Batter Off Dead: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery [Hardcover]

Tamar Myers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery | Publication Date: February 3, 2009

New in the national bestselling series— Magdalena Yoder solves a case of hotcake homicide.

During a church breakfast, Minerva J. Jay, known for her prodigious appetite, slumps over after ingesting several stacks of pancakes. Police Chief Chris Ackerman wonders if the serving of the fatal flapjacks is a case of assault and batter. Magdalena has her own bun in the oven, but that doesn’t stop the chief from asking for her help with the investigation.

Before Magdalena can begin, however, she has to make a special delivery of her own—and just when she thinks she’s found her number one suspect, he turns up dead, squished flatter than a pancake by a driverless cement truck. Now, to stop the killer from cooking up another crime, Magdalena has no choice but to jump from the frying pan into the fire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Myers's 17th Pennsylvania Dutch mystery (after 2008's As the World Churns), Magdalena Yoder, who's eight and a half months pregnant, must try to solve the murder of gluttonous Minerva J. Jay, who drops dead after wolfing down twenty-six pancakes at the Beechy Grove Mennonite Brotherhood all-you-can-eat fund-raising breakfast. Meanwhile, Magdalena gives birth to Little Jacob squatting on the floor of the local market, contends with her bizarre sister and overbearing Jewish mother-in-law, and comments not always wittily on Jewish, Mennonite and other religious practices. Late in the story, the focus returns to who poisoned Minerva's pancakes. A contrived climax and a surfeit of smart-ass humor make this strictly for series fans. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

If you enjoy cozies with unrelenting slapstick humor, the Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries are your cup of tea. This is the seventeenth entry in the series that Myers began writing in 1994. Longtime fans should know exactly what to expect, while those trying a Pennsylvania Dutch mystery for the first time might hope for more mystery and a bit less humor. This time out, our 48-year-old sleuth Magdalena Portulaca Yoder is assisting at the annual Beechy Grove Mennonite Church’s pancake breakfast. Local glutton Minerva J. Jay has just finished stacks and stacks of pancakes when she drops dead. To most people’s surprise, it turns out to be murder rather than cholesterol overload. Before Magdalena can assist the local police chief in discovering who did it, however, she goes into labor and delivers her first baby, Little Jacob. As usual, there are numerous wacky characters—Magdalena’s mother-in-law and sister, members of the Men’s Club and the Sisters of Perpetual Apathy. The recipes this time are mostly from Marie Simmons’ Pancakes A to Z and sound delicious. Be warned that no calorie counts are included. --Judy Coon

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451225929
• ISBN-13: 978-0451225924
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tamar Myers, who is of Mennonite background, is the author of the Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries and the Den of Antiquity series. Born and raised in the Congo, she lives in North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Batter Off Skipping it, February 16, 2009

By 

Caren Bachmann (Washington, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batter Off Dead: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery (Hardcover)

I've loved this series so far, but was sorely disappointed by "Batter Off Dead." It's short on both plot and character, and appears to be unedited--there are minor inconsistencies throughout in which the author can't quite decide what Magdalena was doing when. At one point, for instance, she wakes at 2:00 am and then goes out at 10:00 pm.

Tamar Myers is known for her wit--and indeed this is much of what I read her work for--but this book seems to be nothing but a series of one-liners delivered without charm and often without coherence. I've been a Tamar Myers fan and sure hope she doesn't throw together the next book as sloppily as she's thrown together this one.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Beyond silly!, February 27, 2009

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batter Off Dead: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery (Hardcover)

Magdalena Yoder becomes involved in another murder case when Minerva J. Jay keels over after eating a stack of pancakes at Magdalena's Mennonite church. What happens after that doesn't make much sense as Magdalena gives birth, goes through a separation from her husband and,oblivious to all this, runs around trying to solve the murder. The dialogue is silly, the plot makes no sense, and I really didn't care who the murderer was by the end of the book. This is absolutely my last Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This one gave me indigestion--spare yourself dyspepsia, October 7, 2009

By 

min-bee (Nyack, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batter Off Dead: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery (Hardcover)

Tamar Myers' latest Magdalena Yoder mystery grossed me out. Do I really want a description of the inner workings of a 48-year-old pregnant woman's digestive system? I don't think so. There's a fine line between Myers' brand of humorous writing and silliness and excess. She has crossed the line in this novel. The humor would appeal to young kids who find slang words about bodily functions hilarious. This one gave me indigestion; spare yourself dyspepsia and a headache.