NO USE DYING OVER SPILLED MILK

by Tamar Myers ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 8, 1996

Third in a series featuring Magdalena Yoder (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Crime, etc.), the 40-something Mennonite owner of the PennDutch Inn. Called to the funeral of Yost Yoder, an Amish cousin in Farmersburg, Ohio, Magdalena is accompanied on the trip by her wayward sister Susannah and housekeeper Freni. Yost had drowned, naked, in a milk tank on his farm--this only days after young Levi Mast, on the eve of his wedding, had fallen from a silo to his death. There's subdued talk among friends and relatives of the strange behavior of the two before they died. By the time the funeral is over, snow has closed the highway home--a perfect excuse for Magdalena to visit around, asking questions, while Susannah, hormones rampant, gets herself involved with feckless Danny Hern, heir to the once highly praised Daisybell Dairy, now on a slide that had persuaded Yost and Levi to form their own dairy co-op. In the midst of it all, Danny vanishes--escaping from a promised elopement to Aruba, according to Susannah, who manages to make do with big-eared sheriff Marvin Stoltzfus. A lot more happens--little of it making much sense--before a kooky, inept plot is uncovered and Magdalena is reunited with the PennDutch Inn and handsome suitor Aaron Miller--her Pooky Bear. There are poignant moments and an occasional smile here, but the story will be most enjoyed by readers with high sugar tolerance and a fondness for archly self-deprecating stand-up comedy.

Pub Date: April 8, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1996

Categories: FICTION