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    Murder, Plain and Simple
    Murder, Plain and Simple
    Murder, Plain and Simple
    Audiobook8 hours

    Murder, Plain and Simple

    Written by Isabella Alan

    Narrated by Cris Dukehart

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn't exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brook, but her aunt's quilting circle tries to make her feel welcome as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch.

    On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store's wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom the next morning, everything starts falling apart.

    With evidence mounting against her, Angie is determined to find the culprit before the local sheriff can arrest her. Rolling Brook always appeared to be a simple place, but the closer Angie gets to the killer, the more she realizes that nothing in the small Amish community is as plain as it seems . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 31, 2015
    ISBN9781494581152
    Murder, Plain and Simple

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    Reviews for Murder, Plain and Simple

    4/5

    45 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this Plain Cozy mystery. I've given it a 4.5* rating. It had action, animals, babies and humor. It was all woven around a quilting circle and the families around them. And I never heard of a dog being afraid of birds, but it worked in the story. Look forward to many more reads from this author.
    • 3/5
      Digital Audio read by Cris Dukehart. From the book jacket: When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she is welcomed to Holmes County, Ohio. With her snazzy cowboy boots and her French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community, but her aunt’s quilting circle makes her feel at home as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch. On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom, the future of Running Stitch looks bleak. My reactions:I found this moderately entertaining as cozy mysteries go. There’s a decent premise, and I did like Oliver (her bulldog, who is afraid of birds). Alan gives the reader the beginnings of a possible love interest, which will likely develop in subsequent books in the series. And there’s a reasonable cast of supporting characters. Of course, our heroine believes she is the number one suspect in the murder and MUST investigate on her own to prove her innocence. I know this is a common thread in cozy mysteries, but frankly, it’s really not a very plausible plot device. Still, it held my interest and I was sufficiently entertained that I would read another in the series.Cris Dukehart did a fine job performing the audiobook. Clear diction and a decent pace.
    • 4/5
      Angie moves from Dallas to Ohio's Amish country when she inherits her Amish aunt's quilt shop. The small Holmes County town where it is located consists mostly of Amish-owned businesses, and some people, including the woman who managed the shop while her aunt's health failed, want to keep it that way. When the man next door who tries to lay claim to shop's deed turns up dead in the shop's storeroom, Angie feels she needs to do a little investigating to keep herself out of jail. This first in the series is full of engaging characters who will keep readers coming back for more. Her dog, a "Frenchie," fears birds of all sorts, providing some amusing moments. I listened to the audio version of the book, and it's clear neither the narrator nor the producer thought to check the pronunciation of towns in Holmes County. They consistently mispronounced Berlin, and I corrected the narrator every time she mispronounced it. I hope listeners let Tantor Media know of the problem before the second book was narrated.
    • 4/5
      Angie has inherited a quilt shop from her Amish aunt, but there is a question about the actual ownership. A rather strong-minded Amish man claims that the shop belongs to him, which Angie disputes. The deed which would clear up everything can’t be found anywhere. There are arguments between the two but all that comes to a sudden stop when the Amish man is found murdered in Angie’s shop. This cozy has much to commend it. The characters are well thought out and the plot is intriguing. Even the secondary characters, especially the dog who is afraid of birds, are quite interesting. This is a very good start for what is sure to be a great series.
    • 4/5
      In the cozy mystery genre (sub-genre?), Amish is the new bandwagon. I suppose when trying to develop unique themes for series mysteries, it gets to be rather hard to find anything new, and the Amish culture certainly seems to be one that a lot of people find fascinating (including myself). I love contemplating a life without technology; without electricity. Could I do it? Or would I end up tackling some poor, unsuspecting Englischer for his iPhone? Honestly, I suspect the dress and bonnet would get to me long before the lack of tech. Oh well, in the meantime, I can read about being Amish. The author, Isabella Alan, published a short story before the release of this first book, introducing the characters and allowing readers to meet Angie's Aunt before she passes away (the premise of the series being Angie moves back to her hometown when she inherits her Aunt's store). It was a nice little novella that I reviewed earlier, and it did make it easier to dive into this story without needing the introductions I like Angie as the main character, she's got some life in her, a little bit of sass, and she dotes on her dog. She feels like a real character to me; not as deep as she could be, but not nearly so shallow or caricature-istic as some cozy characters. The supporting cast is mostly Amish and I give kudos to the author - she doesn't create one-dimensional characters out of them just because they're Amish. There are likeable characters and there are a few that ought to go back and brush up on the basic tenants of their faith a bit more. A couple are just mean and nasty. The obvious love interest is the Sheriff, of course (makes it hard for the amateur sleuth to investigate without an 'in' with the authorities), and I liked him - not a lot of detail about him in this book, but what there is is likeable. The author also had me at "aquamarine eyes". I fell hard for a boy in high school simply because he had the most amazing blue-green eyes I had ever, and have ever, seen. But Angie's old childhood friend, Jonah (Amish) looks to create some awkward moments, though there's no chance of a love triangle developing - thank god!!! The plot itself was very well done. Red herrings, lots of suspects, and I didn't have a clue until the author dropped the give-away hint. The ending, well, not the most plausible ending I've read, but certainly not the most far-out.I'll definitely be on the lookout for her next book in this series - not to mention a 'donut-as-big-as-my-head' - where can I get me one of those? And can I get it filled with custard please?
    • 3/5
      After Angela Braddock’s fiancé broke their engagement, Angela decided to move from Dallas, where she had grown up, to Rolling Brook, Ohio, in the Amish area of Holmes County. Her mother had been born there and left but her Aenti Eleanor married an Amish man, joined the order, and owned a quilt shop. The Running Stitch. Angela visited there every year until her teen years. When she died, Eleanor left her shop to Angela. The timing was perfect.Rolling Brook had been an Amish community for a long time but in recent years, non-Amish people, called Englisch, had moved in. Some of the Amish residents accepted the changes and continued to live happily in the community, welcoming both the new residents and tourists who were drawn to learn a bit about the Amish way of life and purchase some of the foods and goods the Amish people produced. Others feared that Rolling Brook would become a mockery of itself with a faux Amish facade to draw in profits. Some of the Englischers, on the other hand, accused the more traditional Amish people of being stubborn. “But what can you expect from a people who haven’t changed for hundreds of years?”One of the most traditional was Joseph Walker, a woodworker whose shop was next to The Running Stitch. Not only did he not want any Englisch living in the community, he also claimed that he owned The Running Stitch and was going to take it over. As any regular reader of cozy murder mysteries will quickly guess, Joseph is murdered and Angela is a prime suspect especially since his body was found in her shop and he had been killed with a device she had there.The plot describes Angela’s efforts to find out who killed Joseph in order to clear her own name. It also discusses her efforts to reopen The Running Stitch and relationships between the Amish and Englisch communities. Some characters seem stereotyped and their actions don’t seem plausible. Those include Elijah, an Amish man who had been imprisoned for arson; Martha, the Amish woman who helped Eleanor during her illness and worked at The Running Stitch; Sarah, the Amish gossip; and Danny, who wanted to make his name as a journalist and was looking for a big story. The relationship between Angela and Sheriff Mitchell copies similar involvements in so many books. After reading about Angela’s mother, a stereotype, it’s a good thing that they live so far apart.At the end of the story is a concise chapter on “Amish Quilting Tips for Beginners.”The book was well-written (except for using the term "dropped stitches. That's knitting, not sewing.") Amish people are treated very respectfully. The conflict between the Englisch and their ideas for growing the community and the Amish who want to preserve it is well presented especially regarding the Watermelon Fest that is a new attraction promoted by some of the Englisch and both supported and attacked by the Amish.
    • 4/5
      Murder, Plain And Simple is the first in the An Amish Quilt Shop Mystery series.

