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GRUEL AND UNUSUAL
by Tamar Myers
Berkley Prime Crime, February 2002
240 pages
$19.99
ISBN: 0451205081


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Sit down, put your feet up and enjoy this story; it is the 10th in the series and my first. Multi-dimensional characters come to life and you may not be sure how you feel about some of them; some are very unique, some are borderline bizarre, but all of them are interesting. Magdalena Yoder owns and manages a Pennsylvania inn amidst her sleuthing. She has limited travel experience and substitutes any worldly adventures with the local shenanigans that present themselves to her.

These events take place in Hernia, Pennsylvania - yes, you read it correctly. The humor is delightful, crisp and fresh. Unexpected clientele for Magdalena's food at the inn were jail residents. Clarence Webber (a visitor inside the cell) ate and then died. The Chief of Police, brother-in-law to Magdalena, but not one of her favorite people, confirmed that the gruel she made contained deadly arsenic.

The supposition is that one of Clarence Webber's visitors may have been his killer. Zelda, the only other police officer in town beside the Chief supplies the information to Magdalena (or as she is often called in the book: Yoder). There were five regular visitors: a gym teacher, a successful painter, a lady with 32 cats, the minister and the mayor. Not one of Clarence Webber's visitors are exactly whom they seem to be. Since the Chief of Police has political aspirations with the state legislature, it is dependent upon Yoder to find the answers.

This story line will keep you switching gears. References to peace loving Mennonites and Amish are incorporated in the story with the feeling that the main character wishes she was not always so peace loving. Yoder's former husband (her bigamist husband) has returned to the area with a daughter that needs to have a place to stay. She came spiked, pierced and studded. Perhaps she will be in a sequel; I liked her and think she has potential for being an interesting addition. Just when this situation with the teenager starts to cast positive tones, Yoder is involved in a car accident that is planned by someone else. The chase and the search for answers coupled with zany characters will afford you a quick, delightful read.

Other books in this series: 1) Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth, 2) Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Crime, 3) No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk, 4) Just Plain Pickled to Death, 5) Between a Wok and a Hard Place, 6) Eat, Drink, and Be Wary, 7) Play It Again, Spam, 8)The Hand That Rocks the Ladle, 9) The Crepes of Wrath.

Recipes are included in this book.

Reviewed by Mary A. Axford, December 2001

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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