What do you think?
Rate this book
Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery #3
No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk
When her Amish kinsman is found dead in a tank of milk, Magdalena Yoder, proprietor of the PennDutch Inn, heads to Farmersburg, Ohio, where she finds a war among a group of powerful cheese makers. Reprint.
260 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1996
31 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Tamar Myers
74 books291 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 47 reviews
January 20, 2016
No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk by Tamar Meyers is a 1997 Signet publication.
This third book in the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series has Mags leaving the inn to attend the funeral of her cousin who died in a most unusual way. If that weren’t bad enough, she gets trapped there due to a massive winter storm, giving her plenty of time to get busy working on the mystery of cousin’s death, which puts Mags right in the middle of dairy farm drama and makes her a target.
This was a really fast read, still pretty funny, but not a humorous and the previous two installments. However, there were a few really nice developments for Mags and I’m still charmed by this series, so one the next
3.5 stars
This third book in the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series has Mags leaving the inn to attend the funeral of her cousin who died in a most unusual way. If that weren’t bad enough, she gets trapped there due to a massive winter storm, giving her plenty of time to get busy working on the mystery of cousin’s death, which puts Mags right in the middle of dairy farm drama and makes her a target.
This was a really fast read, still pretty funny, but not a humorous and the previous two installments. However, there were a few really nice developments for Mags and I’m still charmed by this series, so one the next
3.5 stars
July 11, 2015
Tamar Myers is always hilarious! I can't get enough of this series.
January 12, 2022
2.5 Magdalena and Freni attend the funeral of a relative in Ohio. He had been found naked and dead in a vat of milk. When another person dies while they are visiting, she puts her detecting skills to good use to find the killer. Does it have anything to do with the cheese war?
Sooo slow and boring. Magdalena is not young but acts like a teenager in her recently new/first love life. She whines and complains thru most of the story. Her sister added nothing but annoyance to the story along with that dumb, ridiculous dog - keepnig it in her bra? Get serious. I may quit the series - not enjoying it at all. All Amish/Mennonites can't be that boring/rude.
Sooo slow and boring. Magdalena is not young but acts like a teenager in her recently new/first love life. She whines and complains thru most of the story. Her sister added nothing but annoyance to the story along with that dumb, ridiculous dog - keepnig it in her bra? Get serious. I may quit the series - not enjoying it at all. All Amish/Mennonites can't be that boring/rude.
July 11, 2019
Magdalena Yoder, Susanna Entwhistle, and Freni Hostetler's cousin has died in Farmersburg, OH. They travel from Hernia, PA to Farmersburg where Amish families put them up, as opposed to staying a hotel. The family that Mags and Susanna are staying with uses canned sardines in nearly every one of her recipes, like sardine omelettes.
Magdalena goes around making inquiries after she learns that not only her cousin died from drowning naked in a milk tub, but others in the community have died - mostly after acting crazy or possessed. The Amish in the area are thinking of moving (some aren't, but there's enough to rather deplete the community). The two that died had worked at the local dairy, making Farmersburg cheese. When the previous owner died, his nephew Danny inherited the place. There were allegations that Danny had harrassed an Amish girl-worker, as well as selling cheese that wasn't aged as it should have been..... this enraged the Amish and led by the two now-dead men, created an Amish co-op.
The local police is related to the police back in Hernia, and Mags doesn't trust a Stoltzfus. Danny disappears after dabbling with Susanna's heart, and then Mags and Susanna are kidnapped by the perpetrators of the murders. In escaping, they give a rousing performance at an Amish roadhouse that isn't really Amishlike.....
Recipes
Farmersburg Swiss Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres
Sarah Yoder's Amish Sauerkraut Salad
My Mama's Frankfurter Rafts
Annie Stutzman's Brown Sugar Pie (Milche Flichte)
Catherine Mast's Egg Casserole
Freni Hostetler's Poor Man's Goulash
Ohio River-Bottom Sludge Cake
Magdalena goes around making inquiries after she learns that not only her cousin died from drowning naked in a milk tub, but others in the community have died - mostly after acting crazy or possessed. The Amish in the area are thinking of moving (some aren't, but there's enough to rather deplete the community). The two that died had worked at the local dairy, making Farmersburg cheese. When the previous owner died, his nephew Danny inherited the place. There were allegations that Danny had harrassed an Amish girl-worker, as well as selling cheese that wasn't aged as it should have been..... this enraged the Amish and led by the two now-dead men, created an Amish co-op.
The local police is related to the police back in Hernia, and Mags doesn't trust a Stoltzfus. Danny disappears after dabbling with Susanna's heart, and then Mags and Susanna are kidnapped by the perpetrators of the murders. In escaping, they give a rousing performance at an Amish roadhouse that isn't really Amishlike.....
