Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth [Hardcover]

Tamar Myers (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (1994)
• ASIN: B000I80GZI
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,076,574 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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery-lite, August 14, 2001

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth (A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery with Recipes) (Mass Market Paperback)

Magdalena Yoder has turned her family farmhouse into a famous Amish country inn. Booked well in advance, she has the privilege of selecting her customers. So she's a little surprised when she discovers she's booked a hunting party led by a well-known Senator and an anti-hunting, animal rights group for the same week, the opening week of hunting season. With the varying dietary requirements of the two groups, she has her hands full keeping the guests happy and fed while keeping her cook in the kitchen and her sister in line. And that's before the first body shows up!

As a mystery this book is a little slow. The first body doesn't show up for quite some time, and then it's the one guest we've forgotten about. Still, there is plenty of conflict to keep the reader going and I never felt the pace lagged. The guests are interesting characters, however the characters that are to be regulars seem like they could become annoying caricatures. Still, this is a fun, promising first novel and I plan to read more books by this author.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a mystery reader, May 14, 2000

By 

L. Reichert "ldy-wisconsin" (Ladysmith, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth (A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery with Recipes) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am not a mystery reader, however I was given this book to read and pass on. I reluctantly started reading it. What enjoyment I experienced! The characters readily got my attention. The keeper of the inn was wonderful. It was as if she was personally telling me about her "pleasures" and "displeasures"; always remembering to tuck in a short prayer to stay right with God. It was light reading that kept me always changing my mind as to who the crook might be. Serious mystery readers would probably find this book too light and not too capturing. Good summer reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who Knew the Amish Were so Funny?, January 18, 2001

By 

Kathy Lightfoot (St. Helen, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth (A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery with Recipes) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a wonderful book in a great series. I originally read this book when I was looking for new culinary mysteries. To my delight, I discovered that this was also a humorous mystery. I laughed aloud several times during the course of reading this book. The characters are all interesting, particularly the regulars, Magdalena, Susannah, Freni, etc. The author did a nice job describing the personalities of the guests and the ensuing friction between them. I found the homespun dialogue and descriptions to be enchanting and engaging. The storyline is fun and interesting, with a plot that allows you to figure out "whodunit" if you put some thought into it. The recipes included after each chapter is a pleasant plus. A thoroughly enjoying, cozy read that leaves you anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.