Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman is a delightful Amish cozy mystery.
It is the first book in the
Amish Village Mystery series. Amber
Wright is the manager of the Amish Artisan Village in Middlebury, Indiana. She lives in a Dawdy Haus (a small house for
grandparents or that the parents move into when they pass the property/house on
to a son or daughter) on the property with her cat, Leo.
At the beginning of a new day she
gets a call that Ethan Gray, manager of A Simple Blend, has been found dead in
the shop. The windows were also shot
with a BB gun. It is ruled a heart
attack, but Amber has a feeling that there is more to it than meets the
eye! She receives a call at the end of
the day of a threatening message left on a trail near the property line. Tate Bowman, who owns a farm adjacent to the
Amish Artisan Village, spotted the message.
It is written in red paint. Unfortunately,
this is just the beginning.
Hannah Troyer is twenty-two and
has been working at Quilting Bee. Amber
asks her to take over A Simple Blend.
Amber and Hannah start talking about Ethan’s death and the damage being
done around The Village. Hannah talks
things over with her friend, Jesse Miller.
Jesse works on the grounds crew in The Village. They keep looking for clues to help solve the
crimes.
After a threat at Amber’s home,
Tate starts keeping a closer eye. Amber
and Tate also get to know each other better.
Tate lost his wife four years ago and has never been a fan of The
Village. But, as he gets to know Amber,
he sees things a little differently.
Tate, Amber, Hannah, and Jesse work to see who is behind the threats and
damage to The Village. Amber also thinks
that Ethan was murdered and hopes to find proof.
I give Murder Simply Brewed 5 out
of 5 stars. Enjoyable and relatable characters,
interesting setting, well-written, and an entertaining mystery. I have wanted to read this book since it came
out, but I have not had the opportunity.
I finally pushed it to the top of my list and I am very glad. I cannot wait to read the next book in this
engaging series.
The next book in The Amish Village Series is Murder Simply Knit. Have a great evening and Happy Reading!
Kris