Murder Simply Brewed

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