March 28, 2016
In Myers’s rambling 20th Pennsylvania-Dutch mystery (after 2014’s The Death of Pie), Magdalena Yoder’s recently widowed best friend, Agnes Miller, has decided it’s time to attract a better clientele to Magdalena’s PennDutch Inn in Herina, Pa. To the surprise of both, they succeed in luring a titled family from England. When the Earl and Countess of Grimsley-Snodgrass and their three nearly grown children arrive, Magdalena has her hands full providing the advertised authentic Mennonite/Amish experience. Things take a turn for the worse when a body is found on the premises, and Magdalena is forced back into sleuthing mode to solve the crime. Filled with the author’s trademark double entendres and bawdy humor, this tale of deceit, revenge, and murder is sure to please fans of willful, wordy, and winsome Magdalena. Quirky characters, religious lore, and tasty recipes help compensate for the laborious pace. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
May 1, 2016
Thanks to an ad placed in an English newspaper by her best friend Agnes, innkeeper Magdalena Yoder's newest guests are the Earl and Countess Grimsley-Snodgrass, accompanied by their obnoxious children. Soon the disappearances begin. Another silly romp from Myers (The Death of Pie).
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2016
Without the knowledge of her friend and owner of the PennDutch Inn, Magdalena Yoder Rosen, Agnes Miller advertises Magdalena's inn as a vacation destination for the nobility to experience American life. Soon the Earl and Countess Grimsley-Snodgrass and their adult children arrive and are none too happy with their accommodations. While entertaining the often rude Grimsley-Snodgrass family, Magdalena must also deal with the mummified corpse of Yoko-san, a former guest, found in the inn's elevator shaft; her brother-in-law, a serial killer on the loose; and her irritating mother-in-law, Mother Malaise, founder of her own religion, the Sisters of Apathy. Then one of the Grimsley-Snodgrasses jumps off of Lover's Leap. It's almost more than one woman can take. Magdalena balances her life as a good Mennonite woman with the evil in herself and the world around her, as she solves several mysteries while supporting the town of Hernia, Pennsylvania. Quirky characters, including the ghost of Grandma Yoder, abound in this mystery in which the acerbic, opinionated Magdalena's first-person account drives this at-times laugh-out-loud cozy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
March 15, 2016
Downton Abbey meets the Penn Dutch Inn. As fans already know, Magdalena Portulacca Yoder Rosen is a Mennonite bed-and-breakfast owner married to a Jewish physician. Her mother-in-law surpasses the wildest stereotype of a Jewish mother, her half brother is a serial killer, and as the wealthiest person in her small Pennsylvania community, she pays the bills for anything from the sheriff to the pastor of her church. Her latest guests at the inn are the Earl of Grimsley-Snodgrass, his wife, Countess Aubrey, and their three children, identical twin viscounts Rupert and Sebastian and their sister, Lady Celia. Not long after the guests arrive, the desiccated body of a former guest from Japan is found on top of the elevator, clearing up the question of what smelled so awful for such a long time. Cultural misunderstandings abound. In an effort to entertain her British guests, Magdalena takes them on a picnic, where Celia claims to have seen one of the twins pushed off a cliff. For better or worse, no body is found. The handsome local sheriff makes a token effort to solve the crimes, but as always, Magdalena comes up with the answer. Sarcasm and wacky humor overwhelm the underwhelming mystery in Magdalena's ninth (The Death of Pie, 2014, etc.).
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