Rating: 
Summary: A riveting mystery
Review: A friend of mine mailed this book to me ~~ and I have to admit that I chuckled my way throughout this book! I've never read or even heard of Tamar Myers. This is the first book I've read of hers and I plan to read the rest of the books in the series.
Prim and Proper Magdalena Yoder is innkeeper of the PennDutch Inn that was in her family for generations. Her sister, Susannah (who Magdalena thinks should have gotten her name instead!) is gorgeous enough and dating the local sheriff who is after Magdalena to make a confession for a murder in her barn. Magdalena knew that she's going to have to figure out who put that pitchfork through the assistant director in her barn, because it wasn't her and she can't get the sheriff to believe otherwise. Hollywood has come to town and Magdalena is right in the midst of the upheaval.
This is written with spry and witty humor ~~ and Magdalena is just great as a detective. It's a fun book ~~ one that you can't really put down till the last page is finished. It's an interesting twist on detective novels ~~ it's more of an old-fashioned type of detective work and not full of the technology whiz that is common in today's mysteries. It's just clean fun and one that I would like to read more of!
9-11-04
Rating: 
Summary: My Humble Opinion
Review: After reading the first installment in this series, I was excited to read more. After reading the second installment, I'm not sure if I want to continue. I love the character of Magdalena Yoder. Being from Pittsburgh, I also enjoy the setting of the Penn Dutch Inn. I was very surprised to see my very own high school mentioned in Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime. However, the one word I could use to describe this book is long. I found myself wanting to breeze past the parts that seem basically irrelevent. Being a fan of mystery, I know that what may seem unimportant could turn out to be a big clue. That was not the case with this book.
The only reason I give this book 3 stars is because of its regular characters and humor. Magdalena is as enjoyable, if not more, in this book as she was in the first. How could anybody not love Freni and even Susannah? The humor in Myers' writing is wonderful. I wish more writers had her wit. The best thing about this book other than the humor is that the reader gets a better understanding of the relationship Magdalena had with her mother. The worst thing is that it is just long and rambles too much. Also, what happened to Jeff Myers? I am not revealing anything to those who haven't read this book by mentioning that he just disappeared. There's no mention of him at all. I have seen this happen in Myers' Den of Antiquity series as well. The humor and the characters are what make this book worth a chance. The mystery is really a no-brainer. If Myers could have been more consistent and a little less verbose with this book, it would be more enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: My Humble Opinion
Review: After reading the first installment in this series, I was excited to read more. After reading the second installment, I'm not sure if I want to continue. I love the character of Magdalena Yoder. Being from Pittsburgh, I also enjoy the setting of the Penn Dutch Inn. I was very surprised to see my very own high school mentioned in Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime. However, the one word I could use to describe this book is long. I found myself wanting to breeze past the parts that seem basically irrelevent. Being a fan of mystery, I know that what may seem unimportant could turn out to be a big clue. That was not the case with this book.
The only reason I give this book 3 stars is because of its regular characters and humor. Magdalena is as enjoyable, if not more, in this book as she was in the first. How could anybody not love Freni and even Susannah? The humor in Myers' writing is wonderful. I wish more writers had her wit. The best thing about this book other than the humor is that the reader gets a better understanding of the relationship Magdalena had with her mother. The worst thing is that it is just long and rambles too much. Also, what happened to Jeff Myers? I am not revealing anything to those who haven't read this book by mentioning that he just disappeared. There's no mention of him at all. I have seen this happen in Myers' Den of Antiquity series as well. The humor and the characters are what make this book worth a chance. The mystery is really a no-brainer. If Myers could have been more consistent and a little less verbose with this book, it would be more enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Even funnier than the first...
Review: I do hate to admit it sometimes, but Magdalena and her snappy quips do give me quite a chuckle. Great to read on a bus or train so fellow riders think you're completely crazy as you giggle uncontrollably to yourself. In this installment, Magdalena rents out the entire Penn-Dutch Inn to a bunch of filmmakers doing what starts out to me the movie version of Magdalena's first appearance "Too Many Crooks..." etc. In a desperate effort to achieve stardom, some of the local kooks in Hernia, Pa. all come out for tryouts. As usual, mirth, murder, and mayhem follow. It's an enjoyable series so far and Magdalena's quippy comments are real scene-stealers. I particularly love the way she answers her phone. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series "No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk" I recommend the series for anyone that enjoys a good laugh from an acerbic, Amish woman who happens to run a B&B in Hernia, Pennsylvania with a sister who keeps a chihuahua in her brassiere! Need I say more?
