Murder of an Amish Bridegroom

Petunia Yoder is Blueberry, Pennsylvania’s youngest old maid, at twenty-two years of age, and completely unmarriageable. But she’s determined to celebrate her friends’ weddings with joy and a full heart. Unfortunately, Petunia’s best friend, Eden Beiler, is playing a dangerous game with a man who is ruining her reputation.

Ike Smoker is the community’s ice man—the one who cuts, stores, and sells the ice—and when Petunia discovers him dead with an ice pick in his chest, Eden is found on the scene with blood on her hands. Homicide detective Asher Nate is new to the area, and he has a challenge on his hands. The Amish community sticks close together, and he doesn’t understand the subtleties and nuances of the clues he uncovers. He needs an Amish interpreter, and he asks Petunia if she’ll help. In a bid to keep her best friend out of prison, she agrees.

The community is filled with people who had good reason to hate Ike Smoker, especially as Petunia and Asher begin to uncover his secrets. Was someone trying to protect their family’s reputation? Or to exact revenge for a sin buried deep in the past?

There’s a litany of damning clues that litters the ground—and if Petunia and Asher can’t come up with the truth, they could end up as the next ones on the killer’s list.

My Review:

Absolutely love this debut cozy mystery! It’s so well done from plot to characters and the intriguing whodunnit that kept me guessing close to the very last second!

Love the way the author includes tidbits of Amish culture and tradition in a very natural way, even if our heroine, Petunia, isn’t quite the typical maidel. The forthright way she has of speaking her mind has kept suitors at bay has earned her the reputation as ‘the youngest old maid.’ 🙂

When murder strikes their peaceful little village, Petunia becomes enmeshed in the investigation as she attempts to clear her friend from murder charges. Love the clever way the author justifies her involvement and it leaves things open for more murder and mayhem to come in future books.

Satisfying blend of cozy and mystery with dashes of humour and characters it’s easy to care about. Looking forward to a (hopefully) long-running series!