Batter Off Dead

November 24, 2008
In Myers's 17th Pennsylvania Dutch mystery (after 2008's As the World Churns
), Magdalena Yoder, who's eight and a half months pregnant, must try to solve the murder of gluttonous Minerva J. Jay, who drops dead after wolfing down “twenty-six pancakes at the Beechy Grove Mennonite Brotherhood all-you-can-eat fund-raising breakfast.” Meanwhile, Magdalena gives birth to “Little Jacob” squatting on the floor of the local market, contends with her bizarre sister and overbearing Jewish mother-in-law, and comments not always wittily on Jewish, Mennonite and other religious practices. Late in the story, the focus returns to who poisoned Minerva's pancakes. A contrived climax and a surfeit of smart-ass humor make this strictly for series fans.

December 1, 2008
If you enjoy cozies with unrelenting slapstick humor, the Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries are your cup of tea. This is the seventeenth entry in the series that Myers began writing in 1994. Longtime fans should know exactly what to expect, while those trying a Pennsylvania Dutch mystery for the first time might hope for more mystery and a bit less humor. This time out, our 48-year-old sleuth Magdalena Portulaca Yoder is assisting at the annual Beechy Grove Mennonite Churchs pancake breakfast. Local glutton Minerva J. Jay has just finished stacks and stacks of pancakes when she drops dead. To most peoples surprise, it turns out to be murder rather than cholesterol overload. Before Magdalena can assist the local police chief in discovering who did it, however, she goes into labor and delivers her first baby, Little Jacob. As usual, there are numerous wacky charactersMagdalenas mother-in-law andsister, members of the Mens Club and the Sisters of Perpetual Apathy. The recipes this time are mostly from Marie Simmons Pancakes A to Z and sound delicious. Be warned that no calorie counts are included.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)