Secrets of the Amish Diary

The people of Pleasant Creek are delighted to welcome Liz Eckardt to their picturesque country town as she reopens the Olde Mansion Inn bed and breakfast. But a new start and a simpler life aren’t the only reasons Liz is setting down roots in the heart of Indiana’s Amish community. She is quietly embarking on a quest to find answers about her late mother’s secret life growing up Amish.

Becoming the town’s new innkeeper helps Liz ingrain herself among the townsfolk while searching for the truth about her Amish relatives. That is until she finds herself in the middle of the mysterious murder of one of the inn’s guests. Is there a connection between the death of her troublesome lodger and the truth about her long-lost family?

My Review:

published in 2016

I seem to be finding quite a few gems from ten years ago in my retro reading. 2016 was a very good publishing year it seems! I’m thrilled with the start of this Amish adjacent cozy mystery series, even more so because it was in audio format and my library seems to have the whole series on hoopla. Very excited about that! And I’m curious to see how this type of series works since it’s written by a number of different authors though the setting and all the characters remain the same. I wonder how continuity works as far as characterization because I really like Liz.

The cozy side of this cozy mystery is sublime! Lots of lovely details about Liz’s life as an innkeeper and the small town vibes are strong as well as delightful insights into the Amish community. There’s even a personal family mystery Liz is working on. The murder mystery is well plotted and the way the author blends cozy details in with the sleuthing makes for an excellently paced novel that’s hard to put down.

And these characters! Love! Liz is instantly relatable but I almost think that the ‘Material Girls’ stole the show. They are a group of mostly elderly quilters who take Liz under their collective wing (translation: stick their noses all in her business.) And then there’s Bean, a lackadaisical bulldog who comes with the inn as well as a slew of other intriguing characters. All in all, a little piece of cozy mystery perfection and I’m excited to continue with the series.