Marriage Can Be Mischief
An Amish Matchmaker Mystery, Book #3
By Amanda Flower
ISBN 9781496724052
Author Website: amandaflower(.)com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
Millie Fisher may be widowed, but she leads a full life in her Amish hometown of Harvest, Ohio. There’s her quilting circle, her Boer goats, her gift for matchmaking—and the occasional murder . . .
Millie is happy that her childhood friend, Uriah Schrock, has returned to Harvest after decades away. He was sweet on Millie in their school days, but she only had eyes for her future husband. Now, there’s a new spark between them, so Millie is concerned when Uriah doesn’t show up at the Harvest concert series—or for his job as the Village square’s groundskeeper. Perhaps Millie has been involved in too many murder investigations, but she has a sinking feeling. And when she and her best friend, Lois, find Uriah with the police, it seems she’s right . . .
A film crew is in Harvest to make a movie about a forty-year-old unsolved murder. A skeleton has been found at the bottom of a ravine—and Uriah is certain it’s his sister, Galilee. Right before Uriah left Ohio, she disappeared, and her harsh husband, Samuel, was found fatally stabbed with a knitting needle. The sheriff declared that Galilee killed him and ran away. Uriah never believed the theory, and he’s come back to Harvest hoping, Gott willing, Millie will help him stitch together the truth. (Goodreads)
Review:
This series is a must for those who enjoy the author’s unique combination of humor, cozy mysteries, pets, and people of the Amish faith. This delightful series includes characters who are both Amish and English. It compliments and shares some of the same characters from the author’s ongoing Amish Candy Shop Mystery series. I really enjoy the eclectic mix of people we meet. The setting in Harvest, Ohio, sounds like a charming and historic village. I especially enjoy the pets in the novel; Peter and Phillip are very personable!
Millie is retired except for making quilts on commission and helping at her niece Edith’s greenhouse. She also has the gift of being a matchmaker, helping find the best mate for folks of any age. Millie has had several successful matches since returning to Harvest and enjoys it. She is also not afraid to advise when a match between two people wouldn’t be beneficial. A widow for many years, Millie and her husband were never blessed with children of their own, but she delights in her friends and their children.
Millie and Lois have been best friends most of their 60+ years. Lois is English, with short, spiked, purple hair and vibrantly colored clothing. She has nicknamed Millie “Amish Marple” as the two of them have helped the sheriff’s department solve several mysteries. They never plan to do so; for them it just happens when they least expect it.
The sheriff doesn’t care much for Amish people and will not go out of his way to help them. Since Aiden, a former deputy, left to work for a state law enforcement group, Deputy Luke Little has been handling the few cases that involve the Amish.
It stuns Lois and Millie one evening to see a long line of traffic near a ravine where an unsolved murder occurred about forty years ago when Millie was a young bride. One night during a terrible snowstorm, Samuel made the rare buggy trip to bring his wife home from work; it would have been impossible for her to ride her bicycle in it. He was found the next morning with a knitting needle in his neck. His wife Galilee, Gali for short, was never found. The sheriff at the time felt she killed her husband, who had been very abusive, and ran off to become English.
The next morning, Millie was out early, walking her goats, and ran into Deputy Little and a young man with a van. Last night Tyler and Xander, young filmmakers who are making a drama about the cold case, were taking footage with a drone. A small incident with it sent them into the ravine to pick it up. They saw a partially buried human skull. It is determined that the skull and recovered skeleton was that of Gali. Her brother Uriah sought Millie’s help to find out what really happened that night. He and Millie both know Gali could not have killed her husband despite his long-term abuse, so a third person had to have been there that night.
The people of Harvest come to life through the capable hand of the author. I can picture best friends Millie and Lois, and even Ruth, the Bishop’s wife. They represent a population of people who have stayed in or returned to Harvest and have been lifelong friends and acquaintances. It is wonderful to see how most people in the community work together for the same goals, and I loved watching Millie’s goats – especially after the church service!
I absolutely enjoyed being part of Amish life through the pages of this cozy mystery. I appreciated the quilting circle and how they work together to help each member complete commissioned quilts. Millie frequently shares Amish proverbs, especially with Lois. Plot twists and turns added and removed suspects as new clues are uncovered. When the attempts on Millie’s life begin, she knows they are onto someone – but who? And what was the motive? The reveal of the bad guy was a definite surprise, as well as learning the person’s background. The conclusion was satisfactory, and all loose ends were tied up. I highly recommend this cozy mystery and series!
