Petunia thinks of herself as the youngest Amish spinster in her community. She can’t cook worth a lick. Her pies are a disaster. She is sometimes loud and opinionated. But she can sew, and she helps out her father, a widower, by making Amish dresses and other items to sell to the Amish as well as to tourists. Her father gives tours in the community, and sells souvenirs to the visitors. When Petunia goes to buy some ice from the local iceman, she finds that the Amish man has been murdered. Her best friend, his girlfriend, becomes the prime suspect. Petunia will do everything she can to prove her friend is innocent, and jumps at the chance to team up with the police detective in charge of the case. Since the Amish are reluctant at best and closed mouth at worst, it seems to be the only solution to ferret out the clues to the case, since they will talk to Petunia. It’s an interesting concept, and quite intriguing. Petunia has a flare for detecting work, and this new team, with Petunia as a paid consultant, shows much promise for future books. It may be a little unbelievable in the real world, but works well in this world of fiction. Well written with great characters, this is a wonderful start to a new series. ( )

I rarely give a book five stars, but this one was an exception. I am usually good at guessing the perpetrator, but this one stumped me. Petunia becomes involved with helping Detective Asher solve a murder in Petunia's Amish community. She helps him gain access and she smooths the way with the Amish people to help with the investigation. Her main motive is to prove that her best friend, accused of the murder, is innocent. Secrets are revealed and situation come to light that have been hidden. There were many possible suspects and I kept changing my mind about the killer as new information was revealed. I also liked that the Amish people were portrayed as less-than-perfect individuals, instead of the sweet and innocent folks they are sometimes described to be. I hope there will be more books in this series, written by an experienced author of Amish novels.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )

Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns is the debut An Amish Seamstress Mysteries. Petunia Yoder lives in Blueberry, Pennsylvania and is considered the youngest old maid. Petunia is an outspoken individual with a mind of her own. When Petunia’s best friend, Eden, is arrested for her boyfriend’s murder, she is determined to help her friend. Petunia is lucky that Detective Asher Nate can use an Amish consultant. Detective Nate discovers that the Amish will not speak to an Englisch detective. I liked the characters in the story except for Eden. I know it is fiction, but her parents should have sent her to live with relatives to get her away from Ike Smoker. I was surprised that Petunia’s father and the bishop let Petunia get involved in the investigation (even in fiction). The mystery was uncomplicated. There were a handful of suspects along with a red herring. There is repetition of case details (I do not need the same information repeated multiple times). The whodunit can be solved long before the reveal. Murder of an Amish Bridegroom is a cute, lighthearted story. The series has similarities to Amanda Flower’s Amish cozy mystery series. I did find the title choice to be odd since an Amish bridegroom was not murdered. Murder of An Amish Bridegroom is a diverting tale with a blackhearted boyfriend, a bestie in trouble, a kindhearted detective, a wedding dilemma, and an outspoken Petunia. ( )

Murder Of An Amish Bridegroom is the first book in the An Amish Seamstress Mystery series by Patricia Johns.

Petunia Yoder is known as the youngest old maid in all of Blueberry, PA. Petunia is outspoken to think for herself, whereas, in the Amish community, the man handles everything outside the home. Plus, her cooking, for the most part, definitely needs improving, but her ice cream usually turns out fine. Her father has an Amish tour business, and when the day’s tours are complete, the tourists are brought back for ice cream. Petunia needs to make ice cream for today's tourists, but first, she needs to visit Ike Smokers Ice House. When she arrives at the ice house, she sees her close friend Eden standing in the doorway and has blood on her hands and dress. Once inside the ice house, Petunia finds Ike Stoker, Eden’s boyfriend, dead, having been stabbed in the chest with an ice pick. Eden says she came to visit Ike and found him dead. The police are called, Asher Nate arrives, and Eden is soon taken off to the police station to be questioned. Petunia is sure that Eden didn’t kill Ike during Petunia’s interview with Det. Nate said that since he is relatively new to Blueberry and an Englisher, Petunia suggests she be with him when he interviews the Amish. Based on Petunia's information at the scene and shared with Nate, Petunia might be a valuable asset and agrees that they team up. Petunia shares with Nate that Ike was not well thought of in Blueberry. He was known to borrow money and not pay it back and was known to be a womanizer.

Murder Of An Amish Bridegroom is a beautiful start to a new series. The characters were well-developed, believable, and enjoyable. I particularly liked Petunia’s father. For the most part, he wasn’t happy that Petunia was working with the police, but on the other hand, it was something that she needed to do, and that she would do an outstanding job. The book is well-written and plotted. There were enough twists and turns that I kept guessing until the end as to the killer's identity.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I’m anxious to see how Petunia and Asher get on the next time. ( )

I enjoy a read by Patricia Johns and this one did not disappoint!
Set in Blueberry, Pennsylvania, a man that it seems a lot of people did not care for is found murdered. Add to this he is Amish and a young woman is seen with blood on her hands, did she kill the man she professes to have loved?
As we journey for answers, a friendship develops between the police detective and an Amish woman, Petunia Yoder and Asher Nate, and I had to wonder how that would work out?
As the list of suspects grow and many surprises drop, I kept changing my mind, and wow, with the bomb shells!
In this quite, supposedly peaceful town, there sure was a lot of action, and thus a page turner for me!
Now I can't wait for the next book in this series!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Crooked Lane Books, and was not required to give a positive review ( )