Between a Wok and a Hard Place

An easy flow opening with a slight edge off Magdalena's humor gave the feel of a contented woman who had recently acquired the warm sharing and weak-kneed stability of freshly hewed married life. She had the best of all worlds and so did her reader, with the Inn in cozy, spicy swing and Magda's bedroom temporarily returned while her "Pooky Bear" was taking care of a few loose ends in Minneapolis. The first leisurely description of the Inn took root in that mood of lazy summer contentment. Magda was so laid back that Melvin actually invited her to be his sleuthing partner in solving the murder which opened the plot (almost as an effective afterthought) with the clue of a buggy wheel imprint rolling suspicion into Amish territory. Even that situation hadn't shaken Magda's newly arrived cool. However, it did get shaken. A few subtle changes occurred in this # 5 in the PenDutch series. The first change I noticed (and enjoyed) was the release from Melvin immediately posing Magda as his # 1 suspect, and his switch to "hiring" her as his sidekick. His growing respect for her was believable, and warmed both his character and Magda's; and their relationship nearly lost its previous cheese-grater quality (which was hilariously entertaining, but I had no trouble snuggling into this smoother exchange). Observing related changes, in Magda's notched up sleuthing techniques due to her upgraded, "hired-on" status, was a kick, especially as she tied them to the tether of her value, her lifelong (ancestral) awareness of Amish habits, and her "in" in that culture (as a Presbyterian Melvin was an outsider). One scene in particular brought out that value, as Magda paused to observe surroundings in her approach to the farmhouse of a suspect family. The simple details were informative: Thirty head of dairy cows in a field meant that, even if the family was gone at the moment, they would return by evening to milk; and chickens would not be left unattended, due to various types of predators, which Magda listed with brief, interesting notations of when they hunted. I felt honored to learn a few more habits and beliefs seated into Amish life, which I hadn't known before, even though I've reviewed several Amish novels by two authors (Tamar Myers and Barbara Workinger) who can be trusted to know their subjects and to detail them without heated investment in idealizing, nor in condemning the subculture. One belief in particular surprised me, yet "I should have known." It had to do with no witch's hats on Halloween. A few habits of intimacy came out indirectly, as a result of Magda's funny asides on sexual subtleties referring to the upstanding member of Aaron's "sleep" interruptions. Also brought out somewhat subtly, with warmth and humor, were varieties of attitudes of wives toward such. While listing highlights of Amish lifestyle here, I noticed that my thoughts returned periodically to Tamar's latest novel, THE DARK SIDE OF HEAVEN, a literary offering (

I don't know how she does it, but Ms. Myers has written yet another truly entertaining book in this - her 5th in her Penn/Dutch mystery series. Her new marriage ends in this one, which is an important reason to read these in order (so why doesn't the publisher put the Number on them?). Each page is engaging; her writing and wit superb. However in this book I found it to be somewhat weak in plot (that's why the 4 stars). The book is not a disappointment, though, as she carries it thru with her unique sense of humor and just plain talent. Don't miss it!

I had missed this one in my collection, so I had to buy it and fill in the blanks. As always, Ms. Myers kept me chuckling the whole way through. Once I got started, I literally couldn't put it down. I was glad to find out the details about what happened to Aaron (the rat!). I love her characters (especially Freni) and the humor is terrific. I'm ready for another one!

In this one Mags's husband is away while trouble is stirring up in Herina. Mags is a talented detective, but can she eat her way this one? Read it to find out!

After driving her husband, Aaron, to the airport, Magdalena Yoder, a Mennonite businesswoman and owner of the prosperous Penn-Dutch Inn, finds the body of an Asiatic woman lying in the street. Since the police chief is incapacitated, he deputizes Magdalena, who has experience investigating murders, to officially examine what happened. Soon, an Amish boy is shot to death. Magdalena concludes that he must have witnessed the first murder. The other person who was in the buggy with the deceased lad was also shot and lies unconscious in a nearby hospital. Magdalena continues her investigation even as she receives a personal shocker from Aaron. Tamar Myers is renowned for her Pennsylvania Dutch cozies and the authentic recipes interspersed throughout her books. BETWEEN A WOK AND A HARD PLACE is a well written who-done-it that would please mystery fans as a stand alone or first novel. However, as the fifth book in the Yoder series, this story will disappoint fans because of the radical personality change of Aaron (mindful of Booby wakening up after a nightmare), thereby, negating the past and making the sub-plot seem more like a contrived device. The trademark heroine's acerbic humor and a superb mystery still exist, but may not prove to be enough for Ms. Myer's numerous fans. Harriet Klausner