Assaulted Pretzel
(An Amish Mystery) 2nd in Series Cozy Mystery A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery The Berkley Publishing Group (March 5, 2013) Published by The Penguin Group Cover Illustration by Mary Ann Lasher Cover Design by Sarah Oberrender Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages ISBN-13: 978-0425252000 E-Book File Size: 680 KB ASIN: B0099CUEH4
Claire Weatherly found the simple life she always wanted when she opened a gift shop in Heavenly, Pennsylvania—a small town in the heart of Amish country.
It is time for the Amish Food Festival and Sleep Heavenly has some very special guests. Rob and Ann Karble have come to town not just enjoy the delightful Amish food creations but to add their own excitement to the quiet little town. Rob is the president of Karble Toys and he has plans to add a line of toys designed and created by the Amish. Daniel Lapp and Issac Schrock have been making toys and selling them through a catalog and out of their shop to tourists so this news means they will be able to employ more Amish as their sales catapult.
Then a memo is passed around at the festival from Karble Toys. It states the new line will no longer be made in Heavenly but at one of their factories. This drives someone to commit murder. Rob Karble has been sent to his final reward. No one wants to believe anyone from the Amish community would kill someone but Detective Fisher and Claire have learned the no one is above sin or suspicion. They need to track down the killer before anyone else becomes heaven bound.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Amazing! Laura Bradford in an amazing author!
Heavenly, Pennsylvania is right in the heart of an Amish Community. Tourists come to the little town for a glimpse of their simpler way of life and stop into the shops along Lighted Way owned by both English and Amish residents.
Clare Weatherly has come to Heavenly to get away from the rushed life she was living and a man she realized was completely wrong for her. She has opened up Heavenly Treasures where she sells items crafted by her Amish neighbors. She has quickly made herself at home in Heavenly.
Bradford blends a clever mystery with a little romance to captivate cozy readers. There are two men that make Clare “tingle” but one is totally off limits and the other has his mind on other things, like solving a murder.
Fantastic characters, a delightful setting, and a whodunit that will keep you guessing until the very end.The first book in this series, Hearse and Buggy, was one of my favorite cozies in 2012 and this one is even better. Both books are Heavenly Treasures and get my highest recommendation. I can’t wait for the next installment of this wonderful series!
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To Find Out More About Laura And Her Books Visit Her Webpage Here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Threaded for Trouble
(A Threadville Mystery) Book 2 in Series A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery The Berkley Publishing Group Published by The Penguin Group (June 5, 2012) Cover Illustration by Robin Moline Cover Design by Annette Fiore Defex Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-0425251324
Threadville Pennsylvania is a street of craft shops the feature everything from Quilting to Yarn Crafts. Willow Vanderling owns In Stitches, the embroidery shop. Today is a special day at In Stitches as Darlene Coddlefield will be presented with her new top of the line sewing machine. She has won a national competition sponsored by The Chandler Company. The company representative has arrived to award the prize and she is driving Willow crazy with her demands.
Poor Darlene never gets to do more with her new machine but test it out for a few minutes. She is found dead under her sewing table that looks to have collapsed from the weight of the extremely heavy machine. It soon becomes apparent that this way no accident and the suspects are many including Darlene’s fire chief husband, “Plug” . Willow and her best friend Haylee even become volunteer firefighters to see if they can uncover the true culprit. Hopefully they can do it without getting burned.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I was excited for another trip to Threadville. It is a place I would love to live.
The characters are so well defined, they are already a group of literary friends. The high-jinks of “The Three Weird Mothers”, Opal, Naomi and Edna actually has me “in stitches”. I was laughing so hard I was crying.
As a formerly addicted crafter who had been knitting, quilting and sewing since I was 8 years old until my accident in 2001, I can identify with each and every shop owner in Threadville and this story has given me a new respect for my sewing machine. My father was also the fire chief of our small town so the firefighters in this story made me smile even the cantankerous one. With the drought this year we can all understand the fire outbreaks and the sirens at all hours usually at night.
Filled with all the elements a perfect cozy and a perfect escape!
I loved the first book in this series and this one is even better. Kudos to the author! Do we really have to wait until June for the next installment?
