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Not
all is heavenly in Heavenly, Pennsylvania. This is Amish
country, and the people are peaceable and loving. Times
have been difficult as the population of the area grows
and there is not enough farmland to support everyone,
so when an outsider, an English toy manufacturer comes
to town offering employment, the Amish are happy.
Yet
this venture to have the Amish build the type of basic
and old-fashioned toys, such as they already make, but
on a much bigger scale, is too good to be true. It seems
that Rob Karble, the toy magnate, plans to pull the
proverbial rug out from under the Amish and have their
custom designed toys mass manufactured in factories
without any Amish employment or compensation.
When
Karble is found murdered during the annual Amish Food
Festival things turn even bleaker. Is it possible that
one of the Amish did the unthinkable and took a human
life? It’s up to the Heavenly Police Department,
with Detective Jakob Fisher, to shake out the truth.
Detective Fisher is a shunned Amish, who came back to
Heavenly to see his family, even if they cannot speak
to him. Will he now have to question them or consider
them as suspects?
Despite
all the information I’ve given you, I have yet
to introduce you to Claire Weatherly, the protagonist
of the series. Claire is a relative newcomer to town,
having moved in with her aunt Diane, following a painful
divorce. Claire owns her own gift shop, Heavenly Treasures,
loves her aunt, her home, her shop, and has feelings
for a special man in town. Or, perhaps two special men
in town.
Claire
is one of the main reasons I love this book and series
so much. She’s full of love and empathy, and always
wants what is best for others. “Assaulted
Pretzel” is a novel with great depth of dimension
of characters and settings, providing a model of culture-blending
not often found in a cozy mystery. True to life, and
examining how people must face up to difficult circumstances,
this is a wonderful book for a youth book group, or
a mystery book group, or simply to enjoy as a comfortable
read that also makes you think. Kudos to Laura Bradford
for another well-written novel!
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Hearse
and Buggy #1
Assaulted
Pretzel #2
Shunned
and Dangerous #3
Suspendered
Sentence #4
A
Churn for the Worse #5
Just
Plain Murder #6
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