My name is Pentunia Yoder, and I’m the youngest old maid in all of Blueberry County. Ask anyone. I’m mouthy, opinionated, and I stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. That’s what’s keeping me single, I’ve been told. I’m completely and hopelessly unmarriageable. But that mouthy, inquisitive part of my personality is the least changeable part of my nature, so here we are. I’ve made my peace with it, so you might as well, too.
You might know my father. He runs On the Yoder Side Amish Tours in the town of Blueberry. Most of my days are spent helping him with the family business of driving around Englishers to let them watch us hang our laundry or pull weeds. But they enjoy it so much, and they pay good money for the pleasure, so we’re happy to oblige.
When I’m not helping my father, I’m working on my own seamstress business that I run from home. I help local families with extra sewing they don’t have time to do—normally when a wedding comes up. There are newehocker dresses and shirts that need to be sewn, and of course, the bride’s new blue dress. The bride will normally sew that herself, but sometimes she’s too busy for some reason or other, and I get paid to put my foot the pedal of my manually operated sewing machine. Since I’m not going to have a husband to provide for me financially, I need to build up my business so I can provide for myself. I’m getting there, I’m proud to say.
Every once in a while, someone dies under suspicious circumstances. Now, I know that sounds really awful, and a good Amish woman wouldn’t talk so flippantly about death, but sometimes you have to just face things head on. That’s what I say, at least. The last time there was a suspicious death, it was my best friend’s boyfriend, and she was being charged with the murder. Ike Smoker was not a widely liked man, and I was not the only one to think that Eden’s life would be a whole lot better with him gone. He was hated by everyone but my best friend Eden who was a blind lamb to his faults. So I had to stick my nose into that one—there was no other choice! Besides, Detective Asher Nate asked me if I’d help interpret our Amish culture for him, and my father agreed. Without me, he might have jumped to all sorts of untrue opinions, just because he didn’t understand our way of life!
So that is in my own defence. And that is also why I am completely unmarriageable. You might understand that better now. But I am a solid friend, and I stand by my friends no matter what. I am honest and reliable, and my sewing is top rate, just ask anyone in Blueberry. If you need my services, please inquire at On the Yoder Side Amish Tours and my father will put you in touch. I look forward to meeting all of your sewing needs.
Murder of an Amish Bridegroom, An Amish Seamstress Mystery, Book #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link
The quiet Amish lifestyle isn’t all that it seems in this debut cozy mystery series, for fans of Amanda Flower and Wanda E. Brunstetter.
Petunia Yoder is Blueberry, Pennsylvania’s youngest old maid, at twenty-two years of age, and completely unmarriageable. But she’s determined to celebrate her friends’ weddings with joy and a full heart. Unfortunately, Petunia’s best friend, Eden Beiler, is playing a dangerous game with a man who is ruining her reputation.
Ike Smoker is the community’s iceman—the one who cuts, stores, and sells the ice—and when Petunia discovers him dead with an ice pick in his chest, Eden is found on the scene with blood on her hands. Homicide detective Asher Nate is new to the area, and he has a challenge on his hands. The Amish community sticks close together, and he doesn’t understand the subtleties and nuances of the clues he uncovers. He needs an Amish interpreter, and he asks Petunia if she’ll help. In a bid to keep her best friend out of prison, she agrees.
The community is filled with people who had good reason to hate Ike Smoker, especially as Petunia and Asher begin to uncover his secrets. Was someone trying to protect their family’s reputation? Or to exact revenge for a sin buried deep in the past?
There’s a litany of damning clues that litters the ground—and if Petunia and Asher can’t come up with the truth, they could end up as the next ones on the killer’s list.
Meet the author
Patricia Johns writes from Alberta, Canada, where she lives with her husband and their teenaged son. The winters are long and cold, which suits Patricia, since she’s happiest holed up with her latest story. She writes bestselling Amish romance for several publishers. This is her first cozy mystery being released by Crooked Lane Books.