Thou Shalt Not Grill

By Tamar Myers

     I have long been a fan of Tamar Myers Pennsylvania Dutch series, which is set at Magdalina Yoder's Bed and Breakfast. This one lives up to its reputation. With the 100th celebration of the founding of the town of Hernia, a whole crew of guests is bound to show up. Since all Amish and Mennonite people claim to spring from the same family tree, it is no surprise that when the people begin to arrive that many of them to search for their roots, and others to seek for the treasure that has been purported to be in the time capsule that was buried in 1904. However, it is a bit of a shock when one of the guests is a Japanese woman, who claims ties. And then there is Buzzy Porter, who sets Magdalena off on the wrong foot as soon as he shakes hands with her-and gives her the shock of her life. A practical joker, he gets himself into more trouble by the minute.

   And then the wife of a local pastor finds poor Buzzy up on the summit-very dead! Magdalena (whose nose is not only long, but always inserted in the bizarre events of the town) joins her brother-in-law, the local cop, to report to the scene of the crime. They find a local jogger, a member of the minority known as Episcopalians, there as well.

    As Magdalena goes to identify the body of Buzzy, she finds not the intended, but the Episcopalian jogger's body in the morgue.

    This book has almost more suspects than it has pages. It comes complete with a greased pig, which Magdalena wins at the pig-catching contest and which becomes her foster daughter's pet. Not only do you get a real treat from the story itself, but it is filled with delightful recipes as well. It's a great read, and I highly recommend it. I can hardly wait until Assault and Pepper comes out in Feb.