Thou Shalt Not Grill (Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes) [Hardcover]

Tamar Myers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes | Publication Date: February 3, 2004

In this latest Penn Dutch mystery, innkeeper Magdalena Yoder takes her cooking and detection skills outdoors to celebrate the bicentennial of Hernia, Pennsylvania. But the festivities are cut short when Magdalena's guest, Buzzy Porter, is murdered. Soon Magdalena has her hands full trying to keep community spirits high, grill the likely suspects-and smoke out the killer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tamar Myers, who is of Mennonite background, is the author of the Penn Dutch mysteries and the Den of Antiquity series. She grew up in the Belgian Congo, where her parents were missionaries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451211138
• ISBN-13: 978-0451211132
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,383,106 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

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure delight, February 3, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thou Shalt Not Grill (Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes) (Hardcover)

It is a special time for the residents of Hernia, Pennsylvania, a small Amish and Mennonite town that is home to the PennDutch Bed and Board inn owned and operated by Magdalena Pontulacca Yoder. Hernia is celebrating its bicentennial anniversary and there is no room at the inn because people from all over country want to attend the events, especially the opening of the time capsule that was buried on Stucky Ridge during the 1904 centennial gala.

Before the celebration begins, one of the guests at the inn, Buzzy Porter, is found murdered near Stucky Ridge by runner by Ron Humphrey. Magdalena is asked by her brother in law, chief of police Melvin Stoltzfus to investigate and solve the murder while he is busy stumping for votes to be elected to the state legislature. Of course Magdalena makes inquiries and learns that many people believe the key to a treasure is in the time capsule and someone is willing to kill to get their hands on it. As she eliminates the suspects one by one she comes closer to a killer who will not hesitate to shoot her if she figures out his identity.

Tamar Myers has a wicked sense of humor and she uses it in various conversations the heroine has with the suspects. Readers will find themselves crying tears of laughter. Long time fans of this series know that Magdalena is not hesitant about expressing her opinions nor is she above charging her guests for services they should not pay for and for the first time her guests call her on it and the results are shocking. THOU SHALL NOT GRILL is a mystery lover's delight.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and cutting, March 30, 2004

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thou Shalt Not Grill (Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes) (Hardcover)

Magdalena Yoder is pleased that her bed and breakfast is filled--and even more pleased that she's been able to sucker some of her guests into paying extra to help with the chores, but one of the guests is a jokester--with whoopie cushions, faked dead bodies, and handshake zappers. It's annoying to everyone--but is it annoying enough for someone to kill her. Because she gets a late night call from her brother-in-law, Hernia's (that's the city she lives in) cop. The guest has been killed and Melvin is much too busy running for office to solve the crime. It's up to Yoder to uncover the secrets, win the pig-chasing contest, and generally make sure that all of the proprieties are followed.

She doesn't want to believe it at first, but the evidence starts to point at her own guests. All of them seem to have a connection to Hernia--and to the legend of the treasure that is rumored to be hidden somewhere in the town. Yoder chases after legends, squabbles with her fellow townspeople, and battles with her fiance and his mother on her way toward solving the crime.

Author Tamar Myers creates a memorable character in Magdalena Yoder. With her bossyness and greed, she might not be the most sympathetic heroine out there, but she is funny, different, and honest. The Pennsylvania Dutch setting (Yoder is Mennonite) provides a unique atmosphere that pokes gentle fun at the religiously up-tight.

The setting and the characters are really the keys to this short mystery. But, although the mystery itself is a few clues short of convincing, Myers does enough with the characters to make THOU SHALT NOT GRILL well worth the read. And you've got to love those titles.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The time-capsule murder, April 8, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Thou Shalt Not Grill (Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes) (Hardcover)

Magdalena Yoder's Penn-Dutch Inn has been booked for months for the bicentennial barbeque which is being held in the town of Hernia, Pennsylvania. She is ready to welcome her guests to her pricey establishment and to offer them the bargain of having an authentic Amish experience by charging them more for cleaning their own rooms and doing other chores. Her most obnoxious guest is Buzzy Porter, who loves practical jokes and who specializes in whoopie cushions and mousetrap chewing gum packages. When Buzzy is found dead near the site of the time capsule which is to be opened soon, Magdalena knows that she must step in and solve the murder because of the incompetance of her brother-in-law, who is chief of police. Her suspicions soon turn to her guests and she questions each one to discover their connection to the time capsule, which is purported to contain a treasure map. Tamar Myers always writes with wit and style and this book is no exception. Readers will enjoy her quips and her humorous characters in this latest addition to the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series.