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This novel is based on a true story. In 1938, 17 wives and their accomplices were arrested in Philadelphia for murdering their husbands. Behind the whole plot was Giorgio DiSipio, a true lothario. He was a local tailor with a revolving door of women. He would seduce them, help them to insure their husbands, then teach them how to kill them, all for his share of the insurance money.
It was extremely successful until a single assistant district attorney discovers the plot and does everything he can to hold the guilty parties accountable.
Dollycas’s ThoughtsIt is easy to forget this novel is based on a true story as it reads like a good piece of juicy fiction.
A bored housewife is never a good thing. These wives first have an affair with the tailor, then let him lead them down a wicked path of murder, all thinking they are in love with this guy. A guys whose sick wife is right upstairs. I wonder how he even had time to make any clothes with all the women coming and going. Sound like a plot for a soap opera doesn’t it.
They made some mistakes and one man brought them down. The author takes us inside the investigation. The deceit, the corruption, the conspiracy. Plus the lust and sex. These women were no shrinking violets. There are the twists and turns to this story as well. The story is written by a trial lawyer that has done his research. Once you start reading you will have a very hard time putting this book down so plan accordingly.
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About This AuthorHe is a practicing trial lawyer with over 47 years of experience trying civil and criminal cases, including homicide.
He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, limited to attorneys who have been recognized as achieving a standard of excellence as a trial expert.
He has spent years researching the true story of the 1938 insurance scam murders, interviewing judges, lawyers, police and neighbors involved in the trials.
He was born and raised within blocks of the main conspirator’s tailor shop and the homes of many of the wives convicted of murdering their husbands.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Today’s guest is one of my favorite authors! She creates rich characters and friendships in her stories that draw you in and make you care for each of them. She is a truly gifted writer and I am so excited to welcome her here today. The first book in her new Amish Mystery series was released yesterday. Hearse and Buggy is an awesome story. She is here to give us a little insight on how the new series was born. Ruth from the Shoo Fly Bake Shoppe in Heavenly, Pennsylvania has sent us some virtual sweets to eat, so relax, help yourself and help me welcome Laura Bradford.
Welcome Laura!!
Thanks Lori! Hi Everyone!
For as far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved the smell of all things new—new cars, the first few drops of a spring rain, new erasers, new babies…
If I stop and think about it though, it’s not the smell of new that appeals to me as much as the new beginning part…
New car = new places to travel.
First few drops of a spring rain = new flowers to smell and new puddles to splash in.
New erasers = fixing mistakes that come from having the courage to try.
New babies = vast potential and the comfort of hope.
So I guess it’s really no surprise that I’ve been beside myself with excitement over the launch of my brand new endeavor, the Amish Mysteries. Hearse and Buggy, the first title in the series, released this week and I couldn’t be any happier.
Fantastic Cover!
As a little girl, I remember being fascinated by the rare sighting of an Amish child—their clothes, their shoes, their life so different that mine. But unlike the momentary gawking you’d expect from most kids when faced with someone or something so different than their norm, my fascination was one I was eager to explore. Why did they wear those hats? Why didn’t they wear a pretty necklace? I mean, they look just like us, but they dress, they behave, they live so differently.
Little did I know, at that time, that one day I’d not only be in a position to find those answers, but also live that life…at least by way of my writing.
My work on the Amish Mysteries allows me both opportunities.
Two different times over the past year, I’ve traveled down to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to learn everything I can about the old world Amish in that area. I’ve toured homes, read books, observed their comings and goings, and listened as those far more knowledgeable than me share their wisdom. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot. And I want to learn more.
My series’ protagonist, Claire Weatherly, enables me to live alongside the Amish just as she does—learning their ways, and drawing them close as I do.
I’ve been excited about every book I’ve ever written for one reason or another—a particular plot, a favorite character, a picturesque setting. But Hearse and Buggy (and all of the Amish Mysteries) have jettisoned that first-book excitement into a different stratosphere altogether.
I love the world I’ve created inside Heavenly, PA. I want to work in Claire’s gift shop. I want to be nearby when she and her Amish employee, Esther, are talking. I want to catch my breath along with Claire when Detective Jakob Fisher (former Amish) and his long ago childhood friend, Benjamin Miller, walk by. I want to try Ruth Miller’s Shoo Fly Pie.
And I want to see where these characters take me—and my readers—in the books to come.
I hope you’ll take the journey with me.
