What do you think?
Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery #23
Death by Tart Attack
Magdalena Yoder is accused of murdering her ex-husband in this delightfully quirky cozy mystery set among Pennsylvania's Amish-Mennonite community.
"You're going to be sorry, Aaron Paul Miller. Before I'm through with you, you're going to wish that you were dead."
Shockwaves are running through the small town of Hernia with the news that an enormous, biblical-themed amusement park is to be built on its doorstep, destroying the community's peaceful way of life for ever. And the man spearheading this so-called Armageddonland? None other than Magdalena's ex-husband, the duplicitous Aaron Miller.
At a public demonstration to showcase his plans for the new park, Aaron bites into a delicious homemade tart - with fatal consequences. It's clear the tart was poisoned . . . but who baked it?
As the leader of the local resistance against the project and her acrimonious history with her ex well known, Magdalena immediately falls under suspicion. Determined to clear her name, she resolves to find the real killer, and soon finds herself wrestling with a number of scandalous secrets lurking beneath Hernia's seemingly staid surface.
"You're going to be sorry, Aaron Paul Miller. Before I'm through with you, you're going to wish that you were dead."
Shockwaves are running through the small town of Hernia with the news that an enormous, biblical-themed amusement park is to be built on its doorstep, destroying the community's peaceful way of life for ever. And the man spearheading this so-called Armageddonland? None other than Magdalena's ex-husband, the duplicitous Aaron Miller.
At a public demonstration to showcase his plans for the new park, Aaron bites into a delicious homemade tart - with fatal consequences. It's clear the tart was poisoned . . . but who baked it?
As the leader of the local resistance against the project and her acrimonious history with her ex well known, Magdalena immediately falls under suspicion. Determined to clear her name, she resolves to find the real killer, and soon finds herself wrestling with a number of scandalous secrets lurking beneath Hernia's seemingly staid surface.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published May 3, 2022
About the author
Tamar Myers
73 books296 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 3, 2022
Aaron Miller is back in town, and intent on building a religious themed amusement park. This outlandish concept would destroy the quiet solitude of Hernia, but before it gets off the ground, Aaron is stopped dead. Literally. So now it is up to Magdalena to find out who hated Aaron more than she did, although she would not admit to that, hate being a sin. This book has all the same jokes and humor of the previous ones, but the plot falls a bit flat. It’s a long journey to the guilty party, and then the book is over in a flash. It just doesn’t have the pizazz of the previous books.
May 9, 2022
Tamar Myers's tale of a fictional Amish/Mennonite town in Pennsylvania is full of humour. Death by Tart Attack is a cozy mystery with nods to the stereotypes of small towns and several different religions. Her main character, Magdalena Yoder Rosen, the owner of the PennDutch Inn Bed and Breakfast is a strong personality that the others complement. In this instalment, her ex-husband, Aaron Miller is determined to build an earth-shatteringly large amusement park. When he is found dead after munching on a tart, she must prove her innocence. This was my second jaunt in the series at book twenty-three so I have a fair bit of reading to catch up on if I'm going to complete the series so far! Luckily for me, it was a good standalone read, and I did not feel lost. A great whodunit and a place I would very much like to revisit.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Severn House via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Severn House via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
December 27, 2025
Her books are so fun!!!
September 11, 2022
I used to love this series, but I have not liked the recent books in it. This particular book was one that I definitely did not like. There is too much constant unrelated-to-the-plot babbling and attempts to be 'cute' for the characters, especially the main character Magdalena. She talks non-stop about herself and tries to be funny and outrageous, and it just comes across as senseless babble, wiht no real relevance to the mystery. I happen to live in Pennsylvania among Amish and Mennonite people, and I used to find humor in their portrayal in the early books. Now there is no connection to reality to an actual cultural mystery, or even using the sly humor, things used to be the hallmark that made these books so good at the beginning.
December 4, 2022
The Tamar Myers whose books were so much fun is back again!
Magdalena Yoder’s ex-husband, Aaron, the father of her adopted daughter Alison, is in town with a plan that, if completed, will totally change the community. He owns a lot of land in the area and wants to build a theme park, housing, businesses, etc. The park will be called Armageddonland.
As the richest person in the town and funder of many of the services, e.g., the police department, Magdalena can see both sides of the picture: providing jobs, increasing the revenue, bringing in tourists, etc., but also losing the small town atmosphere and probably driving the Amish and Mennonite populations away.
They decide to hold a public meeting to discuss the pros and cons. To attract attendees, they also decide to hold a tart competition. After stuffing his face with several tart slices, Aaron keels over, dead. And Magdalena is blamed for his death.
DEATH BY TART ATTACK provides descriptions of several of the rides, including the parting of the Red Sea, sins, etc. One couple are named Jim and Tammy Fay Barker.
