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Thou Shall Not Grill
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Plot Summary of Thou Shall Not Grill
"

NAL, Feb 2004, 19.95, 240 pp.
ISBN 0451211158

It is a special time for the residents of Hernia, Pennsylvania, a small Amish and Mennonite town that is home to the PennDutch Bed and Board inn owned and operated by Magdalena Pontulacca Yoder. Hernia is celebrating its bicentennial anniversary and there is no room at the inn because people from all over country want to attend the events, especially the opening of the time capsule that was buried on Stucky Ridge during the 1904 centennial gala.

Before the celebration begins, one of the guests at the inn, Buzzy Porter, is found murdered near Stucky Ridge by runner by Ron Humphrey. Magdalena is asked by her brother in law, chief of police Melvin Stoltzfus to investigate and solve the murder while he is busy stumping for votes to be elected to the state legislature. Of course Magdalena makes inquiries and learns that many people believe the key to a treasure is in the time capsule and someone is willing to kill to get their hands on it. As she eliminates the suspects one by one she comes closer to a killer who will not hesitate to shoot her if she figures out his identity.

Tamar Myers has a sense of humor and she uses it in various conversations the heroine has with the suspects. Readers will find themselves crying tears of laughter. Long time fans of this series know that Magdalena is not hesitant about expressing her opinions nor is she above charging her guests for services they should not pay for and for the first time her guests call her on it and the results are shocking. THOU SHALL NOT GRILL is a mystery lover's delight.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Thou Shall Not Grill
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - very humorous
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Kind of investigator - amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in that culture
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Mid-Atlantic states

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Thou Shall Not Grill
Lethal Risk by W.H. Watford
Pasta Imperfect by Maddy Hunter
The Shadow of Venus by Judith Van Gieson
The Bar Mitzvah Murder by Lee Harris
Bush Poodles Are Murder by Lou Allin


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