~Laura
About This Author
Laura Bradford is the author of the new Amish Mysteries (Berkley/Penguin). Hearse and Buggy, the first book in the series, is now available. For more information about Laura (and her work on this series as well as the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries as Elizabeth Lynn Casey), visit her website: www.laurabradford.com. There, you can read chapter one of Hearse and Buggy and stay apprised of Laura’s events and all news pertinent to the series (including some fun Amish facts on the “extras” page).
Hearse and Buggy
(An Amish Mystery) Brand New Series A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery Published by The Penguin Group Cover Illustration by Mary Ann Lasher Cover Design by Sarah Oberrender
Heavenly, Pennsylvania has become home to Claire Weatherly. She lives with her aunt Diane who runs Sleep Heavenly Bed & Breakfast. She has left behind her old life in Manhattan and find herself the owner of Heavenly Treasures on Lighted Way where she sells Amish crafted items. Her store is right next to the Shoo Fly Bake Shoppe where Ruth Miller bakes up and sells her tasty treats.
Ruth is a Amish woman with two very protective brothers, Eli and Benjamin. They try to keep a close eye on both her and her business and they are very upset when she seems to be the target of someone doing their best to frighten her by leaving notes and breaking milk bottles on her porch.
The town is shocked when the former owner of Claire’s shop is found murdered in the alley between the two stores. He was not liked by many and had been accused cheating the Amish artists who consigned their works with him to sell. The accusation was made loudly and heard by many. The accuser was none other than Ruth’s brother Eli.
The detective on the case is Jakob Fisher. Jakob was brought up Amish and after his Rumspringa returned and was baptized. Then he decided her really wanted to work in law enforcement so he left his Amish roots behind. Because he was baptized and then left he was shunned by his family. The family that is part of the Heavenly Amish Community. He hits several roadblocks as he tries to investigate the murder because the Amish won’t talk to him. Clare has made friends with many in the Amish Community and offers to be his go-between.
The peaceful town of Heavenly is not very peaceful as Clare finds out much more than she wanted about her neighbors. There is much more going on here than just a few bottles of spilled milk and she is determined to get to the bottom of it!
Dollycas’s Thoughts Laura Bradford is an amazing author! She has created captivating characters in an unique setting that I just know you will love. The Simple Life of the Amish is fascinating to many as we wonder how these people who look just like us live the way we do. Laura is giving us a chance to see how the Amish and the English live and work side by side.
Clare has a young Amish woman working for her and she sells the treasures crafted by her Amish neighbors. The Amish have shops up and down the way. Lighted Way connects the two ways of life. Tourists come to Heavenly to learn about the Amish culture and purchased their goods. Heavenly, Pennsylvania sounds like a little slice of heaven, well except for the dead body and a bit of vandalism.
A wonderful complex mystery with a variety of suspects!!
The author has also laid the groundwork for a little romance. The men that send tingles through Claire and Esther has a crush.
We also need to see what happens between Jakob and his family. Sixteen years have past and there is a great divide.
Think is now my favorite cozy so far this year! If you love cozies like I do you will love this book and like me you will eagerly waiting for the next book in the Amish Mystery Series as soon as you finish this one. Hearse and Buggy is a Heavenly Treasure!!!
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Thanks to the people at Berkley Prime Crime I have 2 copies to giveaway!!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery The Berkley Publishing Group Published by The Penguin Group Cover Illustration by Ross Jones Cover Design by Rita Frangie
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Nell Pratt, the new president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, is busy trying to hire staff and keep The Society running in these hard economic times, but when The Fireman’s Museum loses most of it’s collections to a fire she realizes things could be much worse. She tries to help by gathering all the information The Society has about local fire history to help them tally their losses and file an insurance claim. It is a picture that makes Nell understand there is much more to the story that meets the eye. When the smoke clears she knows she has to help find the truth. Hopefully she will not go down in a blaze all her own.
Dollycas’s Thoughts Being a daughter of a firefighter this story really touched by heart. The fire department where I grew up has many treasures from the past including an antique engine that travels around to nearby parades and events throughout the summer. My father was the chief for many years before he passed away. The department was an integral part of my life. There is even a Fire Training Facility dedicated to my dad at a nearby college. So growing up you could say fire fighting and all that goes with it was the family business.
