Book Description
At the annual church chili supper, Reverend Schrock falls face down into his bowl. It seems someone put peanut butter in the chili, knowing full well that he was allergic.
As Pennsylvania Dutch Innkeeper Magdalena Yoder investigates, she finds plenty of people who wanted the reverend dead, including a serial monogamist with a grudge and a wrongly-accused man whom the reverend testified against. As more motives emerge, Magdalena struggles to find the truth amidst evidence that is all too quickly becoming a five-alarm frenzy.
Customer Reviews:
Nice series development.......2007-03-26
This thirteenth book in Tamar Myers's series about wisecracking Mennonite innkeeper and sleuth Magdalena Yoder features the murder of her beloved Pastor Schrock. In the process of determining whodunit, Magdalena discovers a plethora of secrets she'd rather not have known, and the solution of the mystery will change the town of Hernia forever.
The Good:
The series arc. Unlike the previous books in this series that I've read, Assault and Pepper changes a lot of things about Magdalena's beliefs about her town, her life, and the people she knows. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
The Bad:
Magdalena herself. Her voice is so strong, and she's such an abrasive character that if you don't like her, you'll hate the books.
The Verdict:
Definitely worth reading, and a must for fans of the series.
Assault and Pepper.......2007-01-15
the last couple of the books in this series have been disappointing. Seems Magdalena spends more time talking to yourself than others, if she is SO UGLY how does she have the "babester" the earlier books in this series were much better, my favorite I think was the SPAM one. They were enjoyable, things were centered around the Inn. It is also like she owns the town only because she is a millionaire and she flaunts it. Magdalena has become VERY annoying!!!
Annette
One of Tamar's Best.......2006-02-04
I found Assault And Pepper even more fun than the other six or seven Tamar Myers PA Dutch Mysteries I've read and laughed out loud more than once. The part where Magdalena thinks she's been "left behind" is a brilliantly written piece of humor. This author is all about fun: She never takes herself too seriously and even better, she makes it clear she doesn't expect the reader to get all bogged down in seriousness either. Tamar's books are categorized as Mysteries with a humorous twist...but for me, the broad and often farcical humor is the reason to read her books--the mystery is there only as a form to wrap the humor around. That being so....If you're looking for a serious mystery with a complicated plot to puzzle over--look elsewhere. If you want a slightly silly (okay ALOT silly), light hearted reading experience, written by a wise and warm hearted woman who so obvoiously has fun writing her books and wants you to have fun reading them--- then this (or any other Tamar Myers) book may be exactly what you're looking for.
Nicely Done.......2006-01-18
When Reverend Schrock dies while judging a chili bakeoff, his widow, convinced that someone murdered her husband by putting peanut butter into the chili (he was allergic) asks Magdalena Yoder to investigate. Magdalena has been helping her brother-in-law, police chief Melvin Stoltzfus, solve cases for years and is happy to oblige. When Melvin tells her he is quitting her job, Mags find herself working alone. As she works to solve the case, Magdalena uncovers many secrets about Reverend Schrock that shock her. Little does she realize that more surprises will come her way, including a long buried family secret. But the biggest shock of all will come when she realizes who murdered Reverend Schrock.
"Assault and Pepper" is an entertaining mystery. Magdalena, a somewhat naive Mennonite with a taste for hot chocolate, is a hoot, especially as she discovers that Reverend Schrock was not quite was he seemed (not only was he a bigamist and an embezzler, but (gasp!) he was a bowler!) As always, the supporting characters are larger than life, especially Melvin, but are still fun to read about. Magdalena can be a bit acerbic, but the affection between her and her cook, Freni, and even her sister Susannah keep her lovable. Author Tamar Myers even pokes fun at herself, as astute readers who have visited her website will notice.
Unfortunately, while this book is better plotted than some of the other books in the series, which sometimes rely too heavily on humor, the plot still has some flaws. The motive for a second murder is never explained and Magdalena looks for what is supposedly a key piece of evidence, but why it is so important is not explained either.
