reading
2589 people want to read
About the author
Tamar Myers
74 books290 followersTamar Myers was born and raised in the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo). Her parents were missionaries to a tribe which, at that time, were known as headhunters and used human skulls for drinking cups. Hers was the first white family ever to peacefully coexist with the tribe, and Tamar grew up fluent in the local trade language. Because of her pale blue eyes, Tamar’s nickname was Ugly Eyes.
Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.
In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.
Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.
Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.
Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.
Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery
Tamar grew up eating elephant, hippopotamus and even monkey. She attended a boarding school that was two days away by truck, and sometimes it was necessary to wade through crocodile infested waters to reach it. Other dangers she encountered as a child were cobras, deadly green mambas, and the voracious armies of driver ants that ate every animal (and human) that didn’t get out of their way.
In 1960 the Congo, which had been a Belgian colony, became an independent nation. There followed a period of retribution (for heinous crimes committed against the Congolese by the Belgians) in which many Whites were killed. Tamar and her family fled the Congo, but returned a year later. By then a number of civil wars were raging, and the family’s residence was often in the line of fire. In 1964, after living through three years of war, the family returned to the United States permanently.
Tamar was sixteen when her family settled in America, and she immediately underwent severe culture shock. She didn’t know how to dial a telephone, cross a street at a stoplight, or use a vending machine. She lucked out, however, by meeting her husband, Jeffrey, on her first day in an American high school. They literally bumped heads while he was leaving, and she entering, the Civics classroom.
Tamar now calls Charlotte, NC home. She lives with her husband, plus a Basenji dog named Pagan, a Bengal cat named Nkashama, and an orange tabby rescue cat named Dumpster Boy. She and her husband are of the Jewish faith, the animals are not.
Tamar enjoys gardening (she is a Master Gardner), bonsai, travel, painting and, of course, reading. She loves Thai and Indian food, and antique jewelry. She plans to visit Machu Pichu in the near future.
Series:
* Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery
* Den of Antiquity Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
January 1, 2016
Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth by Tamar Myers is a 1995 publication.
This is the first book in the Pennsylvania Dutch series which now has twenty books to its credit. With the help of Hoopla, my local library and Playster, I am now able to piece together long running series and binge read them!
So, as I begin 2016, one of my reading goals is to finish at least one series, from start to finish. I am working on the Sue Grafton series as well, but since I have never read any of these, I will work this series in as well.
Magdalena Yoder is a Mennonite and the proprietor of the PennDutch Inn. When she welcomes a Politian and his wife in the peak of deer hunting season, amidst a group of animal rights activist, tensions begin to run very high for the quaint family farming community.
When one of the guest is found dead, it’s not immediately clear if it was an accident or murder, setting Magdalena up for a potential law suit, on top of dealing with her wordly sister, and other rather amusing characters, most of which I am sure will be back.
I had no idea what to expect with this series, but immediately became enchanted with the characters and the set up. I laughed so hard, even now, with this first book was written twenty-one years ago!! So, I think I picked a good series to read from start to finish and am looking forward to getting to know these characters better, and maybe trying out a few of the recipes included in the book.
Overall this one gets 4 stars
This is the first book in the Pennsylvania Dutch series which now has twenty books to its credit. With the help of Hoopla, my local library and Playster, I am now able to piece together long running series and binge read them!
So, as I begin 2016, one of my reading goals is to finish at least one series, from start to finish. I am working on the Sue Grafton series as well, but since I have never read any of these, I will work this series in as well.
Magdalena Yoder is a Mennonite and the proprietor of the PennDutch Inn. When she welcomes a Politian and his wife in the peak of deer hunting season, amidst a group of animal rights activist, tensions begin to run very high for the quaint family farming community.
When one of the guest is found dead, it’s not immediately clear if it was an accident or murder, setting Magdalena up for a potential law suit, on top of dealing with her wordly sister, and other rather amusing characters, most of which I am sure will be back.
I had no idea what to expect with this series, but immediately became enchanted with the characters and the set up. I laughed so hard, even now, with this first book was written twenty-one years ago!! So, I think I picked a good series to read from start to finish and am looking forward to getting to know these characters better, and maybe trying out a few of the recipes included in the book.
