Dating Can Be Deadly by Amanda Flower

 Dating Can Be Deadly

Book Summary

Set in the fan favorite Amish village of Harvest, Ohio, the latest novel in the USA Today bestselling author’s Amish Matchmaker series features the unlikely sleuthing duo of an Amish widow and her zany, oft-divorced English best friend. Will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries, small-town mysteries, wholesome romance, inspirational fiction, and readers of Jennifer Beckstrand, Charlotte Hubbard, Rachel J. Good, and other authors of Amish fiction.

It's August in Holmes County, and that means it's time for the Holmes County Fair. It's the county’s biggest annual event, drawing tourists and locals alike to see livestock, eat too much fried food, and watch the rodeo and speed racing contests. This year, Millie has entered the quilting competition—while her very not Amish best friend, Lois Henry, is distracted by her new dating app and her search for husband number five. In a place where quilting is a way of life, the competition is fierce—especially this year, when an anonymous donor doubles the winning cash prize. Amish and English women are up against each other, and some will do anything to win—even murder . . .

 

When someone attacks the quilt barn by slashing the quilt display, it’s unsettling enough. But when a quilting judge is found murdered, Millie knows it’s time to for Lois to get off her app and help her hunt for a killer instead—before the competition is wiped out for good . . .

My Thoughts

Dating Can Be Deadly by Amanda Flower takes us back to Harvest, Ohio for the Holmes County Fair.  I just love Millie Fisher and Lois Henry.  Those two are quite a pair.  Lois and Millie are opposites, but they have been best friends since they were children.  Lois’s handbag must weigh a ton.  I am just amazed at what Lois has in that bag (and I thought I carried a big bag).  Millie’s mischievous goats are entered into the competition at the county fair (thanks to Millie’s nephew Micah) and you know those two are itching to explore the fairgrounds.  When a murder occurs at the fair in the quilt barn, Lois and Millie are on the case.  There are a handful of suspects.  Millie and Lois ask questions plus nose around for clues.   Some readers may be surprised when the killer’s identity is revealed (it means you missed a vital clue or two). I like how Lois’s purse played into the reveal.  

I laughed often while reading Dating Can Be Deadly.  You never know what Lois will say or do next (and her outfits are something else especially her ensemble for the square dance).  I do wonder how much gel and hairspray Lois uses to get her hair to stay in place (I bet Lois could get picked up by a twister and her hair would remain intact).  I love that the story includes characters from An Amish Candy Shop Mysteries including a certain polka dotted pig.  Cupid is in town, and he is knocking at Millie’s door.  The question is, though, Millie ready to open her heart.  Dating Can Be Dating is the fifth An Amish Matchmaker Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone, but I encourage you to read this delightful series in order.  Dating Can Be Deadly is an entertaining tale with fighting fair officials, roguish goats, quality quilts, dating dilemmas, helmet hair, a heartless relative, and fair food.  

Dating Can Be Deadly is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other An Amish Matchmaker Mysteries here.  This series ties into An Amish Candy Shop Mysteries.  If you follow Amanda Flower on Amazon, they will send you an email when she has a new book release.  Amanda has a new series coming out in 2024 titled A Katharine Wright Mysteries.  The first book will be out on March 26, 2024, and it is titled To Slip the Bonds of Earth.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I will return on Tuesday, October 31 with Thanksgiving Blessing by Marta Perry.  It is the third An Amish Holiday Novel.  I hope that you have a spooktacular weekend.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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