Still, flaws aside, Assault and Pepper is a good read, with a surprising ending (in more ways than one) which may take the series in an entirely different direction.
I like to know what happened with ALL the dead bodies!.......2005-09-30
***contains some slight spoiler alert***
I have enjoyed Mags' detective work for years, though at times, her naivety has been a bit unbelievable (and annoying). However, what began as a top notch story, suffered from the author's lapse of not accounting for all the dead bodies. Maybe the discovery of the perpetrator is so surprising that people don't care why he/she did what they did, but motives have always been important to me. Myers only explains one of the deaths, which leaves me to wonder, why did the killer kill the other person? That kinda ruined the story for me. To me that speaks of laziness and whereas in real life we may not know why criminals do what they do, in a work of fiction, that question should be answered. If Myers didn't want to answer it, then she could have at least said, "We'll never know why ###### killed ######" or "##### killed ####*# to throw me off the scent." But she doesn't do this. It's like that other murder never happened.
It's been awhile since I read Assault and Pepper and maybe after some time off I'll discover this lost motive. If Myers really didn't put it in, then I may be done with this series. How can you read a mystery and not be confident that all questions pertaining to the mystery will be wrapped up at the end? Books (like movies) should make sense...and yes, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what I've just read (or watched) to see it all makes sense. Yes, I need help! lol
Average customer rating:
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Assault and Pepper: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery With Recipes
Tamar Myers
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Contemporary
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Women Sleuths
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Myers, Tamar
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ASIN: 0786273186 |
Book Description
It's a five-alarm frenzy as Magdalena Yoder and the rest of the congregation of the Beechy Grove Mennonite Church get ready for the annual chili supper cook-off. But just when the devout diners sit down to eat, beloved Reverend Schrock falls facedown into a pot of the savory stew. It seems someone slipped some peanut butter into the chili - knowing full well that the good reverend was deathly allergic to peanuts.
Product Description
4 Titles By Tamar Myers Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries with Recipes : Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime Between a Wok and a Hard Place Assault And Pepper. Four mmpb books.
Book Description
Two Regency romances from the USA Today bestselling author hailed as a formidable talent packaged together for the first time.
Customer Reviews:
one of my absolute favorites!.......2006-03-22
I rate this 5 plus stars based on Knave's Wager alone! The Sandalwood Princess is good as well, but Knave's Wager has to be one of my few favorites. I have read it multiple times - in fact, I have the previous edition of the book. I love Loretta Chase's old works, which for some reason are a little different than her newer ones. The plot has been summed up nicely by others, but I would just like to say how incredibly wonderful this book was. The main characters as well as the secondary characters were wonderfully developed, and none of them were either unrealistic or stereotypes. The dialogue was fast moving and very witty, and the plot had enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes. I love Lilith and Julian both, and would have loved to see them again in a nother book. Also try Loretta Chase's Isabella and The English Witch, both of which are gems as well.
Worth it for KNAVES' WAGER (Chase's best).......2006-02-18
I am prejudiced. I thoroughly adore Knaves' Wager, which I rate one of the best Regencies (traditional Regencies as well as Regency historicals) that I have read. Witty, funny, true to its period, multidimensional characters, and a love story that you can believe in, really believe in. And neither character is especially obnoxious either (a bonus!). Chase's book is up there in my personal pantheon of Great Romances, along with a few others. Let me just drop a few titles - "Cotillion" and "The Unknown Ajax" by Georgette Heyer, "Price and Prejudice" and "Persuasion" by Jane Austen, "The Famous Heroine" by Mary Balogh, "Barrayar" by Lois McMaster Bujold (SF but who cares?) and so forth. OK, now you known my standards. Here is the review:
One of my rare five-stars goes to this old Regency by Loretta Chase, which I prefer to her LORD OF SCOUNDRELS (published more recently). The story is slightly unusual, in that there are three romances developing (or unwinding) simultaneously, but the author (and thus the reader) always keeps the primary romance up front. Since this is a very old book, I will offer a brief summary.