Overall this one gets 4 stars
May 11, 2016
Meet Magdalena Yoder! She's a cranky forty something Menonite (Amish with electricity) who runs the Penn Dutch Inn where, for exorbitant amounts of money, you can experience real Amish life (you clean your own room, cook your own meals and generally run the place for Magdalena).
It's the beginning of hunting season in Pennsylvania and that means The Penn Dutch is at maximum capacity! We've got a Congressman and his entourage looking to score a buck! But, we've also got a contingent from a militant animal rights group determined to expose and shame the Congressman for his activities! Then, of course, someone dies.
I didn't vehemently dislike this, in fact for the first couple of chapters I actually thought I'd hit upon a new series of cozies that would be perfect for nights being bundled on the couch with a mug of tea (the proscribed manner in which cozies must be read). Alas Magdalena with her holier than thou attitude and permanent "sour grapes" scowl directed at everyone she encounters coupled with her determination to make as much money as possible without actually working makes her one of the least likable "amateur sleuths" I've seen in awhile.
With a character like this its important to strike a balance and give them enough positive qualities to actually get the reader on their side. But, the more we learn about Magdalena the more miserable and glum she becomes. Every guy she encounters is a man she might have married and every now and then we get a flashback to her childhood where its evident that she was denied opportunities for everything from the prom to college while her tens year younger sister got to do everything after her parents gradually began to grow out of their strict religion. All of this is sad but it doesn't really make Magdalena especially endearing it just makes her understandable, which is not the same thing at all.
A series like this also relies almost entirely on its supporting characters, all those wacky neighbors and shopkeepers and quirky little old ladies and mean housebound veterans with secrets that keep the cozy mystery business in the black. Unfortunately the ones that populate Magdalena's are just kind of boring. We've got the lecherous old doctor who keeps awkwardly hitting on her, the unbelievably stupid deputy sheriff (like stupid he shouldn't be allowed to use scissors much less a gun stupid), the inn's cook who "hilariously" quits every five minutes and her henpecked husband, and Magdalena's sister who comes across as sort of a Blanche Dubois on Speed and who Magdalena repeatedly calls a slut for daring to divorce and date men.
As for the inn's guests well they're all so horrible you kind of want all of them to be dead by book's end. Honestly everyone is so acid tongued, sarcastic, and just plain mean you can't find a way to be sympathetic to any of them.
Tamar Myers writing is fine, better than many who write these kinds of mysteries, but its populated by a cast of totally dislikable misfits who are either nasty as hell or so stereotypical of this genre as to be utterly unbelievable as actual people.
Myers does a fairly good job of staying on task in terms of keeping the mystery in the fore front of the reader's mind but by the time the case is solved its neither especially exciting or interesting. Magdalena notices a clue that absolutely no one (including the reader) would get except for her and in the end only solves the case because the murderer literally tells her everything in the typical Scooby Doo big end reveal.
I'm a sucker for Amish stories and I had some high hopes for this but alas this looks like the end of my road with Tamar Myers...
It's the beginning of hunting season in Pennsylvania and that means The Penn Dutch is at maximum capacity! We've got a Congressman and his entourage looking to score a buck! But, we've also got a contingent from a militant animal rights group determined to expose and shame the Congressman for his activities! Then, of course, someone dies.
I didn't vehemently dislike this, in fact for the first couple of chapters I actually thought I'd hit upon a new series of cozies that would be perfect for nights being bundled on the couch with a mug of tea (the proscribed manner in which cozies must be read). Alas Magdalena with her holier than thou attitude and permanent "sour grapes" scowl directed at everyone she encounters coupled with her determination to make as much money as possible without actually working makes her one of the least likable "amateur sleuths" I've seen in awhile.
With a character like this its important to strike a balance and give them enough positive qualities to actually get the reader on their side. But, the more we learn about Magdalena the more miserable and glum she becomes. Every guy she encounters is a man she might have married and every now and then we get a flashback to her childhood where its evident that she was denied opportunities for everything from the prom to college while her tens year younger sister got to do everything after her parents gradually began to grow out of their strict religion. All of this is sad but it doesn't really make Magdalena especially endearing it just makes her understandable, which is not the same thing at all.
