Customer Reviews

Batter Off Dead (Thorndike Mystery)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I've read all the Tamar Myers Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries and enjoyed them for their quirky characters and the humor. However, Batter Off Dead is not up to par. The series characters, including Magdalena Yoder Rosen, come across as parodies of themselves. The plot is very thin, in that the initial murder victim Minerva J. Jay is so universally hated that anyone who knew her is a suspect; there are not clues so the reader can identify the murderer ahead of time (which is a major reason I read mysteries); the methods of murder are both improbable, and it would be nearly impossible for the first to be carried out without detection at the time. It's time for the series to be renewed in characterization and plotting or to be discontinued.

I have read all the Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries and was thrilled to get the newest one "Batter Off Dead". It felt that the author just didn't care anymore about writing the series. It was very boring and most of the main characters that I met along the way through the series were either not there anymore (her sister) or she managed to either kill off (the doctor) or separate from (her husband, mother-in-law and her own young child). Just the fact that she now at long last has this child that she never thought she would have with this dream of a husband and then they barely make an appearance in the story just made the whole book seem poorly planned and executed. I also thought it was very disrespectful to her fans that have followed these characters for years. Definitely won't bother with the next one.

The last few books in this series have gotten considerably stale, and this is the worst so far.

Boring plot line, recycled dialogue throughout the book.

It's time for Ms Myers to end this series, stop with the overused forced puns and 'witticisms' and move on...

Author Tamar Myers brings us a new taste of mayhem and murder in her latest Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery, Batter Off Dead. Magdalena Yoder is a busy woman of many responsibilities (Mayor, Innkeeper, Senior Deaconess of the Mennonite Church, Amateur Detective, eight and a half month mother-to-be and general volunteer), with often irritating and nosey qualities. For the last couple of months, her amateur detecting skills have lain dormant while this mid-40's dynamo has taken off time from her duties to relax before the impending birth.

The town glutton drops dead after inhaling a record number of pancakes at a fundraiser for the church where (despite swollen feet) Magdalena has been volunteering. She is ready to jump in and assist when the overworked Chief of Police asks for help as the cause of death is found to be suspicious. But before she can even begin detecting, her baby son makes a quick and unexpected early appearance while Magdalena is in her cousin's store.

Motherhood doesn't stop Magdelana from investigating the growing number of suspects and the plot heats up when her number one suspect is found squashed flatter than a pancake. This blunt-speaking and somewhat naïve sleuth pries and irritates people into confessing their sins, and the suspect list, instead of diminishing, continues to grow. Determined to find a killer before anybody else gets hurt, Madgalena even finds ways to use the new baby to open otherwise rigid defenses and doors.

The mystery is amusing, the characters are interesting, and the recipes are yummy. Myers delivers another sample of her flavorful series.

by Rhonda Esakov

for Story Circle Book Reviews

reviewing books by, for, and about women

Who else but Magdalena Yoder-Rosen could solve the mystery of Minerva J. Jay's death from eating too many pancakes and give birth to Little Jacob with wit, humor and a style that is pure Mags? Filled with one-liners, puns intended and laughs galore.......a must read book......afterall, we all can use a few extra smiles!

And rather irritated. The new, oh so "comely" Magdalena is quite a disappointment. Her lovely sense of humour that used to draw me has evaporated. Same old, same old. The whole story and the dialogues are haphazard and so full of digressions, I find myself as bored as I never thought I could be with Tamar Myers's offerings. I never used to mind so much, but now the constant references to her legalistic interpretation of "Christianity" and also her "sturdy Christian underwear" (what's Christian about it? Does it have eternal life???) really set my teeth on edge and my eyes rolling.

I could put up with Magdalena's wailing itself, but why the inevitable comment about it every time? So people have criticised it - get over it.

The Magdalena-"Babester" relationship seems quite flat, too. She has obviously been wearing the trousers ever since she proposed to him in "Gruel and Unusual Punishment", and Gabe's gorgeous looks are a poor cover-up for his becoming more and more of a wimp.

I had already ordered the next volume, but I cancelled it. Reviews have confirmed my doubts. In fact, the whole series is completely ruined for me, I actually dumped the lot at a second hand bookshop, and good riddance. I don't think I'll ever read anything by this author again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this last one in the series. I have read all the others in the series and I can't wait for more!!!