Because of that I know Sheila Connolly has created a very accurate picture of the dedication of the men and women in this dangerous profession. Arson is a horrible crime and the reactions of all the characters are realistic and true. She also takes the saying of “a picture is worth a thousand words” to a very practical level, the key to the mystery.
I enjoy this series because Nell takes us into a museum full of paper and books that unless you are doing research could be quite boring but all the interplay with the characters and where their lives take us is anything but boring. It’s exciting, entertaining, and fun. It’s amazing what can happen in rooms full of ledgers, letters and legal documents. Connolly has created a complex and complicated mystery that will keep your feet to the fire as you follow the clues that will slam the door shut on those who ignited the flames. Sit back and enjoy this one, just stay back from the fire, we don’t want any readers to get injured during the reading of this book
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
It’s September 2028 and Sarah’s daughter is getting married. Chiavernini takes us back in time as Sarah’s thoughts are filled with brides of Elm Creek Manor past and present-the traditions they honored, the legacies they bequeathed, and the wedding quilts that contain their stories in every stitch.
Sarah is also working on the perfect Wedding Quilt for her daughter complete with loving messages from all the guests of the wedding.
Dollycas’s Thoughts As you know by now this is one of my favorite series. I love it when the author takes us back in time for the history of Elm Creek Valley and the when she writes of the wonderful Elm Creek Quilters. The Wedding Quilt has left me very sad and conflicted.
I know this is not the last Elm Creek Novel because I have an advance copy of Sonoma Rose right here on my desk, but while it is billed as an Elm Creek Quilts Novel, from a glance it doesn’t look like it features any of our favorites or connects to their history.
All of the current ladies’ history was wrapped up in The Wedding Quilt. The author put together snippets from past books and added a few pages to tie up all the loose ends. I feel like I have lost my fictional friends.
While Jennifer Chiaverini is an awesome writer and writes wonderful stories featuring very strong women, the was clearly not her best work. I feel there could have been several more books written with these characters. When I received this book I thought The Wedding Quilt would be about Anna and Jeremy’s wedding who came together at the end of A Quilter’s Holiday. I was shocked to find the wedding for one of the twins just born in real time. There is no way to go back.
I know sometimes the author’s work doesn’t necessarily go in the direct they would like, publishers and others have a great deal of input. I wish she would have just taken a break from the characters her readers had come to love and let us know she was headed in a different direction either with the series or an entirely new project. I have read several other reviews since finishing of people who also were shocked or disappointed in this installment. When you read a series through 18 books you become attached to the characters and the way it wrapped up just feels wrong.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
An Elm Creek Quilts Novel 17th in the series Paperback Edition Available February 7, 2012
In 1862 Water’s Ford, Pennsylvania is a busy place. Most of the men are off to war to fight for the Union. The woman are rallying to support the cause. They are holding fundraisers, sending bandages, food and supplies. They are using their needles to make quilts to send to hospitals. The also create a very special quilt that will reach out well beyond Water’s Ford.
Gerda Bergstrom takes on Southern sympathizers in the pages of the local newspaper. Anneke Bergstrom deals with her husband pacifist beliefs and does her best to hide her shame. Constance Wright supports her husband as he tries to enter the war effort despite the color of his skin.
The quilters anxiously await letters from their husbands, sons, and brothers which they share with each other at their circle meetings. The community is drawn together as they hope and pray the war will end soon and their men will return home soon. The woman are gaining a new independence that will “alter the patchwork of life in the Elm Creek Valley”.
Dollycas’s Thoughts An incredible personal look at the Civil War through the eyes of the soldiers and women who wait at home. These gripping individual stories brought together through this powerful piece of fiction give us a very relate-able picture about how the war effected those in a fight to save the Union.
I truly enjoy when the author steps back into the past to give us the history of the Elm Creek Valley. The battle scenes were captivating to show the real rugged truth of battle. The men took on more of a roll in this story while the women also really emerged even stronger than in previous stories. I especially liked the part of the story about the quilt that went to the battlefield.
Chiaverini is a strong storyteller whether writing historical or contemporary fiction. If her name in on the cover you know you are assured to read a treasure.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Mill City Press, Inc. Paperback and E-book
right here on my desk, but while it is billed as an Elm Creek Quilts Novel, from a glance it doesn’t look like it features any of our favorites or connects to their history.
I was shocked to find the wedding for one of the twins just born in real time. There is no way to go back.
