Murder Freshly Baked by Vannetta Chapman
Published by Zondervan on June 9, 2015
Genres: Amish & Mennonite, Christian, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Women Sleuths
Pages: 352
When delicious baked goods become lethal, a trail of poetry leads to a sweet-toothed killer.
Don’t taste it / Don’t share it /Just throw it away / If you try my bakery pie / You won’t live to see another day.
The Amish Artisan Village of Middlebury, Indiana, might be the last place you would ever expect to find a murderer. But Amber has been managing the Village for decades and there’s nothing she hasn’t seen. Or so she thought.
When poetic notes begin appearing around the bakery, warning that some of the pies have been poisoned, Amber is as confused as she is concerned. Who poisons pies? And more to the point, who leaves poems of warning after they’ve done it? When Amber decides to help the police track down the sweet-toothed saboteur, she enlists Hannah Troyer for another round of Amish-style detective work.
Can Amber and Hannah help the police before the Poison Poet strikes? Both women will need to draw on their faith to preserve the peaceful community they’ve built in Middlebury . . . and to protect the girls who work in the Amish Artisan Village.
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Christian
ASEL Rating: mild violence (though no detailed description)
Themes: PTSD, Murder, Stalking, Emotional Healing, Romance, Service Dogs, U.S. Veterans
Suggested Age: 15+
Murder Freshly Baked is book #3 in the Amish Village Mystery series by Vannetta Chapman. Other books in the series include Murder Simply Brewed (#1) and Murder Tightly Knit (#2).
Murder Freshly Baked was a delightful end to the Amish Village Mystery series. I loved the characters throughout this series but especially loved learning more about Preston. I held such a special place in my heart for him and was so happy that I could read his story through to conclusion.
There’s not much negative about this book. I felt that one particular character’s weight was focused on a lot at times. I didn’t need constant reminders that someone was a bigger woman. But, this issue didn’t detract from the story for me. It may have bugged me a couple of times but not enough for me to lower the rating.
This book is fun and reminds me of an older Nancy Drew with an Amish sidekick. Though sometimes unbelievable (as most cozy mysteries are) these Amish murder mysteries are books that I’ll definitely read again in the future.
Endearing characters surrounded in mystery with the backdrop of a quaint Amish village makes this whole series a fun read. I would definitely suggest it to fans of cozy mysteries, particularly those who also enjoy Amish fiction.
I’m a little sad to say goodbye to these characters but I’m also excited to move on to another mystery series by this author. I hope I love the Shipshewana Mysteries just as much as I loved these!
About Vannetta Chapman
Vannetta Chapman holds a BA and MA degree in English and has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. She published a novel with Abingdon Press called A Simple Amish Christmasin October of 2010. Her first Quilt Shop Murder Mystery, Falling to Pieces (Zondervan) was released in September of 2011 and received the 2012 Carol Award for best mystery. She currently lives in the Texas hill country.
Loved this series! :) I’ve only read the first book in the Shipshewana series so far…but it’s great! You’ll like it! :)
Great to hear!