A series like this also relies almost entirely on its supporting characters, all those wacky neighbors and shopkeepers and quirky little old ladies and mean housebound veterans with secrets that keep the cozy mystery business in the black. Unfortunately the ones that populate Magdalena's are just kind of boring. We've got the lecherous old doctor who keeps awkwardly hitting on her, the unbelievably stupid deputy sheriff (like stupid he shouldn't be allowed to use scissors much less a gun stupid), the inn's cook who "hilariously" quits every five minutes and her henpecked husband, and Magdalena's sister who comes across as sort of a Blanche Dubois on Speed and who Magdalena repeatedly calls a slut for daring to divorce and date men.
As for the inn's guests well they're all so horrible you kind of want all of them to be dead by book's end. Honestly everyone is so acid tongued, sarcastic, and just plain mean you can't find a way to be sympathetic to any of them.
Tamar Myers writing is fine, better than many who write these kinds of mysteries, but its populated by a cast of totally dislikable misfits who are either nasty as hell or so stereotypical of this genre as to be utterly unbelievable as actual people.
Myers does a fairly good job of staying on task in terms of keeping the mystery in the fore front of the reader's mind but by the time the case is solved its neither especially exciting or interesting. Magdalena notices a clue that absolutely no one (including the reader) would get except for her and in the end only solves the case because the murderer literally tells her everything in the typical Scooby Doo big end reveal.
I'm a sucker for Amish stories and I had some high hopes for this but alas this looks like the end of my road with Tamar Myers...
May 24, 2008
This is the first in a series of an Amish woman that sets up her home as a B&B in Pennsylvania after her parents die. She offers the AML (Amish Living Plan) which is where each person cleans up after themselves. She does offer all meals as well (for a fee).
After a great review the B&B is always booked. Around rolls hunting season and she is booked once again with a lively group. A senator and his wife and various members of a animal rights group trying to save people from killing the deer. Two people end of dead...and not from being shot.
Who did it and why? I know I didn't figure it out but enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the next ones.
After a great review the B&B is always booked. Around rolls hunting season and she is booked once again with a lively group. A senator and his wife and various members of a animal rights group trying to save people from killing the deer. Two people end of dead...and not from being shot.
Who did it and why? I know I didn't figure it out but enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the next ones.
May 3, 2011
A gift from a friend, I started this book immediately upon completing the Taylor book. Why is this series so popular? I find none of the characters even remotely likable and the whole Mennonite austerity, self-righteousness, and sanctimony is almost more than I can bear. Not sure if I'll be able to make if through this one, but it will certainly be the last I read in this awful series.
I did finish this book, but really found the characters loathsome. The proprietress of the Inn was particularly annoying with her holier-than-thou attitude, and yet seeing fit to lie with regularity when it suited her. I cannot stand people like this. The cook who either quits or is fired daily was equally tiresome. Uck!
I did finish this book, but really found the characters loathsome. The proprietress of the Inn was particularly annoying with her holier-than-thou attitude, and yet seeing fit to lie with regularity when it suited her. I cannot stand people like this. The cook who either quits or is fired daily was equally tiresome. Uck!
May 1, 2018
It has been quite a while since I've read this author and this particular series, so I decided that I should try it again. I am so glad I did. I had forgotten what a fun read these books are., I particularly love the irreverent humor and how the author even had the audacity to use herself as an unseen character - and to make fun of her!
The story is, in my opinion, a little more complicated than it seems to be on the surface. There are lots of red herrings, but the truth is quite subtly woven into the fabric of the story.
Many readers may not enjoy the character of Magdalena Yoder, who owns the Mennonite inn. Her thought process is more like a big city shark than a simple country inn owner...but I found her to be a breath of fresh air.
The secondary and tertiary characters are great, although some of them will become annoying later on in the series when their characters don't grown and mellow.
First person story telling will make many readers quite happy.
Happy Reading!
The story is, in my opinion, a little more complicated than it seems to be on the surface. There are lots of red herrings, but the truth is quite subtly woven into the fabric of the story.
Many readers may not enjoy the character of Magdalena Yoder, who owns the Mennonite inn. Her thought process is more like a big city shark than a simple country inn owner...but I found her to be a breath of fresh air.
The secondary and tertiary characters are great, although some of them will become annoying later on in the series when their characters don't grown and mellow.
First person story telling will make many readers quite happy.
Happy Reading!