Recipes
Farmersburg Swiss Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres
Sarah Yoder's Amish Sauerkraut Salad
My Mama's Frankfurter Rafts
Annie Stutzman's Brown Sugar Pie (Milche Flichte)
Catherine Mast's Egg Casserole
Freni Hostetler's Poor Man's Goulash
Ohio River-Bottom Sludge Cake
October 28, 2016
Magdalena Yoder receives an upsetting phone call from Amish family in Ohio, her cousin has been found dead. Freni, her cook, is a closer relative to the deceased and is also Amish. Magdalena offers to drive her cousin to Ohio from Pennsylvania for the funeral. Once they arrive she discovers this was no ordinary farming accident, the deceased was found drowned in a tank of milk, completely naked. Magdalena realizes the local police and her Amish kin are willing to call it an accident but there seems to be more going on here and more lives may be in danger. Magdalena ends up in a land war between Amish farmers and a powerful cheese company.
This is book 3 in the Pennsylvania Dutch cozy mystery series. All the books come with recipes.
Added fun for me in reading this series is that the family names of the Mennonites and Amish characters in the book are the same as the Mennonite patrons I assisted at the Osage County Library and their visiting relatives from Pennsylvania and Ohio. The stories give a tiny glimpse into the culture of current day Amish and Mennonite people especially since the author was raised in a Mennonite home.
This is book 3 in the Pennsylvania Dutch cozy mystery series. All the books come with recipes.
Added fun for me in reading this series is that the family names of the Mennonites and Amish characters in the book are the same as the Mennonite patrons I assisted at the Osage County Library and their visiting relatives from Pennsylvania and Ohio. The stories give a tiny glimpse into the culture of current day Amish and Mennonite people especially since the author was raised in a Mennonite home.
November 29, 2018
A reviewer commented that this series gets better and for me this is true. This is #3 and it's the first one I've really enjoyed. I actually cared about the murdered people and felt that an injustice had been done. And who better than Magdalena to put things things right? Certainly the Farmsburg, Ohio, Amish community couldn't do it. They were ready to move away. And definitely not the Police Chief, Marvin Stoltzfus, cousin to Police Chief Melvin Stoltzfus back in Hernia, PA.
In interesting twists, these murders happened to Amish men and we get to see the reactions within the Amish community. That is, we see the reactions from Myer's zany perspective.
In interesting twists, these murders happened to Amish men and we get to see the reactions within the Amish community. That is, we see the reactions from Myer's zany perspective.
October 29, 2019
The third book in the series is as funny and entertaining as the other books I have read in this series. The characters are well-developed and quirky, and the plot is complex. However, I didn’t like the referrals about the small dog flying up in the air and slamming against the wall every time his owner moved unexpectedly in the bed, and cuffed by the owner’s ex-boyfriends. The animal abuse in not funny and this is in bad taste.
December 30, 2017
In this book, Magdalena Yoder and her sister travel to Ohio to attend a funeral. Naturally, Magdalena starts asking questions as the death seems odd to her. This book had more of a mystery than the two previous ones, at least for me. The book was a quick easy read.
September 29, 2018
I'm chortling just a bit, because I have ALL of this series waiting to be read, with the exception of the last three. These books keep me giggling, I don't figure out the mystery too soon, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes! What could be better?
November 2, 2019
These books make the perfect light weekend read, with their sassy characters and small-town big-scandal plots. Unfortunately this one is the last that I own, so I'll need to be on the hunt to find more.
August 1, 2017
Should be a two and a half as the wise-cracks and narrator's voice are often funny; but I won't follow this character further in her travels.
September 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The PA Dutch theme appeals to me because I live in PA. It was a cute, funny, fast read. I will definitely continue with this series.
July 1, 2018
The unintentionally hilarious Mennonite Magdalena Yoder takes on the traditions of the Amish to figure out who and why someone drowned her Ohio cousin in a vat of milk.
March 31, 2020
Comical characters centered around a PA Dutch Bed & Breakfast
November 15, 2022
The story lines get better and better as I become accustomed to the characters and their likes and dislikes. These books are so entertaining.
September 13, 2023
Glad I stuck with this series. I enjoyed this book.
April 2, 2025
loved it
June 27, 2025
Did not expect this book to be so good and funny
February 21, 2009
This series is beginning to grow on me. I wasn't too enamored of the main character (still don't count her a favorite) when I borrowed the first two PA Dutch mysteries from my local library, but there was a quality about Magdalena near the end of the second book that made me want to read more . . . a kind of softening of her very hard and sarcastic exterior. So, I checked out books #3 and #4 from my local library just to see if they would hold my interest. This novel, "No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk", did.