The heroine Lilith is a widow who blames a libertine Marquess for the death of her husband, after years of dissipation in London. She has spent the years of her widowhood bringing out her husband's nieces and marrying them off more suitably (and kindly) than their own parents would have. However, Lilith is running out of money... but she insists on repaying a debt of honor, making life more difficult for herself. What is a newly impecunious widow to do? Well, if she wants to keep bringing out her surrogate daughters (her husband's nieces), she can only ensure this by marrying a highly eligible - and dull - suitor. This is just the beginning of a fascinating story, in which the Marquess in question seeks to remove a young cousin from the claws of a mistress and would-be wife, where this same cousin falls for one of the heroine's protegees, and where we see an amazing amount of development in the characters, as they grow and mature through their experiences.
There are no cardboard villains, no too-saintly hero and heroine, but no too-stupid-to-live persons either. Everything that happens is quite believable (well, almost entirely), and what results is a charming comedy of manners and morals.
If you love Georgette Heyer, you might like this book. It does not have Heyer's ironic wit and richer panoply of characters, but there is something Heyeresque about this story, which is yet uniquely the work of Loretta Chase. From my perspective, Loretta Chase is one of the more skilful and knowledgeable Regency writers, who rarely makes mistakes in the tone of the period, not to mention such things as titles or events.
If you like this book, I recommend Chase's The English Witch (set in England and Albania). I wanted a book about a minor character, but Chase is unlikely to oblige. [That is how good she is].
Rather less successful is the second book THE SANDALWOOD PRINCESS. I liked the heroine, and I found the hero interesting. Unfortunately, I did not find the plot credible, and the setting somewhat sketchy. To make matters worse, I live in the city where the book is set (and am interested in that very period).
A very brief guide to the plot - the hero is engaged by a powerful English aristocrat to steal a statuette from a rich Indian princess; he does so succcessfully, but finds the tables turned on him in *England* by the princess's young Englsh friend and her Indian servant/bodyguard. The story is set in Calcutta, British India, at sea on the way home, and in England, and then returns to Calcutta where the denouement takes place. You will like this book a lot better if you know little about Indian society and British India circa 1810-1815.
Knaves' Wager - Five Stars
The Sandalwood Princess - Three Stars
Note - Loretta's first six Regencies have been reissued in three volumes by Signet. All are going out of print. If you wanted to read her and couldn't find her books (try the local public library as well), get them now.
Reviewed by bookjunkiereviews 18 February 2006
Delightful duo.......2005-05-02
Having spent many years living in India away from her native England, Amanda Cavencourt is finally on her way home. A fairwell visit to a powerful Indian Princess gifts her with a precious wooden statue "The Sandalwood Princess" which is reputed to confer joy & fertility upon the bearer.
This idol is also desperately desired by a gentleman who enlists the help of an unofficial goverment spy to retrieve it. The notorious agent enlisted is known as "Falcon", and quickly wrests the statue away from Amanda.
When they both find themselves aboard the same England bound boat Amanda begins to plot to retreive the statue, and Falcon to guard it. Matters are greatly complicated by the illness and ensuing infatuation of the Falcon's aide with Amanda's handy maid Bella.
Also travelling with Amanda is an unlooked for Indian servant - Padji. For tangled reasons he continues with her, and attempts to guard her against the notorious Falcon.
The story ends up back in India with a convincing twist of plot & is throughly delightful all the way.
I sighed a tear or two and my heart clenched in places, with the perfection of the discriptions and poignant plots.
Ms Chase has concocted a delightful froth and whipped it to perfection, allowing the reader to enjoy from the first page to the last.
***Knave's Wager***
Lillith Davenport must marry again. She has settled upon a reliable gentleman and will sacrifice her independence for the future of her beloved nieces (one hopes they're worth it!)
Enter the "bad beautiful angel" determined to seduce her and his wayward nephew...
Set in regency England of course, this fine story sails along convincingly & touchingly, with charming charachters and the usual Chase wit - interjected where most welcome & least expected.
