Dairy, Dairy, Quite Contrary

April 15, 2022
Lillard introduces a new heroine while keeping her focus on all things Amish. Sissy Yoder isn't Amish, but her parents used to be. So when she dumps her cheating boyfriend and needs a change of scene, her Amish roots provide an answer. Sissy leaves Tulsa to go help a relative in her parents' tiny hometown of Yoder, Kansas. Her irascible aunt Bethel, who owns the Sunflower Caf�, has to admit that her broken leg is slowing her down and reluctantly agrees to have Sissy work at the cafe. Though Sissy and her Yorkie, Duke, are welcomed more warmly by her cousin Lizzie, who's on bed rest until she delivers her twin babies, living without electricity and eating a high-calorie diet impel Sissy to find a place of her own. Her first friend in town is Gavin Wainwright, a reporter for the local paper to whom she's attracted as a fellow journalist--her only source of income apart from the cafe is writing an anonymous advice column in the guise of 70-something "Aunt Bess," though she can't let Gavin (or anyone) know about that. Her promising debut at the cafe is derailed when she finds Kevin, the milk delivery man, stabbed to death in the kitchen. Her newcomer status makes her the prime suspect in the eyes of Deputy Sheriff Earl Berry. As he continues to harass her, she decides to clear her name by finding the real killer. Gavin helps her investigate other possibilities, but when she finally sees the light, the killer is ready to darken it forever. A promising new sleuth whose lovable dog and incipient love interest combine nicely with Lillard's trademark Amish lore.

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