I have a list of books I've read in the last several months that I need to tell you about, and I thought I'd start with this gem of an Amish Country mystery, Murder Simply Brewed, by Vanetta Chapman,
If you follow me on Instagram (if you don't, come join the fam!), you may remember my renewed commitment several months ago to be intentional about reading more. I have indeed been doing that, but I've been remiss in sharing with you what I've been reading and my thoughts on the various books. Look for more of these book "reviews" in the months to come.
This story takes place in Middlebury, Indiana, an Amish tourist town with which I'm quite familiar! (In fact, Middlebury is the setting of the fictional Taryn's Roses flower shop in my book, Safe Places.) The characters include Amish and "English" (what Amish people call anyone who isn't Amish), and I believe the author represents an authentic interaction between the two cultures living side-by-side.
I'll start with the obvious: There is a murder. It takes place in a coffee shop.
I feel the need to include here, as a non-lover of overly-graphic scenes of violence or sex in books or movies, the fact that this murder is not described in offensive (to me, anyway) details. You know what you need to know for the sake of the story. The romantic aspects are lovely and innocent, to my recollection.
The mystery elements are nicely woven--you feel the suspense, but it's not likely to give you nightmares. :) A young Amish woman and her boss, an "English" woman, are both not convinced that the death of a troubled older man--the coffee shop manager--was from natural causes, as it has been declared by officials. The two very different women must work together to discover what really happened, and their friendship grows in the process. Other prominent characters in the book are easy to love or hate, based on their charms, quirks, and/or serious issues.
The spiritual growth of the main characters is encouragingly developed throughout the story, which is something I love to see even in a fiction book. No one is perfect in this book--the flaws are apparent. But so is the progress.
I recommend Murder Simply Brewed if you are a lover of Christian fiction, mysteries, and especially if you are a fan of stories set in Amish Country. I love that the mystery element is strong in this book, without the charm of Amish fiction being lost.
At some point, I would like to go back and read the other two books in the Amish Village Mystery series!
Happy Reading!
Laurel
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