Lilith is a heroine who really IS sensible, looks after herself, doesn't sigh after the wicked hero, never makes foolish decisions and needs rescuing and altogether manages to be more convincing than any other creation. Even with all this sense & so little sensibility, she remains a refreshing & charming character whist he is just the opposite but so very debonair and beautifully repentant later.
A great set from one of the Regency genre's best authors.
kotori ojadis@yahoo.com
Book Description
A string of smashing victories by the forces of the sinister aliens known as the Yuuzhan Vong has left New Republic resources and morale stretched to the breaking point. Leia Organa Solo, estranged from her husband, Han, oversees the evacuation of refugees on planets in the path of the merciless invaders. Luke Skywalker struggles to hold the fractious Jedi Knights together, even while one of them undertakes a bold but reckless undercover mission.
Manipulating their alliance with the amoral Hutts, the Yuuzhan Vong leave a cunning trail of vital information where New Republic agents are sure to find it--information the desperate defenders cannot afford to ignore: the location of the aliens' next target.
Then Han Solo stumbles into the dark heart of raging battle, thus beginning a furious race against time that will require every skill and trick in his arsenal to win...
Customer Reviews:
3.5 stars - At least it puts Han Solo back in play.......2007-09-08
I'm not really sure why this book, which is the 5th volume in the massive New Jedi Order series and the closing volume of James Luceno's Agents of Chaos duology, was titled Jedi Eclipse, when the Jedi play such a minor role in this one. Even though another Jedi Knight dies in this book, the real star of this "series within a series" is Han Solo. Everyone else is just along for the ride.
While the Yuuzhan Vong invasion was still the focal point of the story, this book felt like one of the pre-NJO Star Wars novels where the characters go their separate ways only to have their adventures bring them all back together for a dramatic action sequence at the end of the book. Han spends much of the story helping his new partner Droma track down his missing kin, Leia travels to Hapes to elist the Consortium's aid in the conflict, and Jacen and Anakin Solo travel to the reactivated Centerpoint Station. In the end, all points lead to (I'm not saying where, as it is a major plot point).
I found it more than a little disturbing when I went back and reread these New Jedi Order novels in a post-9/11 world, as there are definite parallels between the Yuuzhan Vong's ideology and the fundamentalist Islam that has been the source of so much misery. The matter of refugees also brings to mind post-Katrina New Orleans; only in these novels the enemy actively torments the refugees.
Luceno definitely has an appreciation for the Star Wars characters, and seems quite knowledgeable about the vast Star Wars history. He also knows how to write a rollicking adventure story, which despite the grim overtones of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Jedi Eclipse certainly was. I still prefer the NJO novels that focus on the larger conflict, but the Agents of Chaos series was an enjoyable side-story, and were particularly useful in that they pushed Han Solo back into action, which is not going to be good news for the Yuuzhan Vong!
Not much here unfortunately...........just filler........2006-11-27
Well, im back again. Sorry to keep ya waiting a bit longer than usual. I do however have an explanation. It is because this installment simply doesnt go anywhere. The pay off appears in the last 48 pages and that simply is not acceptable to me. There is no buildup, no suspense at all. I had a hard time wanting to continue the book. It sat on the shelf for days on end wanting to be read to the finish line but alas.................... Hero's trial was fantastic. It had everything in it for me. All the ingredients were there. This one should go further since it is part 2 of the duology but it just doesnt. Ive enjoyed the last 4 books quite a bit, but this one is the worst of them so far in terms of keeping the interest goin. It is definitely NOT a page turner. It is however written very well. The characters are all represented well, with the exception of a few, like Luke and Mara who barely see any page time. The characterizations though are dead on good. The book also appeared rather fragmented with too much going on, too many subplots that were confusing to follow at all times. Of course read it, its Star Wars, but its overshadowed greatly by those that came before it.
