As the World Churns

My daughter and I both love this series! After a hectic day at work it is nice to relax and have a good laugh.

The problem with Tamar Myers is that she doesn't write fast enough! I push aside all else and finish the book in two days. Now I longingly wait for whenever the next book comes out.

Mennonite innkeeper Magdalena Yoder is thrilled that a cow competition has come to Hernia - her inn is booked solid. She's not so thrilled that her ex-brother-in-law, murderer Melvin Stoltzfus, has escaped from prison. When her good friend Doc Shafor is hit over the head and badly injured, she's sure Melvin is to blame and wants to find him fast. She also has other mysteries to solve like the disappearance of her beloved husband Gabe and her "daughter" Allison. She's also been having fainting spells and feeling sick to her stomach lately. On top of all that, her cousin Freni has now decided to tell Mags some long kept secrets that will change her life. No wonder Mags isn't feeling well! "As the World Churns" is a very humorous if somewhat light cozy mystery. There's actually not much mystery - no one is killed, the disappearance of Gabe and Allison happens fairly late in the book, and even Melvin's disappearance barely figures into the overall plot of the book. But there are a couple of reasons to read this book, especially for long time fans of the series. The first is the laugh out loud humor in the book. All the books in the series are funny, but author Tamar Myers outdoes herself in this one - this is one of the funniest books in the series with very funny jokes, puns, plays on words, etc. on almost every page. As usual, Myers populates the book with eccentric characters starting with Mags herself, her sister Susannah (who is not in the book enough), her cousin and best friend Freni, her obnoxious mother-in-law, the various guests at the inn (you have to love what Mags thinks a pole dancer is) and many others. Unfortunately, Gabe is a wimp of a character, constantly putting his mother's wishes ahead of Mags. Finally, the title of the book is great in a couple of ways. For one thing, Mags is sick throughout the course of the book (readers will figure out why long before she does) and second Mags discovers so many secrets about her past and her parents that her life indeed sounds like a soap opera, in fact the book ends in a mini-cliffhanger. "As the World Churns" is laugh out loud fun.

I just always enjoy reading about Magdalena. This book is very charming in many ways. It is like visiting a dear friend and listening to her tell you what has happened since you last talked. I hope Tamar Myers writes about Mags for many years to come. They are wonderful stories!!

As the World Churns is the latest in Tamar Myers' successful and entertaining Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series, with the witty Magdalena Yoder Rosen as the "feisty Mennonite innkeeper and talented sleuth (Publisher's Weekly)." Not being familiar with the series will do the reader no harm at all , nor will it decrease the steady delivery of 6-8 outrageous puns per page. Not since Terry Pratchett has the LOL (laugh out loud) button been activated so often and so thoroughly. Disguised as a perfectly puzzling routine Mennonite community murder, As the World Churns is actually a multi-cultural spoof mix in which definitely no sacred cows (or other ridiculous commonly held assumptions) are safe. Be prepared to hold on to your hat with both hands and read quickly and carefully so as not to miss a single pun, alliteration, cultural referent, recipe for ice cream, or other dastardly tool. The author holds nothing above humourous attack and the result is a surprisingly lovable heroine with size nine brogans and a Jewish mother -in- law problem to end all problems. Even more surprising is her ability to think on her feet, so to speak. The repeated use of various accents, dialects and known or suspected cultural preferences are inevitably hilarious. Although it may be difficult to take As the World Churns seriously as a bona fide murder (there isn't actually a murder, is there?) mystery, it surely redeems itself as an uncategorizable work of Herculean humour and Amish entertainment. In addition, the mystery is studded between chapters with mouth-watering ice cream recipes, all of which end with "transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions." Very practical, and also a tongue -in- cheek comment on the dearth of the Slow Food Movement, don't you think? At any rate, Magdalena is a memorable sleuth who slings puns, jokes, and words as easily as Pennsylvania Dutch potato pancakes, whatever they are called. Despite the various handicaps of mysterious fainting spells, a handsome husband who still lives with his mother, and a herd of show cows and their shifty owners, Magdalena Yoder manages to resolve the baffling attack on lusty old Doc Shafor, antiquarian cow show judge and friendly lecher. Oh and did I forget to mention the little wrinkle of solving her Yoder legitimacy at the core of all other activities? It makes for a rollicking romp through the pastures of all imagination with many a laugh for free. Nancy L. Cox Reviewer