Claire Weatherly is the owner of a gift shop in Heavenly, Pennsylvania, which is a mostly Amish town. Her gift shop has become a safe haven for her since she's settled into the town with her aunt Diane, who owns Sleep Heavenly, the town's inn. She, along with the rest of the townspeople, is getting ready for the annual Amish Food Festival, where local Amish flavours will be displayed. But that's not the only thing that has the town buzzing. Toy manufacturer Rob Karble has decided to start a new line of toys based on Amish toy designs, and he's in town to discuss this with local Amish toymakers and designers.

However, the atmosphere at the Food Festival gets a bit less festive when Karble's body is found. Immediately, suspicion is cast on two Amish men -- Daniel, a toymaker; and Isaac, who works with Daniel and designs toys. While Detective Jakob Fisher (who was baptised Amish, but then left the religion) begins his investigation, Claire is determined to prove that an Amish person could not have possibly killed anyone. Claire's parallel investigation helps Jakob as many Amish people are reluctant to talk to him since he left the Amish, especially since his investigation is targeting fellow Amish people. However, since Claire has been a friend to the community since she moved there, people are willing to confide in her.

Claire also gleans information from guests at Sleep Heavenly, where she helps her aunt. Rob's widow and one of their employees are still staying there while the investigation continues, and Claire is able to get valuable information that points to a motive. However, revealing the motive could mean changing the course of some lives in the community, and Claire isn't sure if that's the right thing to do.

ASSAULTED PRETZEL is a nice continuation of the Amish Mystery series. The mystery itself is well-written and includes plenty of intrigue while still educating readers on Amish ways. I like that the Amish education isn't watered down or condescending, too. Detective Jakob's inner conflict is all too apparent as his own family members are forbidden from speaking to him, and Claire empathises with him as their friendship deepens. While I enjoyed the subplot that Claire was torn between two suitors, her courtship with Benjamin grew tedious quickly, so I was happy that the conflict was resolved (or seemingly so, anyway) by book's end.

Book Summary

Claire Weatherly found the simple life she always wanted when she opened a gift shop in Heavenly, Pennsylvania—a small town in the heart of Amish country. But when murder disrupts her Heavenly home, it’s up to Claire and Detective Jakob Fisher to find the not-so-simple truth.

The quiet town of Heavenly is buzzing with excitement over the latest guests at the local inn, Sleep Heavenly. Toy manufacturer Rob Karble is in town to meet the members of the Amish community who will soon be crafting a new toy line for his company. But when word gets out that Karble intends to use the Amish designs without employing the Amish to make them, someone sends the interloper to his final reward.

No one wants to believe anyone from the Amish community could commit such an act, but as Claire and Detective Fisher have learned, no one is above sin—or suspicion.