January 18, 2015
To begin with I really don't understand how someone can give this a one star rating. I absolutely loved the book. I enjoyed the characters - some more than others, of course. Magdalena - the "innkeeper" was enjoyable to me. Although Mennonite she wasn't afraid to "look outside the box" and see that some changes needed to be made when her parents died. Thus the "inn" came into being. I have to admit that I had an idea who was responsible for the murders, but not why or how the case would be resolved. It's not your typical Mennonite theme book, but then you don't expect a murder/mystery to be. I enjoy the amish/Mennonite genre and also mysteries so this book was a "no-brainer" for me to purchase. I've already purchased/downloaded the next book in this series and expect to enjoy it as much as this one.
October 9, 2015
This book is not my style and I couldn't stand it from the first page.
July 14, 2019
I was really looking forward to this one. The characters didn't draw me in and fully engage me.
January 19, 2025
(Ebook) The .5 star is for pacing and staying on focus. This is the type of book you can mindlessly read and finish within hours.
Completely agree with Sara the Librarian’s review. What an awful cast of characters, and the mc is the WORST.
Read for book club as we are doing a “soup theme” for January, otherwise would not have picked nor would I recommend.
Completely agree with Sara the Librarian’s review. What an awful cast of characters, and the mc is the WORST.
Read for book club as we are doing a “soup theme” for January, otherwise would not have picked nor would I recommend.
March 21, 2012
Too Many Crooks Spoil The Broth is the first book in the Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series. Be proud! I'm reading this series in order! Before I review this book, I have to say, if you are knowledgeable of the Amish or Mennonite culture, you might want to pass on this series, cos Tamar seemed to be getting her religions muddled from time to time.
If you can get passed that, this is a hilarious start to a series. Magdalena is such a squirrelly woman. It is absolutely hard to believe she runs a B & B. She really doesn't come across as a people person, especially as she is more worried about the law suits that might be filed than the two people that end up dead in her B & B!
I've always found that the first books in cozy mystery series spend a lot of time introducing you to the secondary characters, and this book is no exception. We meet Magdalena's lazy sister, Savannah, (who also gets around with men) and Mose and Freni, the Amish couple that take care of the animals and do the cooking. Freni quits or is fired at least 20 times in the book.
These characters really bring the humor to this book. The mystery, is a bit slow, with the first dead body coming at almost the halfway point in the novel. However, I didn't really find the pacing slow. I liked getting to know the characters in Hernia, PA.
The other thing I really liked was the setting of the story. It wasn't in Lancaster County, which is where a large group of Amish and Mennonites make their home. Instead, Hernia, is a town somewhere between Somerset and Breezewood. I love reading about places that I know about, it gives me the warm fuzzies. I can see the Allegheny mountains and the turnpike.
The guests at the B & B were interesting too. A congressman and his wife, who were there to hunt deer and a group of animal rights activists. Just knowing that was enough to make me turn the pages, because you knew there was going to be a lot of conflict, as well as murder. This group ranged from rather nice (Joel) to downright obnoxious (the congressman and Jeannette).
There's definitely more than meets the eye with these people and that's what made this book so much fun to read. I can't wait to get book 2!
If you can get passed that, this is a hilarious start to a series. Magdalena is such a squirrelly woman. It is absolutely hard to believe she runs a B & B. She really doesn't come across as a people person, especially as she is more worried about the law suits that might be filed than the two people that end up dead in her B & B!
I've always found that the first books in cozy mystery series spend a lot of time introducing you to the secondary characters, and this book is no exception. We meet Magdalena's lazy sister, Savannah, (who also gets around with men) and Mose and Freni, the Amish couple that take care of the animals and do the cooking. Freni quits or is fired at least 20 times in the book.
These characters really bring the humor to this book. The mystery, is a bit slow, with the first dead body coming at almost the halfway point in the novel. However, I didn't really find the pacing slow. I liked getting to know the characters in Hernia, PA.
The other thing I really liked was the setting of the story. It wasn't in Lancaster County, which is where a large group of Amish and Mennonites make their home. Instead, Hernia, is a town somewhere between Somerset and Breezewood. I love reading about places that I know about, it gives me the warm fuzzies. I can see the Allegheny mountains and the turnpike.
The guests at the B & B were interesting too. A congressman and his wife, who were there to hunt deer and a group of animal rights activists. Just knowing that was enough to make me turn the pages, because you knew there was going to be a lot of conflict, as well as murder. This group ranged from rather nice (Joel) to downright obnoxious (the congressman and Jeannette).