      Angie Braddock has recently broken off her wedding engagement, so when her aunt dies and leaves her her quilt shop in Rolling Brook, OH, she packs herself and Oliver, her French Bulldog, and moves to Ohio. this should be a happy time for Angie, but she soon finds out that Joseph, the Amish man who has the store next door claims that he owns the quilt shop and wants her out. On the morning of the grand reopening, Angie finds Joseph dead in her storeroom. A victim of murder.

      Not being sure if she is the primary person of interest, Angie sets out with the help of her Amish Quilting Circle sets out to clear her name. The victims brother in law, Elijah, who has spent time in prison for arson, seems to have motive to be the murderer. The real question is how did he get in the shop, as Angie and Martha who has been running the shop for a couple years, are the only ones who have keys.

      I really enjoyed this book, with it's well developed characters and story line. The author provides the reader with just enough information as to just how the Amish and Englischer coexist in a small community.

      And for me being a dog lover, I really enjoyed reading the antics of Oliver. Oliver has a fear of anything with wings. Alan must be dog lover too, as she dead on with Oliver actions.

      Looking forward to the next book, as some things took place in book 1 that will probably continue on in future books.

    • 5/5
      This brand new series introduces Angela Braddock - Ohio born, but Texas raised heroine - who returns to Amish country in Ohio to run her recently deceased aunt's quilt shop. Her aunt and her mother were both born and raised in Holmes County, Ohio, but took different paths in life. Her aunt met and married an Amish man and converted to the Amish church and lifestyle to make her life with him, while her younger sister - Angela's mom - moved to Texas and joined the socialite southern belle culture in which Angela was largely raised. Returning to Ohio when her impending nuptials are cancelled, Angela finds that she truly prefers her aunt's simple life to the Dallas society life in which she was raised. Her dog, however, is another thing. Oliver, her French bulldog, who will endear himself to animal lovers everywhere is a city dog born and bred and finds life in the country harrowing if not downright dangerous. This cozy mystery - which, of course, includes a murder and arson as a sidebar - will entertain all cozy mystery fans and keep you guessing until the very end. Looking forward to the next installment!