The main characters are goofy and quite "over the top". Magdalena's sister and her friend Danny in this novel reminded me of characters from a Jeeves (P. G. Wodehouse) story. Magdalena herself remains funny in a cynical and sarcastic way and, unfortunately, still does not possess the most accurate barometer where human nature is concerned. The mystery itself follows the same formula as the first 2 books in the series: Magdalena realizes that a death (or two) was not a mere accident, she begins asking questions, suspects the wrong person, and instead trusts the murderer or accomplice thereby putting her life in danger. It will be interesting to see if the formula continues in the 4th book.
What's keeping me reading? It's the story of Magdalena herself, more than the actual mysteries. Now that she has fallen in love with her neighbor, it seems there will be more sparks in the stories ahead and more layers of Magdalena's personality revealed. There's just something about such a tough cookie calling her guy "Pooky Bear" that is surprisingly endearing. . .
The main characters are goofy and quite "over the top". Magdalena's sister and her friend Danny in this novel reminded me of characters from a Jeeves (P. G. Wodehouse) story. Magdalena herself remains funny in a cynical and sarcastic way and, unfortunately, still does not possess the most accurate barometer where human nature is concerned. The mystery itself follows the same formula as the first 2 books in the series: Magdalena realizes that a death (or two) was not a mere accident, she begins asking questions, suspects the wrong person, and instead trusts the murderer or accomplice thereby putting her life in danger. It will be interesting to see if the formula continues in the 4th book.
What's keeping me reading? It's the story of Magdalena herself, more than the actual mysteries. Now that she has fallen in love with her neighbor, it seems there will be more sparks in the stories ahead and more layers of Magdalena's personality revealed. There's just something about such a tough cookie calling her guy "Pooky Bear" that is surprisingly endearing. . .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2012
Even by the standards of generic menopausal mysteries from the early 90's, this was a fairly poor book. There's at least one plot device that's thoroughly impossible (the scene with the car in the barn - where did the keys come from after the antagonist took them away?), most of the characters are annoying, and the narrator's vapid tone just drove me up the wall in places. The author also tries too hard to be funny in ways that mostly come off as condescending towards the Amish, who are 80% of the book's supporting characters; you can almost hear her snickering to herself when she names a character "Yost Yoder" or goes on for pages about the stupidity of arcane Amish traditions. I don't know if the author, who was raised in Pennsylvania Dutch country, has lingering resentment of her upbringing that she can't handle, or if she's just a bad writer, but she obviously has issues of some kind in a way that was distracting. Ultimately, the only reason this book gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because it's meant to be a marginal, tongue-in-cheek throwaway paperback that can't be taken seriously, and Myers, for all her faults, is still a decent enough writer to pull that off, albeit unimpressively.
October 23, 2012
Tamar Myers writes interesting, irreverent, tongue-in-cheek mysteries, starring a tall, skinny Mennonite who runs a B and B in Pennsylvania. Magdalena, or Mags, as her sister calls her, has been the mother figure to her little sister for most of their lives, and runs her inn in a haphazardly way, in this case leaving it in the hands of her menfolk while she, her sister and their cousin go off to Ohio for a funeral.
While there, Magdalena stumbles across a murder mystery, and being the curious sort she is, cannot stop digging. Ms Myers herself is of Amish background, and brings her knowledge and in some cases what seems to be a dislike for some of the traditional ways of the religion into the Penn Dutch books. The Penn-Dutch is the Bread and Breakfast Mags runs, and her helpers are all either Amish or Mennonite (the Amish and Mennonites are offshoots of the same religious belief).
Fascinating books, sort of like watching a train wreck, but with the mess completely and competently cleared up by the final pages. There are a scattering of recipes throughout the book also, for those who might want to try their hand at making some of the dishes the angly, always hungry, Magdalena devours over her madcap journey through Ohio.
While there, Magdalena stumbles across a murder mystery, and being the curious sort she is, cannot stop digging. Ms Myers herself is of Amish background, and brings her knowledge and in some cases what seems to be a dislike for some of the traditional ways of the religion into the Penn Dutch books. The Penn-Dutch is the Bread and Breakfast Mags runs, and her helpers are all either Amish or Mennonite (the Amish and Mennonites are offshoots of the same religious belief).
Fascinating books, sort of like watching a train wreck, but with the mess completely and competently cleared up by the final pages. There are a scattering of recipes throughout the book also, for those who might want to try their hand at making some of the dishes the angly, always hungry, Magdalena devours over her madcap journey through Ohio.
July 27, 2016
I really enjoy Tamar Myers mysteries and this book is no exception.
A distant cousin of Magdelena Yoder is a dairy farmer and is found dead (naked)floating in a tank of milk. Magdelena takes several people to the funeral. She has to stay with Amish relatives and the woman finds a way to use sardines in every meal. (One example of Myers sense of humor)Either Magelena is going to starve or she has to find a restarant and get some food. The owner talks to Magdelena, "did you have bacon with that? My plate had been scraped so clean that even a forensic dietician would have been at a loss to recreate my meal."