It has more of a plot line and less of the snarkyness, bawdiness, and fat shaming of some of the more recent books.
I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
Magdalena Yoder’s ex-husband, Aaron, the father of her adopted daughter Alison, is in town with a plan that, if completed, will totally change the community. He owns a lot of land in the area and wants to build a theme park, housing, businesses, etc. The park will be called Armageddonland.
As the richest person in the town and funder of many of the services, e.g., the police department, Magdalena can see both sides of the picture: providing jobs, increasing the revenue, bringing in tourists, etc., but also losing the small town atmosphere and probably driving the Amish and Mennonite populations away.
They decide to hold a public meeting to discuss the pros and cons. To attract attendees, they also decide to hold a tart competition. After stuffing his face with several tart slices, Aaron keels over, dead. And Magdalena is blamed for his death.
DEATH BY TART ATTACK provides descriptions of several of the rides, including the parting of the Red Sea, sins, etc. One couple are named Jim and Tammy Fay Barker.
It has more of a plot line and less of the snarkyness, bawdiness, and fat shaming of some of the more recent books.
I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
July 6, 2023
i am laughing at this name of this book ...i wonder how authors get these title names? don't you??! curious. love the book cover. i did this through my local library leaning program. fun times. enjoyable read. out on April 1, 2022. Amish & Mennonite Fiction. Cozy Culinary Mystery. Cozy Culinary Mysteries. i will read more ...now i don't usually go for Amish reads ...i find them a bit ... well too stuffy for my liking ...something about the characters ...but this was laded (is that the word I want?? laid out?!? gotta see?!? i never had English problems as a kid, well don't get me wrong but as an adult i tend to have different wording, spelling and such. weird. like as a kid i don't recall ever dealing with effect and affect now i have read it over and over to let it sink in. LOL!!) out differently or more enjoyable and whatnot. will read more ...this is a huge series.
March 14, 2025
This will be pretty much word-for-word what I said about the last one I read in this series (I think I read the previous 2 in the wrong order)…I maintain that the earliest books in this series are the best. By FAR!! This one a little better than the last several though it still was wordy, and once again repeated for the 20+ time Magdalena’s life story, the same worn jokes, and tired background details…but the plot was somewhat better this time. I did get this one via my library instead of purchasing and the same for the last one which I will half-read, half-skim like I’ve done the last few. I have noticed with the last 5 or 6 that there are British terminology and spellings used for what is supposed to be stories set in Pennsylvania, USA. I don’t remember that being the case with earlier books. It is not a big deal, but is a small nuisance.
July 4, 2022
A supposedly cozy mystery, but not so much. Mags is obsessed with sex and the recipients are far and wide. She is filthy rich and a good ?? Mennonite. There is some humor, but some misses the mark. Mags husband is a big asset to the book, some others not so much. She is good about taking in orphaned children, three of which were sired by her ex-husband. Or maybe only 2. I lost track. For whatever reason, she spends a lot of time making fun of her own looks -- big feet, ugly hair, skinnyarms, etc etc until it's kind of stupid. Don't think I'll be reading any of the other Penn/Dutch mysteries.
September 3, 2022
My stragedy for getting books at the library is reserving them online so I can read about them a bit, then on my way out from picking my books up I grab a few on the "new" shelf, this way I have 5-6 books in case the ones I picked I don't like.
I read the first few pages of Death by Tart Attack at the library, it looked cute, no it was corny in the only the first few pages. I thought it would be light fun one, pass for me.
I read the first few pages of Death by Tart Attack at the library, it looked cute, no it was corny in the only the first few pages. I thought it would be light fun one, pass for me.
July 29, 2022
Not my cup of tea, never read a murder mystery where I had to wait until more than halfway through the book for the murder to happen. I found the main character annoying and in my opinion, was not very likable. First time I have read this author, and most likely will not read any more of her books.
July 9, 2023
This is not really a murder mystery in my opinion. It is really more of a celebration of the main character. The humor seemed based on a woman's subjective negative image of the entire world, including herself and most of her own community members. I did not enjoy it. Based on glimpses of other reviews, it is possible I would have gotten hooked on the main character in earlier books and, therefore, found it more enjoyable. I don't know.
June 27, 2022
Magdalena just thinks of herself and talks too much. The character has not changed in all these years. Most people grow and change. She needs to do the same. The actual mystery is good but the murder doesn't happen until 2 thirds through the book. This is not a cozy mystery.
March 3, 2025
Magdalena is in trouble again. This time her first husband shows up and has to shake everything up. Many things happen and again Magdalena is a suspect.
Have to see how she gets herself out of trouble.
Have to see how she gets herself out of trouble.
