Matchmaking Can be Murder: An Amish Matchmaker Mystery by Amanda Flower

          One can never know with spin-offs.  Sometimes they can be far worse than the original, making one wonder why it was created at all.  Other times it can be a lot better, making the original fade in comparison.  As for The Amish Matchmaker mystery series, the spin-off of The Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, I’m not sure where I stand.  I was happy to have all the marriage pressure that is in The Amish Candy Shop gone.  The problem is, though, the annoying characters who are in The Amish Candy Shop just a little bit are far more prevalent in The Amish Matchmaker.  Since Matchmaking Can be Murder is only the first book in the Amish Matchmaker series, it may take me one or two more books to determine which series I like better.

                Millie Fisher has been away from her Amish community in Harvest, Ohio for many years.  She left to take care of her ill sister.  For ten years Millie cared for her.  Now that her sister has passed away, Millie is returning home, and operating as the community’s matchmaker.

                Millie’s matchmaking skills don’t exactly work as one would think.  She doesn’t match people up directly.  Instead, she has the ability to tell whether or not two people will be a good match.  A skill people want her to use to find the right person for their loved ones.

                It is with this skill that Millie can tell her niece Edith Hochstetler and her fiancé Zeke Miller are not a good match.  Not a good match at all.  Still, Millie is only willing to interfere so far.  If Edith is determined to marry Zeke, Millie will not get in the way.  Thankfully, this is not something Millie has to worry about for long.  Edith decides to call off the wedding herself.

                While a broken engagement would be tough to get through, it would be gotten through.  Except Zeke is found dead in Edith’s greenhouse before that can happen.  With Edith as the main suspect, Millie becomes determined to clear her niece’s name herself.

                Helping Millie investigate is her childhood friend, Lois Henry.  An Englischer, Lois is a big help to Millie because she can drive to the far-off places.  Lois’s light humor is also a big help.  It gives moments of ease to a serious situation.  The interesting thing is, Lois is this light even though she is trying to clear her granddaughter’s name.  Her granddaughter, Darcy, is a suspect because she was having a secret relationship with Zeke.

                As Millie and Lois investigate, they find Zeke was not at all the man everyone thought he was.  Millie already suspected Zeke only wanted to marry Edith for her greenhouse, but that’s only the beginning of the far worse things Millie will learn.

                The characters in this book are a lot of fun.  I especially like Phillip and Peter, Millie’s two goats who are always getting into some sort of trouble.  By the end of the book they have a kitten joining the household.  It will be very interesting to see how they all get along.

                Another character I really like is Uriah Schrock.  Another childhood friend of Millie’s, Uriah has only returned to Harvest temporarily.  He is a sweet man who, like Millie, has been widowed.  Uriah also seems to have an interest in Millie.  I hope he stays in town long enough for Millie to decide to give him a chance.

                One character I can do without in both series is Ruth Yoder, the bishop’s wife.  She feels it is her right to know everything about everyone.  Ruth also believes she must know these things before everyone else, no matter how illogical that may be.  Because you see, Ruth wants to know everything that is happening before even the people involved do.  As though they can someone how tell the future so Ruth can know ahead of time what is going on.

                This behavior is why I get such pleasure over the fact that Phillip and Peter love to chase Ruth whenever she comes near.  It is something Ruth absolutely hates.  Also, Lois refuses to bow down to her.  Plus, Millie tells Ruth off a time or two.  While I could do with a lot less Ruth, I do enjoy the scenes where she is taken down a peg, or several.

                As for how much setting Ruth straight will happen in future books is yet to be seen.  With Ruth so involved in the Amish community, it’s not likely she will be gotten rid of any time soon.  I just hope people keep standing up to her.  During the times when that won’t be enough, the goats can always be sent after her instead.