Parsley Sage Rosemary And Crime: Amazon.ca: Tamar Myers: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

After her first appearance in Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth, dowdy Mennonite innkeeper Magdalena Yoder, 44, remains chaste and abstemious, and still in possession of her keen mind and sharp tongue, which she unleashes upon some Hollywood sleazoids shooting a movie at her country inn, the PennDutch. The murder of an assistant director, whose body is found pinned to a barn post by a pitchfork, shocks everyone. When numbskull local police chief Melvin Stoltzfus suspects Magdalena, the shrewd lady begins to clear her name by interviewing some of the more likely suspects in the nearby town of Hernia, Penn., (pop. 1528). The strength?and the weakness?of this tale is the acid-tongued voice of the heroine, who demonstrates her quick wit at the expense of others (including, here, a star-struck preacher's wife and her own promiscuous sister). But Myers bets too much on the entertainment value of Magdalena's zingers, which, like the heavy-handed contrast between Hollywood trendiness and stolid country values, become tedious. Buoying interest are recipes from the PennDutch kitchen, a sizzling scene in a six-seat outhouse and an impending romance for Magdalena.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Opinionated, irreverent, and often rude, Magdalena Yoder (Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth, LJ 1/1/94) again trades her successful innkeeper status for that of persistent amateur sleuth. Having negotiated an exorbitant sum from a movie company for the use of her famous PennDutch Inn, she then endures obnoxious local hopefuls, argumentative directors, changeable scripts, and, finally, murder. The doltish local police chief blames Magdalena. As a result, she runs to her own defense. Weird characters and a few good recipes accompany the quirky plot, but the key to enjoying this work is to appreciate its exaggerated humor. Recommended.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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10 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, Jan 31 2004

By

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Parsley Sage Rosemary And Crime (Paperback)

When a Hollywood production company approaches the prim-and-proper Mennonite innkeeper, Magdalena Yoder, about using her inn as the setting for a movie, the amount negotiated soon wins her over. But, when she finds herself literally flooded with up-tight and immoral Hollywood types, and star struck neighbors, she quickly realizes she has made a mistake. Worse, when the assistant director is found murdered in her barn, with her pitchfork, Magdalena quickly becomes the number one suspect. There's only thing that she can do to protect herself and her inn, and that is to find the murderer, and quick!

A friend tipped me off to the existence of Mennonite mystery writer Tamar Myers, and I quickly got this book (even though it is the second Magdalena Yoder book). I must admit that I was not disappointed! The characters are funny and interesting, and I really enjoyed the setting. Ms. Myers captures the Mennonite/Amish way of thinking beautifully ("I am proud of who I am, but not so proud, mind you, that it's a sin."), but who knew that Mennonites could be so funny? I loved this book, and highly recommend it to you!

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3.0 out of 5 stars My Humble Opinion, Aug 20 2003

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"paglobegirl" (Monroeville, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parsley Sage Rosemary And Crime (Paperback)

After reading the first installment in this series, I was excited to read more. After reading the second installment, I'm not sure if I want to continue. I love the character of Magdalena Yoder. Being from Pittsburgh, I also enjoy the setting of the Penn Dutch Inn. I was very surprised to see my very own high school mentioned in Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime. However, the one word I could use to describe this book is long. I found myself wanting to breeze past the parts that seem basically irrelevent. Being a fan of mystery, I know that what may seem unimportant could turn out to be a big clue. That was not the case with this book.
The only reason I give this book 3 stars is because of its regular characters and humor. Magdalena is as enjoyable, if not more, in this book as she was in the first. How could anybody not love Freni and even Susannah? The humor in Myers' writing is wonderful. I wish more writers had her wit. The best thing about this book other than the humor is that the reader gets a better understanding of the relationship Magdalena had with her mother.

The worst thing is that it is just long and rambles too much. Also, what happened to Jeff Myers? I am not revealing anything to those who haven't read this book by mentioning that he just disappeared. There's no mention of him at all. I have seen this happen in Myers' Den of Antiquity series as well.

The humor and the characters are what make this book worth a chance. The mystery is really a no-brainer. If Myers could have been more consistent and a little less verbose with this book, it would be more enjoyable.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Magdelena is Very Funny!, July 12 2003

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S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Parsley Sage Rosemary And Crime (Paperback)

These books are worth reading for Magdelena. The books are told in the first person directly from her mind and mouth, and she is uproariously funny! The mystery in this book is not very difficult, but the trip that the reader takes to get there is such fun. In this book, the Penn-Dutch inn is taken over by a Hollywood crew for filming a movie. Even Magdelena gets involved as an actress in this one. But before they get much footage shot, a body shows up in the barn. Magdelena has to set out to find the killer (mostly because she's "suspecto numero uno", according to the less than brightest light that represents the law in Hernia.) It's great fun to read these books and to follow Magdelena through her life and acquaintances.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars parsley,sage,rosemary&crime
there seems to be a lack of continuity from "parsley, sage, rosemary and crime", and "no use dying over spilled milk". Read more

Published on Jun 15 2002 by vicki galloway

5.0 out of 5 stars MYERS IS MARVELOUS
I hate to gush, but I couldn't put this book down. I simply loved every page. Even when nothing of note is happening, Ms. Read more

Published on Aug 26 2001 by Ann Sherry