An enjoyable read with information about Amish culture and customs. ( )

This is one of those times when being a book reviewer and keeping your own bias out of the review shows. I enjoy reading about new cultures and customs, so in that regard learning more about the Amish was a great experience. If I were to let my bias set in I would give this book a three because it was way too sweet for me, even in regards to it being a cozy. Even with a murder and people being shunned, everyone was just loving to each other and telling them they are great people and how they are so happy they are in their lives. For me, this much kumbaya should be relegated to Chick Lit or Christian fiction.

But I realize this is how An Amish Mystery series is written, as well as other books featuring the Amish. So I can’t give the book less credit because Laura Bradford still wrote a good novel with great descriptions of the town and wonderful character development.

The reason I’m not giving it five stars is because Claire was driving me crazy with how passive-aggressive she was being with her boyfriend, Jakob. She thinks he’s acting really strange and then later on, that he’s cheating on her. She keeps getting upset and walking away from him, saying she can’t bother him right now because of the case and all the stress he’s under. Come on! Since all the Amish wives are so meek, please have at least the main character, who is not Amish, show a little spunk.

And the mystery started off strong, but once we get a look at the letter, I feel like it gave you the answer right then. Claire kept looking at it wrong, which maybe would make the reader think the same thing. But I really hope they didn’t, especially if they are a fan of cozies.

I can’t see myself reading any more in this series, but I would love to give her other four cozy mysteries series a try to see if the characters have a bit more grit. Bradford’s other series are; the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Tobi Tobias Mysteries, the Jenkins and Burns Mysteries, and the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries. ( )

Another great book by Ms. Bradford. Loved the whole thing. ( )