There's definitely more than meets the eye with these people and that's what made this book so much fun to read. I can't wait to get book 2!
January 10, 2015
I love these books. I can't pick a specific reason but I find the Pennsylvania Dutch Inn denizens hilarious. This first book in the series mixes a mystery with Magdalena stuggling to save her inn and deal with a bunch of anti hunting advocates.
November 4, 2017
3.5 stars
December 31, 2021
I was completely stunned by the ending of this book. It really was a great cozy mystery!
November 16, 2024
A great setting with interesting characters. I was laughing from the first page. Love the authors sense of humor and weaving it throughout the book.
October 30, 2024
The opening lines of the book are Magdalena waxing on about the difference between a body and a corpse and the fact that this particular corpse is wrapped in her mother's Dresden Plate Quilt. The entire plot of the book is essentially laid bare in this first scene, including the murderer's identity, but all that gets buried in the tedium of introductions and explanations.
Every character Magdalena interacts with has to be introduced and expounded upon. She either likes them or doesn't and of course she has to contextualize every person against her own beliefs and what her mother would have believed if she were still alive. A good seventy to eighty percent of this book could be trimmed away if Magdalena just kept her thoughts to herself.
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2024/com...
Every character Magdalena interacts with has to be introduced and expounded upon. She either likes them or doesn't and of course she has to contextualize every person against her own beliefs and what her mother would have believed if she were still alive. A good seventy to eighty percent of this book could be trimmed away if Magdalena just kept her thoughts to herself.
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2024/com...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2015
This is the first book of a Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series. The main character is a Mennonite woman, Magdalena, who runs a bed and breakfast in Hernia, PA. She lives with her unorthodox divorced sister (gasp), who breaks all the rules of their heritage. Deer season has started and the B&B is booked solid. As Magdalena checks in her guests she learns that some seem to be there to hunt and others are animal loving activists there to protest the killing of animals. One of the guests is found dead at the foot of the stairs and the cause of death has to be determined - was it murder or is Magdalena liable for a slip and fall death? As they work to figure out what happened, we find that not all of the guests are who they appeared to be. This is a quirky story with a quirky main character. For instance, she offers her guests the option to pay more for the "Amish Lifestyle Package" where they have to clean up after themselves and do their own household chores. It was an interesting story and kind of fun to learn about the characters and Myers' portrayal of the Mennonite culture (not always depicted as I would have thought). I rated this 3 stars because I'm not absolutely sure I like the main character, but I'm willing to read the next book to see.
June 22, 2016
This is the first book of the irreverent and wonderful Pennsylvania Dutch series by Tamar Myers.
I have read many of this great series but I had not read the introductory book.
It is the opening of deer season and Mennonite Inn Keeper Magdalena Yoder has a full house at her Pennsylvania Dutch Inn where guests are allowed to choose the A.L.P.O. plan -Amish Lifestyle Plan Option where they pay extra to help with chores and clean their own rooms. Meals are prepared by Amish cousin Freni Hoffstetler.
Guests include a Senator, his wife and aid who are hunting deer and an animal rights group hoping to shut down the hunting season. That is just the beginning of Magdalena's problems.
Cousin Freni is faced with having to adjust the old recipes to new fangled dietary requests. Sister Susannah has had to move into Mags room and one guest has fallen down the steep stairs and broker her neck and another is found dead on the beautiful Dresden Plate quilt.
I love this series and van almost trace my own family's entry to the New World through these books. The Amish recipes are fun and interesting and the characters are quirky and well developed. This is a must read series for Culinary Cozy Readers.
I have read many of this great series but I had not read the introductory book.
It is the opening of deer season and Mennonite Inn Keeper Magdalena Yoder has a full house at her Pennsylvania Dutch Inn where guests are allowed to choose the A.L.P.O. plan -Amish Lifestyle Plan Option where they pay extra to help with chores and clean their own rooms. Meals are prepared by Amish cousin Freni Hoffstetler.
Guests include a Senator, his wife and aid who are hunting deer and an animal rights group hoping to shut down the hunting season. That is just the beginning of Magdalena's problems.
Cousin Freni is faced with having to adjust the old recipes to new fangled dietary requests. Sister Susannah has had to move into Mags room and one guest has fallen down the steep stairs and broker her neck and another is found dead on the beautiful Dresden Plate quilt.
