2 1/2 stars

Another fun read from Tamar Myers. This has Magdalena going to Ohio due to the recent death of a distant cousin. While there she learns of another recent death. It seems to all be tied to a local Amish cooperative that was about to put a local cheese factory out of business. Just a lite fun filled mystery. ( )

Booklist Review: Billed as "a Pennsylvania-Dutch mystery with recipes," Myers' story is as sweet as a piece of brown-sugar pie (recipe, page 144). In fact, the recipes are the best part of the book, since the plot itself is a saccharine meringue of country folk wisdom and Amish lore thinly disguised as a murder mystery. Magdalena Yoder, proprietor of the PennDutch Inn, travels to Ohio when one of her relatives is found floating facedown in a milk tank. Soon after she arrives, a second relative dies in a fall from a silo. Magdalena quickly discovers that a rivalry over who makes the best cheese in the county is at the bottom of the trouble. If the humor tends to be kindergarten-simple, if Magdalena's sister Susannah simpers once too often, and if Myers is heavy on annoying alliterations and light on substance, it's easy enough to forgive because Magdalena is so likable and because the story is just so, well . . . nice. ((Reviewed April 1, 1996)) -- Emily Melton ( )