Book Review... Murder Simply Brewed

Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman is a murder, mystery novel set in the Indiana where the Amish meet the English.  Amber, an "Englischer", is the manager of a cute little "resort" in the county called, the Amish Artisan Village.  The Village has a few Amish shops as well as a hotel, restaurant and conference center.  The Village seems like the perfect, peaceful retreat until Ethan Gray, one of the shop owners, is found dead in his coffee shop.  The police feel that his death was from a heart attack, but Amber feels differently.  Amber has one of the Amish girls who works in the quilt shop, Hannah, take over the coffee shop after Ethan's death, and both women begin to think that Ethan's death was not of natural causes, but rather that he was murdered.

After Ethan's death, other strange things start happening around the Village... and each strange occurrence seems to have a verse from Daniel left at the scene.  Amber and Hannah start trying to put together the clues to figure out who had it out for Ethan, even if the police don't believe them.  Amber has her suspicions about Ethan's wife, but eventually dismisses them after new, more promising suspects come out.  Using their resources in the English and the Amish community, Amber and Hannah manage to solve the mystery of how Ethan died and they bring a killer to justice.

I hadn't read a book like this in a long time and wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it.  I ended up really enjoying the book and it was a very quick read.  It was one of those books that once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down.  I really liked the way that Chapman combined the English and the Amish way of life to give her readers a good look into how I would imagine life works when the Amish and English try to mix.  Although this book was set in Indiana, I found myself imaging that this is how life is like in Lancaster, PA (near where I live) and it has given me a new appreciation for the Amish lifestyle.  I do wish that I had saved this book to read on our beach weekend getaway because I do think that it is a perfect beach read!  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read that involves murder, mystery and intrigue with a little bit of religion mixed in.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”