I love this series and van almost trace my own family's entry to the New World through these books. The Amish recipes are fun and interesting and the characters are quirky and well developed. This is a must read series for Culinary Cozy Readers.
October 8, 2016
As a piece of humour, Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth deserves a four. As a cozy mystery, it is lucky to get a 3. I am still not sure if the book is meant to be a send-up of the cozy with recipes genre or not. The meals served at the PennDutch Inn, poison aside, sound atrocious. Why would one want the recipes? The PennDutch Inn itself is not high on my list of holiday destinations. There is the over-priced Amish Lifestyle Package in which, for a fee, you are welcome to do more household chores than you ever would at home. And there is the snobbish, ill-tempered, self-justifying owner, Magdalena Yoder. She does not want you to get the impression that she is a whiner but amongst the things she does not like are: guests that startle her; guests that impose; guests that arrive too early; guests with dietary restrictions; guests. She is also not a very good detective, misreading clues and suspects and tampering with evidence.
Why read this then? because it is very, very funny in a silly, nonsensical way with lots of over the top characters, all with their own agendas and a great many of them refusing to put up with Magdalena’s nonsense. (Causing more griping but no whining as she is not a whiner.)
January 21, 2016
Miss Magdalena Yoder is worried about a lawsuit when a guest at her PennDutch Inn takes a fatal fall down a steep set of stairs. Her other guests include a congressman and his wife who have come for deer hunting season and a number of animal-rights activists. Her Amish cook quits when the vegetarian guests refuse to eat the Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Then a second guest is found dead in her room clutching a handmade quilt.
While I like many cozy mysteries, this one began to grate on me. There were too many references to Magdalena's mother rolling in her grave over some action, too much of the cook quitting and being rehired, and generally, unlikable characters. After a while the inn did not feel cozy to me and I just wanted to leave. The book also provided a few recipes to go along with the story, but other than chicken and dumplings I found they had little to do with the Pennsylvania Dutch theme. And while I have a large dose of PA Dutch in my background, I didn't feel any connection to the book.
While I like many cozy mysteries, this one began to grate on me. There were too many references to Magdalena's mother rolling in her grave over some action, too much of the cook quitting and being rehired, and generally, unlikable characters. After a while the inn did not feel cozy to me and I just wanted to leave. The book also provided a few recipes to go along with the story, but other than chicken and dumplings I found they had little to do with the Pennsylvania Dutch theme. And while I have a large dose of PA Dutch in my background, I didn't feel any connection to the book.
June 14, 2010
I've been researching my husband's Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, which includes Mennonite, and thought I would enjoy reading a book which combined his heritage with my favorite genre, mysteries.
Sadly, I "unenjoyed" this book. The main character is, hopefully, a poor representative of her religion. She lies with impunity, is mean, rude, obnoxious, conceited... I could go on, but why bother? She's not a person I'd like to befriend.
For the humor to be more than mostly tasteless jokes there needs to be substance behind the jokes. It didn't even feel like a mystery. It worries me to admit this, but I didn't care that people died! Some readers have mentioned Tamar Myers books have improved over the years, so I may try another in hope that I might like it. It won't be a hardship, as it was a very quick read. I'm afraid, though, that my previously pleasant thoughts of my husband's background may have been permanently damaged.
Sadly, I "unenjoyed" this book. The main character is, hopefully, a poor representative of her religion. She lies with impunity, is mean, rude, obnoxious, conceited... I could go on, but why bother? She's not a person I'd like to befriend.
For the humor to be more than mostly tasteless jokes there needs to be substance behind the jokes. It didn't even feel like a mystery. It worries me to admit this, but I didn't care that people died! Some readers have mentioned Tamar Myers books have improved over the years, so I may try another in hope that I might like it. It won't be a hardship, as it was a very quick read. I'm afraid, though, that my previously pleasant thoughts of my husband's background may have been permanently damaged.
October 13, 2013
This is the first book in the Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series by Tamar Myers.
Are you looking for a cozy mystery series with a sense of humor?
Are you interested in learning a bit about the Amish/Mennonite lifestyle?
This book/series has it all. It's a delightfully light mystery. A cozy with the main character, Magdalena Yoder, as the owner/manager of the PennDutch Inn. Magdalena has a way of finding humor in the Amish lifestyle and quite often not keeping her jokes to herself. Being inhibited is not one of her faults.