#5.......2006-03-14
ive only read this far so far but will put out reviews as i read the rest of the series.this was an excellent book as was its [predecessor agents of chaos 1.mara may have found a cure to her ailment.but is it permanant?han goes back to his old scoundral like days.he still has his good side as he does great things for the war effort but in his own time hes become quire reckless.leia gets the blame for a lot of bs stuff going on in the world.she even has ppl fighting over her at one point.one of her old would be suitors no less.anakan gets a weopon of mass destruction working again but will he use it?the ever oppurtunistic lando even starts bringing in refugees.the republic tries to be friends with rhe hutts also.all trust seems to dissipate everywhere!even c3-p0 begins worrying about deactivation like an old person would dying.the vong make prisoners massage thier living ships heart so itll run better.the being turns a lot of ppl into veggies or corpses.however a jedi resists its tortures.the vong killed enough stuff now that the core worlds like where corascant is were looking like good targets.like i said,as i read more,ill report more.the 2nd best book so far!
Filler, and Little more.......2005-09-18
While I have been a big fan of the New Jedi Order, I can't say this book is included. Much of this book is filler, with little happening that is actually relevant to the rest of the series.
The book itself is not poorly written. Lucena does a good job getting his points across, but sadly there are few points to be made. What exciting parts there are are short, so action is not the main focus at all.
The characters themselves are not very interresting in nature, Roa, who was the main focus of Han's journey, now takes a back seat and is almost inconsequential to the plot anymore. I'm not sure that Han even remembered he was looking for Roa. The Ryn Droma, who I liked at first, has now become pretty lame and repetitive, never changing his reactions.
If I were to go back and read through the series again, I would honestly skip this book. I couldn't get into this book at any point, and honestly believe that Lucena should have made Agents of Chaos I longer and finish the story, rather then creating the second novel.
Book Jumps To Much.......2005-06-29
This was an ok book. I did not care for how it skipped around all the time from character to character point of view. It could be better if it was more uniform and flowed together more.
Average customer rating:
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Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 5)
James Luceno
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
General
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Star Wars
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ASIN: B000H2MLOY |
Book Description
Eight years of inspired work by a committee of more than 30 musicians and pastors, all leaders in African American worship and gospel music, have resulted in this compendium representing the common repertoire of African American churches across the United States. For the first time in an African American hymnal, traditional hymns and songs are notated to reflect performance practices found in the oral tradition of the black church in America. At a time when such traditions are falling victim to modern technology, this book strives to preserve this rich heritage for future generations. Presented are litanies for “Fifty-Two Sundays of Worshipful Celebration” outlining an African American church year, including such special days as Martin Luther King Sunday, Elders’ Day, Mother’s Day, and Men’s Day. Also included are 52 responsive scripture readings from the Old and New Testaments and an extensive index that includes scriptural and thematic cross-references.
Customer Reviews:
great.......2007-05-15
this is a wonderful book. It is full of new and old songs.
Advisory for Potential Catholic Users.......2007-04-25
GIA, the publisher of this hymnal, is a Catholic publisher. This book is not a Catholic hymnal unlike "Lead Me, Guide Me", GIA's "turnkey solution" to gospel-style music for Catholic services. Also, the lyrics have a lot more "I", "Me", "My" and "Mine" in the lyrics than would be appropriate for Catholic litugies. This is not a quibble; just a bit of information for potential Catholic purchasers. Those matters aside, this is a fine product, packed with impressive new material and old favorites that will add much to spirited worship.
Gospel songs .......2007-01-12
This hymnal has all my favorites in it. Even the responsive readings are biblically solid. I love it. My pastor does too. The pianist at our church loves to play these hymns.
Wonderful spiritual upbeat music guide........2007-01-09
This song book has wonderful spiritual, God-loving songs. It is a great source for getting your congregation in the spirit of 'singing praises to our King'. Introduce it to your choir or congregation and you will be forever greatful for the joy it will bring.
Hymnal Masterpiece.......2006-08-05
I was visiting another church and saw this Hymnal. I started turning the pages and could not stop reading it. It brought back so many memories of my childhood. New songs, old songs, so much variety! Every choir member must have this book!
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