Reviewed: 22 November 2023

Murder of an Amish Bridegroom

by: Patricia Johns

An Amish Seamstress Mystery - Book 1

Rating: (4/5)

Right track, wrong destination. I thought I knew whodunit, but I was "happily" wrong.

I really like Petunia, an independent Amish woman, something one probably doesn’t say often. She is asked by Detective Asher Tate to help him navigate the Amish Community culture to find a killer. This request will further add to the ways that Petunia (aka Pet) is different from what is expected of her.

The relationship between her and her dad, Elias is different as well. As the story progresses we find that it is just the two of them, the mother having passed when Petunia was young. We also find that they are quite alike.

The victim is not well liked and with good reason. His death brings out so many secrets that Petunia begins to wonder if she really knows anyone.

Asher comes across as kind and effective. When he uses a tactic for finding out information that may or does make Petunia uncomfortable he explains it. Not sure if the author is thinking that down the road they are a romantic match with hard decisions but she is definitely setting things up where there could be a long relationship with little paternal objection.

There are lots of learnings about the Amish the community, more than I recall reading in other Amish community based cozy mysteries but I didn’t feel lectured nor put-off.

I was on the right track for the killing but didn’t get there. The reveal was good.

I am looking forward to the next release in the adventures of Petunia and Asher.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 5-December-2023

in front of store is an Amish horse and buggy with the word ICE on the side has a block of ice in the back with an ice pick sticking out of the top

Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Female Sleuth, NetGalley

Plot Summary

The quiet Amish lifestyle isn't all that it seems in this debut cozy mystery series, for fans of Amanda Flower and Wanda E. Brunstetter.

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.