Rating: 
Summary: MYERS IS MARVELOUS
Review: I hate to gush, but I couldn't put this book down. I simply loved every page. Even when nothing of note is happening, Ms. Myers keeps you entertained with her wonderful sense of humor. The second in this series, a murder occurs at the Penn/Dutch Inn when a Hollywood crew comes out to make a movie about the murder that occurred in the first book, "Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth". Ms. Myers doesn't need all that high tech and explicit sex that goes into so many books today. Her heroine, Magdalena Yoder, doesn't even have a computer and is still a virgin at 44. She's plucky, quick witted and has enough courage to win the reader's admiration. In this book, we meet Magdalena's telephone suitor who owns a fast food chicken & shrimp place, "Jumbo Jim's", while being pursued by an old schoolmate who grew up drop dead gorgeous, and an 84 year old veterinarian -who sometimes works on people. Being suspected of the crime by the police chief spurs Magdalena on to try to find the real killer. It's a page turner from start to finish. The woman has TALENT.
Rating: 
Summary: One star for bad cliches and stilted writing
Review: If you're looking for a good "recipe" mystery, then read Dying for Chocolate. The characters in this book are all one-dimensional charicatures. I didn't see the humor.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and wonderful!!
Review: In this hilarious installment in the Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes series, Magdalena Yoder is leading her normal life (as normal as it can be a year after two murders took place in her very home) when Steven Freeman (a.k.a. Bugsy) comes to her house and offers to rent out the inn. With the amount of money offered, and a chance at stardom, how can she say no? It was this decision which led to yet another murder on the property of the PennDutch Inn, this one much more gruesome than the others. Here are some questions for discussion: 1. Do you believe Don Manley deserved to be "forked"? Discuss. 2. Does anyone in your family, school, or place of employment remind you of Susannah? Discuss. 3. How does the Amish setting affect the plot of the book? Discuss. 4. Is it right of Magdalena to trick Pertelote into sitting on duck eggs? Discuss. 5. Is it right of Jim to be so rude to Magdalena when they meet? Discuss. 6. Is it right of Doc to be sweet on Magdalena when he is so very old? Discuss. 7. Do you think that Melvin Stolzfus was really kicked in the face by a bull he tried to milk? Discuss. 8. If so, do you think that this fatal kick caused brain damage? Discuss. 9. Is the old script for the movie appropriate? Discuss. 10. How do you feel about the new script? Discuss. 11. Do you think that Magdalena should not have called Jim a shrimp? Discuss. 12. Is it Mr. Sims's fault that Susannah married (and divorced) a Presbyterian? Discuss. I reccommend this book for any fans of Finnegan Zwake Mysteries (by Michael Dahl), and any fans of good, hilarious, wonderful books.
Rating:
Summary: Amusing Series
Review: In this, the second book in Tamar Myers delightful series about Mennonite innkeeper, Magdalena Yoder, the inn is being used to film a movie. Before long, the assistant director is found murdered in her barn, with her pitchfork, and Magdalena quickly becomes the number one suspect. The police chief is useless, so it's up to her to find the murderer.
The book is filled with unforgettable characters, including Freni, Marvin and Susannah and Snookums. Magdalena herself is a combination of innocence and worldliness. Her interactions with Jumbo Jim are hilarious and her conversations with Aaron Miller are equally as funny.
This is a good series for readers who like cozy mysteries, with quirky characters, and a lot of humor.
Rating:
Summary: All the ingredients for a good cozy
Review: Magdalena Yoder, the owner of the PennDutch Inn, is back again in the second book of this series. This time she's being asked by a film company to use her establishment as the setting of their new movie. They make it worth her while, so she cancels out two months of guests and decides to try out for a part in the movie too. After a crew member is impaled by a pitchfork in Magdalena's barn, the script of the movie changes as does her part. She becomes the chief suspect and decides to save herself by solving the murder. She has a narrow escape and finally the murderer is revealed. A good read for "cozy" fans.
Rating:
Summary: All the ingredients for a good cozy
Review: Magdalena Yoder, the owner of the PennDutch Inn, is back again in the second book of this series. This time she's being asked by a film company to use her establishment as the setting of their new movie. They make it worth her while, so she cancels out two months of guests and decides to try out for a part in the movie too. After a crew member is impaled by a pitchfork in Magdalena's barn, the script of the movie changes as does her part. She becomes the chief suspect and decides to save herself by solving the murder. She has a narrow escape and finally the murderer is revealed. A good read for "cozy" fans.
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