December 12, 2025
I've read earlier Pennsylvania-Dutch mysteries and they were hilarious. The family was always a lot of fun to imagine as well as the problems they ran into. This book didn't have the same feel of fun, I think.
May 25, 2022
very unexpected mystery how she was able to unravel this one was and still keep herself safe is for a good read
June 1, 2022
Tamar Myers' books are always fun to read. Far fetched? Yes. Funny? Yes. This one involves a theme-park called Armegeddonland, Magdalena's ex and poisonous tarts.
June 16, 2022
Hilarious
January 14, 2024
Love Magdelana!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2025
A cozy is a cozy at times, nothing more , nothing less
August 25, 2025
very good book
March 14, 2022
On page one and I’m already laughing. Magdalena Yoder is not only the mayor of her town, she is it’s the richest resident. And she is funny! Oh does she make you laugh.
When her kind of ex-husband shows up planning to build a giant theme park based on the book of Revelations, Magdalena is incensed. They are a quiet community and don’t want some Disney version of the Bible bringing thousands of people to their quiet community.
Aaron Miller is not a good man. Not even close. But he owns the land and this could be ugly.
As he is going to show his plans to the public community he bites into a tart and that’s the last thing he does. Obviously, he’s been poisoned, but by who? Who baked the tart? Who would want him dead?
Suspicions fall on Magdalena of course and she isn’t going to stand for that. She is going to solve this murder and clear her name. But will the secrets bubbling below the town’s perfect facade mean the end of her?
Magdalena is one of the funniest characters in the cozy world. I could listen to her all day.
Another really good read.
NetGalley/May 3rd, 2022 by Severn House Publishers
When her kind of ex-husband shows up planning to build a giant theme park based on the book of Revelations, Magdalena is incensed. They are a quiet community and don’t want some Disney version of the Bible bringing thousands of people to their quiet community.
Aaron Miller is not a good man. Not even close. But he owns the land and this could be ugly.
As he is going to show his plans to the public community he bites into a tart and that’s the last thing he does. Obviously, he’s been poisoned, but by who? Who baked the tart? Who would want him dead?
Suspicions fall on Magdalena of course and she isn’t going to stand for that. She is going to solve this murder and clear her name. But will the secrets bubbling below the town’s perfect facade mean the end of her?
Magdalena is one of the funniest characters in the cozy world. I could listen to her all day.
Another really good read.
NetGalley/May 3rd, 2022 by Severn House Publishers
August 14, 2026
My total tunnel vision for this Amish country cozy mystery series is holding strong with book 23! The punny titles just get better and better, and this one delivers such a wild, personal mystery. I mean, talk about karma! Magdalena’s duplicitous ex-husband, Aaron Miller, rolls back into Hernia with crazy plans to build a massive, biblical-themed amusement park called "Armageddonland"—only to bite into a poisoned homemade tart at a public showcase and drop dead!
Because of their acrimonious history and Magdalena leading the town resistance against the park, she immediately becomes the prime suspect. Watching the ultimate Jessica Fletcher of the Pennsylvania Dutch clear her own name while digging up a baker's dozen of scandalous small-town secrets is pure cozy gold. It is witty, hilarious, comforting, and another perfect addition to my shelf!
Because of their acrimonious history and Magdalena leading the town resistance against the park, she immediately becomes the prime suspect. Watching the ultimate Jessica Fletcher of the Pennsylvania Dutch clear her own name while digging up a baker's dozen of scandalous small-town secrets is pure cozy gold. It is witty, hilarious, comforting, and another perfect addition to my shelf!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2022
As the mayor of Hernia, and the richest woman around, this simple woman manages to attract murder like bees to honey. When her bigamist ex-husband shows up in town with plans to build a huge religious themed attraction, Magda vows to keep her town quiet and stop him at all costs. Though she surely wouldn’t kill him. But someone else would…and now she has to find out who without joining Aaron in the great beyond.
What’s better than a snarky mennonite who solves murders? Not much when it’s Magdalena Yoder! I adore this series and can’t get enough of her snarky, simple ways. You’ll find yourself laughing at times and maybe even wanting to check into the Penn Dutch Inn, even if only for a glass of cow juice.
What’s better than a snarky mennonite who solves murders? Not much when it’s Magdalena Yoder! I adore this series and can’t get enough of her snarky, simple ways. You’ll find yourself laughing at times and maybe even wanting to check into the Penn Dutch Inn, even if only for a glass of cow juice.
February 18, 2022
It it were possible to give 10 stars, I would!!! Magdalene Yoder will being a huge smile to your face. Fun, fun, fun! The characters are like family, I have enjoyed them so much! Great lighthearted reading! A favorite of many! Thanks #netgalley and #SevernHouse for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews