Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower is a great cozy mystery. t is part of a series. recommend that readers read them in the order of publication.

"In the second Amish Matchmaker Mystery by USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower, Millie Fisher has plenty to keep her busy through her golden years, whether it's minding a pair of rambunctious goats, meetings with her quilting circle, and matchmaking. But the witty widow always makes time to solve the odd murder..."

Millie Fisher, quiltmaker, and a possible budding matchmaker-- who also has a not-so-normal knack for figuring out murders in her small Amish village with her best friend, Lois. When a young man dies tragically in a fire, Millie's suspicions rise as she further delves into the 'accident' that took the man's life; as an 'accident' is not what it seems to be at all.

I received an ARC of this novel, and while I am familiar with Amanda Flower's work, I never read the Amish Candy Shop Mystery from which this novel is a spinoff. Diving in, the characters are well developed, and there were no sudden inflections to their demeanor throughout the story (i.e. getting out of character). Flower's strong narrative and the well-written mystery kept me properly ensconced to the very end (I did get fooled by who the murderer was, darn it all haha!).

If you're a lover of cozy mysteries, add Courting Can Be Killer to your TBR for this upcoming October!

I absolutely love this book. It made me chuckle, held my interest and left me wanting to know everything about these two ladies.
They’re brave, inexperienced, but they are not backing down from doing the right thing.
You can’t go wrong when reading a book by Amanda Flower.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. Amanda Flower has done it again with a amazing series. This book is set in Ohio, mentioning Michigan. he series is wonderful. The characters are enjoyable and funny. You never guess who did it. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page. This book is in stores for $8.99 (USD).

Courting Can Be Killer

by Amanda Flower

Millie Fisher, the “sedate Amish woman,” and Lois Henry, the “flamboyant Englisher,” join forces again to solve a murder, one quite personal to Millie. Don’t worry If you missed the first book in the Amish Matchmaker Mystery Series as author Amanda Flower is quite skilled in providing background information. There are also tie-ins to Flower’s Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series, but the two function independently of each other.

In Courting Can Be Killer, Millie and Lois were childhood friends and are now in their sixties. They are as opposite as possible, but they complement each other and prize their friendship. Lois loves being the sidekick of the “Amish Marple” and is a bonus to the relationship because she is not bound in her investigations by the strict Amish code, sometimes stretching the truth until it breaks. Her driving a car and having a cell phone are quite handy as well.

When a fire breaks out in a flea market, Millie’s “adopted nephew” Ben is found dead. Rumors spread fast in the Amish community that Ben, who recently moved to the area and is therefore considered an outsider, is responsible for the fire. The duo set out to defend the young man’s reputation. In the process, Millie comes under attack although the long-suffering Deputy Sheriff Aiden has warned her numerous times that her interviewing various suspects is dangerous. Lois, however, is delighted as she see the assault as a sign that they are getting close to discovering the murderer.

Woven into the main plot are some potential romances as Millie is known as the local matchmaker. Animals provide both chaos and humor as Jethro the potbellied pig makes an appearance, and Millie’s two mischievous Boer goats, Phillip and Peter, cause havoc and provide protection. The Amish are not immune from having dysfunctional families, and we meet several in this cozy mystery. The ending is a surprise and justice is served. The epilogue gives closure for the characters with a little positive philosophy thrown in as well, and the sound advice is from the Englischer!

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.


Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #2 in the Amish Matchmaker Mystery Series

Publication: December 1, 2020—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

“…in this life one should always be willing to take a chance and roll the dice.” She grinned. “That sounds like one of the Amish proverbs you recite all the time, doesn’t it?” “It doesn’t.” I shook my head. “Not at all.”

“I knew when my second husband bought a singing bass for our living room wall that there were no more rules when it came to good taste.”

A feeling of peace came over me. I knew the Good Lord had moved Lois to come and check on me. It gave me comfort to know this, and the fear I had been holding onto all evening started to melt away.

I was so looking forward to the second book in the new match making series and this book did not disappoint . Millie is so endearing as a character and a sleuth that I could not wait to see what she did next, The story moved along at a good pace and I was shocked at who the killer was. I highly recommend this book and series.

Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower is the second book in the cozy An Amish Matchmaker Mystery series. This series is a spin off of Amanda Flower’s cozy Amish Candy Shop Mystery series with it being set in the same Amish town but with a new lead character. Readers do not need to have read the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series to enjoy this one, although I will say it’s a fun one that I have enjoyed. As with most cozy series too each book of this series will have it’s own mystery that will be fully solved within the book so they can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so although there is character development carrying over from book to book for those who follow from the beginning.

Millie Fisher has just moved back to her Amish community in Harvest, Ohio after being gone for several years taking care of family in other Amish communities. Millie is now a widow and is a quiltmaker, that is how she makes money to pay her bills, but Millie has always considered herself to be a matchmaker. Millie doesn’t think it would be fair though to use her gift of knowing what couples will be a good match to make money and does this out of the kindness of her heart. Unfortunately for Millie she has also picked up another side hobby that is keeping her busy and that is hunting for murderers in her Amish community with her best friend, Lois, who is actually an Englischer. This time around a young Amish man, Ben Baughman, has tragically died in a fire but Millie doesn’t think this fire was just an unfortunate accident and again does her best to figure out just what happened to the young man.

The An Amish Matchmaker Mystery series is now the third series by Amanda Flower that I am following and have read all of from the beginning. This is another series that is full of wonderful characters, cute critters, a lot of quirky humor, and a great mystery held in each. I loved switching over to an Amish lead in this series that is now, as her best friend suggested, becoming the Amish Marple. There are also glimpses of the characters from Amish Candy Shop Mystery series in the stories but as I mentioned you do not need to have read that one to enjoy these. Amanda Flower always does a wonderful job with each book letting new readers learn of the characters and also refreshing who they are to the readers who follow each book. As a fan I will continue to come back each time to return to the laughs and this wonderful little community.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The mystery is well written, engaging, has good suspects, lots of clues, a couple of red herrings, and some twists to keep you guessing who the culprit is until the suspense filled conclusion. The author does a nice job of giving us well written and well developed characters who have their own personalities, quirks, and traits so they seem life like and believable.

I enjoy Millie and Lois who are so different but have gotten along and cared about each other since they were children. I also enjoy the antics of Millie's two goats Peter and Philip who give the book a little comic relief at times, and also scare off a prowler after Millie has been doing some investigating. I do like all of the characters in this series except one and that's the Bishop's wife Ruth, she acts like she is holier than though when ever someone says or does something she doesn't agree with. I look forward to reading book #3 Marriage Can Be Mischief to see what kind of mystery Millie and Lois find themselves investigating. I do hope that Ruth gets over having to be so judgmental of the other residents of town and stops acting like she's god almighty at times.

I received an ARC of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley for my honest review.

Second in the series but my first. This series is a spin of of the author’s Amish Candy Shop Series, so you may see occasionally glimpses of familiar characters. Have said that the characters for this series are fun and likable. There are only a few suspects but there are still enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone..

Millie Fisher and her goats continue their escapades in this second book in the Amish Matchmaker series, Courting Can Be Killer. And just as in the first book, Millie gets involved in helping Deputy Aiden solve the murder. Millie did not believe her friend Ben to be responsible for setting the fire at the flea market barn that took his life, so she and her Englischer friend Lois set out to prove she is right. Of course in the midst of solving the murder Millie does some matchmaking, contends with the varied opinions of the quilting circle members, and renews her childhood friendship with Lois.

This book has so much to recommend it! The story is great and ending very much unexpected. The interactions between Lois and Millie alone make this book worth the read! The complicated story woven amid the flea market vendors and staff keep you guessing throughout the book. Of course there are plenty of appearances by the residents of Harvest we've grown to love through the Amish Candy Shop series.

This book held my attention from the beginning and was read in one setting. I'm very much looking forward to more of Millie's and Lois's sleuthing and seeing how some of the stories introduced in this book might be further expanded in future books. I highly recommend this book, as well as the first in the series, and very much look forward to the next.

Millie is a hoot and I have seen references to an Amish Miss Marple, which seems apt! There are goats and an unmatched, dead man to keep everyone on their toes this time!

In this spin off of the Amish Candy Shop series, we follow MIllie, an Amish Matchmaker, hence the name of the series, The Amish Matchmaker series. We have cameos of familiar people we grew to love in the previous series, as well as, new characters.
Courting Can Be Killer is a well written cozy mystery that did not disappoint. I love Millie and her goats.
Another great read by Amanda Flower.

A good story I can't wait to read more from this author. I wish there had been more detail in some parts but a good read.

Amanda Flower has Millie Fisher, the Amish matchmaker, following the trail of who caused the death of young Amish Ben who had been forbidden to court his sweetheart Tessa by her father. Ben, died in the suspicious fire that burned down the flea market. Millie also would like to know what burned up the quilts of her Amish quilting circle in the barn. Interesting cozy about Amish family and courting customs.

Ben Baughman is determined to marry Tess Lieb but Tess's father, Tobias, has other plans for his daughter and without his blessing the marriage will not take place. Millie Fisher, the town matchmaker, is quite found of Ben and tries to find out why Tobias is against the marriage but before the reasons are exposed Ben is killed in a fire at the Flea market. Ben was a hardworking man and Millie is certain that there was some other reason that ended Ben's life. She's certain when she starts getting threats.

Love to visit Harvest, OH and the Amish residents as they interact with the Englischers. The mystery was very well-written and the characters are superb!

There is just something special about Millie, the main character in the “An Amish Matchmaker Mystery” series. In the latest addition to the series, Courting Can Be Killer, Millie finds herself caught n the middle of a matchmaking conundrum, a father who doesn't like his daughter's would-be suitor and a murder that hits far too close to home. Being retired hasn’t slowed her down, and even though she is an older sleuth, who happens to be Amish, doesn’t stop Millie from bringing a killer to justice.

Readers have to love Millie; there simply is no other choice. An older sleuth can be hard to sell to readers, but Millie, and her childhood BFF Lois, make everyone wish they could be their friend, neighbor, or relative. The two women are full of mischief and mayhem but with good hearts and a lifetime of understanding. The Amish life isn’t for everyone, yet Millie makes you want to join her. Even when there is a killer on the loose, and no one is certain when or if they will be caught, and in some cases, don’t care, the simple life Millie leads forces readers to sit back, reflect, and relax.

Suspects are few and far between; in a small Amish community, there isn’t a lot of people who would want the victim dead, but those that there are, have good motives that keep Millie and Lois on the move. The victim is young, hard-working, and not someone most people think would be murdered. Ms. Flower does a remarkable job of giving readers just enough detail and evidence that they can figure out who the killer is, as well as understanding, and at times, sympathizing with, not only the victim and suspects but with the murderer. Adding to the fact of the author’s use of an older sleuth who is Amish make this book and series magnificent and delightful.

I have one small complaint; however, there just wasn’t enough action from Millie’s fantastic goats; I adore Peter and Phillip! I am happy to recommend Courting Can Be Killer to lovers of mysteries with older sleuths, a simple life with insights into Amish life, and friends that will stay with you for many years to come.

Amanda Flower is one of my favorite authors and this new book didn't disappoint. The characters are well fleshed out and the storyline is first rate. I love that this series is a spin-off of the Amish Candy Shop series, I thoroughly all the character crossovers. The book funny, entertaining and most importantly what's good cozy should be.

Amanda Flower is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors, and she did not disappoint in this next installment of the Amish Matchmaking Mystery Series! I adore the world she has created, and I love the characters. The mystery was so much fun!

I love Amanda Flower writing and this one did not disappoint, with a good plot and prose. This is not my favorite series by the author, but there are still great characters.

Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower

Millie Fisher has plenty to keep her busy through her golden years. Such as, her mischievous goats, her Quiltingvmeetings and matchmaking, but she always has cti Meg to solve a murder.

This was a good mystery cozy. I liked the way the Amish woman and the Englisher worked together to solve a murder. Well-written with deep, intriguing characters. I will be looking forward to another book in this series. And, let’s not forget the goats. Very entertaining. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.