The cast of characters coming to lodge at her bed & breakfast are in this instance a politician and his wife, hunters and some anti hunting personnel that may have something up their sleeves.
I love this series which was first brought to my attention by another reviewer and since I'm always looking for a new mystery series and especially one with humor in it...I latched on to the Pennsylvania Dutch series and haven't looked back.
Are you looking for a cozy mystery series with a sense of humor?
Are you interested in learning a bit about the Amish/Mennonite lifestyle?
This book/series has it all. It's a delightfully light mystery. A cozy with the main character, Magdalena Yoder, as the owner/manager of the PennDutch Inn. Magdalena has a way of finding humor in the Amish lifestyle and quite often not keeping her jokes to herself. Being inhibited is not one of her faults.
The cast of characters coming to lodge at her bed & breakfast are in this instance a politician and his wife, hunters and some anti hunting personnel that may have something up their sleeves.
I love this series which was first brought to my attention by another reviewer and since I'm always looking for a new mystery series and especially one with humor in it...I latched on to the Pennsylvania Dutch series and haven't looked back.
April 26, 2011
I bought this book on a whim, because I liked the idea of a novel that contained recipes ... and enjoyed it so much that I became hooked on the series. That was several years ago; now I will no longer read books that are part of a series, with the exception of this one and J. D. Robb's "In Death" Series.
These are the books I turn to when I'm tired of reading about true crime, doomsday political stuff, dense "intellectual" novels or anything I have to think too hard about. I love the characters and their crazy, unrealistic lives ... and when I just want to "read, escape and not work" this is where I go.
These are the books I turn to when I'm tired of reading about true crime, doomsday political stuff, dense "intellectual" novels or anything I have to think too hard about. I love the characters and their crazy, unrealistic lives ... and when I just want to "read, escape and not work" this is where I go.
October 24, 2015
It was alright. Way too much focus on the nitpicky vegetarians and vegans that the inn is "forced" to cater to. For an ovo-lacto-vegetarian this was not amusing. I mean, you're an inn. A Penn Dutch one, but still an inn. Anyhow, early 90s - attitudes have surely changed in the 2015 installment of the series, I hope. I didn't like the mystery, or the whole premise, which was boring and apparent, but I didn't mind Magdalena - crochety Mags with her ridiculous upbringing. I'm surprised she's not worse than she actually is. I'll read another one (or two) of these books before I decide to abandon the series.
December 30, 2008
I much prefer her Den of Antiquity series which is humorous and more interesting storylines. I had a hard time finding Magdalena Yoder, the main character, as anything more than annoying. Even if she's meant to be prickly, she wasn't interesting whereas Abbie in the Den series is often rude and selfish yet she's still humorous and interesting enough to want to find out what will happen to her next.
February 2, 2015
This is an Amish murder mystery and it is splashed full of comedy. Magdelena Yoder runs a boarding house after her parents died. She has to contend with her sister Suzanne, an angry cook as well as a hunting senator and a bunch of animal rights activists. The author has a way of making ordinary situations fun and even thought the first murder takes a long time coming the book is interesting and very amusing. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more by this author.
May 29, 2016
It wasn't edge of your seat reading, and I really didn't like the main character. The recipes looked good and easy to make. I didn't find any of the characters sympathetic and I won't waste my time reading any of the other books. This sense of humor is not to my taste. I can't abide people who complain, and that was all Miss Yoder did. She never had anything good to say about anyone or anything, and it was tiresome. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't.
November 10, 2017
This is the first book in a series. The main character is Magdalena Yoder who is a no-nonsense owner of an inn . She is very opinionated , sure of herself but not very knowledgeable of the world. A woman is found dead at the foot of the stairs in the inn and Magdalena is worried about being sued. When another woman is found dead she begins to wonder what is happening in her world. The book was a quick easy read.
March 8, 2014
With animal rights and hunters at her inn, Magdalena has her hands full before a dead body turns up. The mystery comes late and is light, but the characters are fun.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
December 14, 2008
This came from grandma's bag of books and I didn't think I'd like it (thought it was one of those CA cooking writer ones) but I really did! The Mennonite woman had a lot of humor in there and it was really funny - not your typical who dun it.
June 19, 2013
This is the first in a series that began in the '90s. I read it for a book club. It was okay. I really liked it the first time I read it way back then and I have read all the books in the series except for the very last one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews