Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns

Item: Murder of an Amish Bridegroom
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted October 17, 2023 by BaronessMom in Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder of an Amish Bridegroom

by Patricia Johns

Series: Amish Seamstress Mystery #1
Series Rating:

Published by Crooked Lane Books on December 5, 2023
Setting: Blueberry, Pennsylvania
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 272
Format: ebook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook

The quiet Amish lifestyle isn't all that it seems in this debut cozy mystery series, for fans of Amanda Flower and Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Petunia Yoder is Blueberry, Pennsylvania’s youngest old maid, at twenty-two years of age, and completely unmarriageable. But she’s determined to celebrate her friends’ weddings with joy and a full heart. Unfortunately, Petunia’s best friend, Eden Beiler, is playing a dangerous game with a man who is ruining her reputation.

Ike Smoker is the community’s ice man—the one who cuts, stores, and sells the ice—and when Petunia discovers him dead with an ice pick in his chest, Eden is found on the scene with blood on her hands. Homicide detective Asher Nate is new to the area, and he has a challenge on his hands. The Amish community sticks close together, and he doesn’t understand the subtleties and nuances of the clues he uncovers. He needs an Amish interpreter, and he asks Petunia if she’ll help. In a bid to keep her best friend out of prison, she agrees.

The community is filled with people who had good reason to hate Ike Smoker, especially as Petunia and Asher begin to uncover his secrets. Was someone trying to protect their family's reputation? Or to exact revenge for a sin buried deep in the past?

There’s a litany of damning clues that litters the ground—and if Petunia and Asher can’t come up with the truth, they could end up as the next ones on the killer’s list.

Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns is an outstanding mystery.

Will Petunia Yoder find out who killed Ike before Eden is convicted of his murder?

Petunia Yoder

Petunia is the “youngest old maid in Blueberry township.” She is not like your average Amish lady. Petunia is outspoken and forgets what her role in society is. Even though Petunia says, she doesn’t want a husband and is happy to be an old maid. She respects the vows of matrimony, and I think she sincerely wants to be married and have a family. Hopefully, whoever she marries likes burnt pies.

The other thing about Petunia is that she likes putting puzzles together and solving crimes. She is pretty good at it. Perhaps next time, she will figure out who the culprit is before she is in danger. The other thing is she doesn’t lie well at all.

The Mystery

Ike Smoker is new to the community but is making trouble everywhere. He takes liberties with a young woman, borrows money and doesn’t pay it back, gambles, drinks, and is loud and obnoxious. He is not a good man; I think he is a cad. Anyway, said cad is killed, and Eden (his girlfriend) finds him. Eden is Petunia’s best friend, and when Eden is arrested, Petunia decides to help the police find the actual murderer. So, she teams up with Detective Nash, with her father’s blessing, of course.

Our investigative team finds that all is not as it seems in the Amish community of Blueberry, Pennsylvania. There are secrets and secrets, more than Petunia even knows.

Five Stars

I love it. The story is sweet, well, other than murder and all the reasons for it. Our Amish sleuth wrestles with finding the murderer in her community. Petunia shows strength of character and that she is still growing. She is helpful and wants to be part of their church, not someone on the outside.

My rating for Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns is five stars. I was entertained. If you like a sweet, cozy mystery, I recommend this one.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns.

Until the next time,

About Patricia Johns

Patricia Johns was born in Alberta, Canada, and moved with her family all over the country, as well as some parts of the US. She attended college at the University of Toronto, where she obtained her Hon. BA in English literature. She began pursuing her writing career then while working part-time jobs in Toronto. She met her husband when she was twenty-five and got married shortly afterward. They moved together to Alberta, Canada, and their son was born a few years later.

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