Magdelena realizes that the local police have not really investigated her cousin's death or the death of another Amish man who also died under suspicious circumstances. Of course, Magdelena must find out what really happened and she ends up in a lot of trouble.
Just another enjoyable mystery.
A distant cousin of Magdelena Yoder is a dairy farmer and is found dead (naked)floating in a tank of milk. Magdelena takes several people to the funeral. She has to stay with Amish relatives and the woman finds a way to use sardines in every meal. (One example of Myers sense of humor)Either Magelena is going to starve or she has to find a restarant and get some food. The owner talks to Magdelena, "did you have bacon with that? My plate had been scraped so clean that even a forensic dietician would have been at a loss to recreate my meal."
Magdelena realizes that the local police have not really investigated her cousin's death or the death of another Amish man who also died under suspicious circumstances. Of course, Magdelena must find out what really happened and she ends up in a lot of trouble.
Just another enjoyable mystery.
October 19, 2013
No Use Dying over Spilled Milk: A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery with Recipes
by Tamar Myers
Getting better with every book., October 19, 2013
This review is from: No Use Dying over Spilled Milk: A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery with Recipes (Mass Market Paperback)
I don't know what more I can say other than this series keeps getting better with every book. Magdalena Yoder pokes fun at her own Amish/Mennonite background in the most hilarious and heart warming way. That sense of humor combined with mystery as well as the misadventures of her worldly sister, Suzanne, made this romp through Farmersburg, Ohio a fun ride.
Enjoy this well written cozy and the entire series! Comment | Permalink
June 21, 2010
Reading this book made me like the Pennsylvania Dutch series even more than the last. I can't always say that for series. The last mystery series I got very excited about but then the books became the same. I particularly enjoy that the author introduces culture information about Mennonites and Amish which makes you have a better feel for the people. I love that recipes are interwoven with the stories and in some books themed to the title. (I really want to try her brown sugar pie.) The murder mystery had some good twists and was very enjoyable.
June 24, 2012
I so miss Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series (have read the latest) that I had to find another cozy series that would last me until the next Gamache comes out on August 28th. Tamar Myers' is easy to read and her main character is a hoot. In fact, all the characters are quite endearing. I've become attached to their lives and want to read each subsequent mystery just to find out what's happened in each of them, the murders, the romances, and the recipes. So far haven't tried any of the recipes but some seem palatable, others a bit unusual (frankfurter rafts and sauerkraut salad?).
December 1, 2012
Tamar Myers is the consumate culinary cozy writer, and this Pennsylvania Dutch mystery does not disappoint. Magdalena Yoder travels to her Ohio Amish family and finds herself in the middle of a milk mystery - a local creamery wants to source all milk and take over the Amish cheese co-op. Some funny scenes of her cousin's poor cooking, attempts to cook english in appreciation of Magdalena's presumed preference, and as always, some wonderful recipes.
--Ashland Mystery
--Ashland Mystery
May 4, 2015
#3 in the Pennsylvania Dutch series. Magdelena Yoder runs the PennDutch Inn in Hernia, PA, in this homey series. It feels like a time capsule, but that I imagine is the intent when writing about the Amish and the like.
Pennsylvania Dutch series - Magdelena Yoder travels to Ohio to attend a funeral. She finds that the young farmer died mysteriously as did his partner in a dairy co-op just a week earlier. Magdelena looks for foul play and possible connections to the dairy the farmers had sold to before forming the co-op. Aaron Miller proposes and Magdelena says yes.
Pennsylvania Dutch series - Magdelena Yoder travels to Ohio to attend a funeral. She finds that the young farmer died mysteriously as did his partner in a dairy co-op just a week earlier. Magdelena looks for foul play and possible connections to the dairy the farmers had sold to before forming the co-op. Aaron Miller proposes and Magdelena says yes.
February 18, 2016
When Mennonite Magdalena Yoder learns that the death of one of her distant Amish relatives found naked and drowned in a tank of milk is termed an accident, she smells murder. Magdalena, her sister, Suzannah, and cook and cousin Freni, head to Ohio for the funeral where she also learns that another man died a week before. This is such a fun series with authentic Amish recipes and great characters!
January 24, 2012
I loved this story! My mother and I read it, laughing until tears ran down our face! Anytime I am in the need of a laugh, I pick up a 'Yoder'. Tamar Myers has done a fantastic job of giving us a light hearted murder mystery in her 'Pen. Dutch Inn" series.
I highly recommand these if you have an open mind to religion and can laugh at yourself.
I highly recommand these if you have an open mind to religion and can laugh at yourself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews