The Peacemaker

The Peacemaker is the second book in an Amish fiction trilogy by Wanda Brunstetter. It is part of the Mifflin County series. I reviewed the first book in the series, The Protector, on June 1, 2024.  The Peacemaker was published two days ago on March 1, 2025.

The publisher's summary:

An Unresolved Mystery Holds an Amish Community in Limbo In book two of A Mifflin County Mystery series, Rosa Petersheim’s disappearance continues to cause suspicion and pain to swirl in the Big Valley. Ada’s best friend, Rosa, disappeared a year ago and still has not been found. In their grief and confusion, Ada and Rosa’s boyfriend, Ephraim, have grown very close. But some in the community feel Ephraim is responsible for Rosa’s disappearance. Now Rosa’s younger sister is making accusations against Ephraim that can’t be true, and he pulls away from Ada, feeling betrayed. A fire set by an arsonist might finally be the thing to reveal secrets that have long been dividing this community of friends and family. But will it be too late for love between the peacemaker and the suspect?

As usual, Wanda Brunstetter has written another heartwarming Amish tale. The missing character Rosa has deeply affected all of the characters in this story. Her disappearance has not been resolved. Her wild boyfriend Ephraim finally settled down after her disappearance. Rosa’s brother Norman refuses to believe that he isn't guilty and her best friend Ada falls in love with Ephraim. While the story is about the relationships these characters have, the Rosa thread has been written extensively into the plot. The story isn't about her though. It's about Norman and his fiance Salina, Ada and Ephraim and Norman's younger sister Susan who is just as rebellious as Rosa. 

The characters I loved the most were secondary:  Ephraim's widowed grandmother Sarah and her friend Josiah. Josiah Weaver is my favorite. He too is widowed. He needs to use a cane but has a fun personality. Josiah met Sarah while he was searching for a lost cat. He fell for Sarah right away and the two of them frequently went out together.

While Ada is the official peacemaker of the story, her mother as well as Ephraim's mother and grandmother also have this trait. Also, the story has more than a few romances going on at the same time. I think there usually is one romance per a typical Amish fiction novel but here we have several. Obviously we have Norman and Salina, Ada and Ephraim, Norman's sister Susan and her wild living boyfriend Ben, and Sarah and Josiah. There's alot of love here. . . and grief.

If you love romance you will love The Peacemaker. 5 out of 5 stars.

Shadows of Marrakech

Shadows of Marrakech was published in 2014. It is the first book of Philip Brebner's Ramzi Murder Mystery series. There are 4 installments of the series to date. I received a free copy of the book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I must say I loved it!

The publisher's summary:

Running a bed and breakfast in Riad Waqi, an old courtyard house in exotic Marrakech, is not the escape it seems for Ramzi, a disillusioned Scottish scientist. He cannot decide who are more exasperating, staff or guests, especially when one of the clients, a young Frenchman Paul Gallisot, is murdered in the city.

Up for a challenge, Ramzi turns detective and makes his own investigations into the killing, at a time when Morocco prepares for the festival of Eid and the ritual slaughter of sheep in the nation’s homes.

Paul Gallisot’s childhood links to North Africa, his enigmatic wife Nicole, and their relationship with Tahar, who is suspected of being involved in the Casablanca terrorist attacks, lead Ramzi down a path as challenging as the maze of Marrakech’s historic medina.

As Ramzi makes headway, he meets the unorthodox Dr Rashida, is bewildered by Inspector Karim, endures the prejudice of Paul’s sister, is confided a mystery by an American Bob Spasoff, and in his role as hotelier, plays havoc with Riad Waqi’s guests.

The search for motive and murderer progresses from a traditional exorcism to a journey across the Atlas to the ominous Blue Rocks near the oasis of Tafraoute. There comedy turns to tragedy as he uncovers the facts and realizes that life defies scientific logic.

The setting is the most prominent feature of the book. The sights and sounds of Marrakech are on every page. The author obviously knows Morocco and the city of Marrakech very well. I found myself excitedly perusing online maps during my read to see where all the mentioned towns and sights were located. Brebner easily describes the atmosphere and culture of this exotic setting. 

Most of the story centers round a riad, owned by our amateur sleuth Ramzi. His riad is located inside the ancient Marrakech medina. I have always wanted to stay at a riad so it was lovely to read about their decor and placement in a community. So what is a riad?  The Marrakech Riads website states that a riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an indoor garden and courtyard. They are located within the old city walls of Medina. Generally, they are fully enclosed inside with an open-ceiling structure. Usually, the indoor courtyard of these buildings are decorated with colored traditional mosaics called “ Zellij” and have marble fountains in the center with plants, trees and flowers all around. The bedrooms are often located on the second floor, while the common areas and dining rooms are located on the ground floor. 

The writing style is light and humorous making the book a fast read. The murder investigation centered on Ramzi's conversations with all of the characters. He doesn't allow his sleuthing to be noticed during the conversations so it seems to the other parties that Ramzi is just visiting with them.  No one is aware that he is investigating the murder. The ending was a surprise and, again, the setting is the main clue.

I enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to reading the additional books in the series. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Medici Return

The Medici Return is the newest and 19th installment of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone spy thriller series. The story is currently in development as a streaming series. In The Medici Return, Cotton travels to Italy in order to solve a five hundred year-old mystery.  

It is always hard to summarize a book with a complex plot so I will let the publisher summarize it for me:

Cotton Malone is on the hunt for a forgotten 16th century Pledge of Christ—a sworn promise made by Pope Julius II that evidences a monetary debt owed by the Vatican, still valid after five centuries—now worth in the trillions of dollars. But collecting that debt centers around what happened to the famed Medici of Florence—a family that history says died out, without heirs, centuries ago. 

Who will become the next prime minister of Italy, and who will be the next pope? Finding answers proves difficult until Cotton realizes that everything hinges on when, and if, the Medici return.

Former Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, has been asked to assist the Swiss guard with determining whether Cardinal Jason Richter has engaged in bribery and theft. It’s a favor for Stephanie Nelle, once his boss at the Magellan Billet, who is doing a favor for the Vatican. But nothing is as it seems. Four hundred thousand euros are found, a Swiss Guardsman is murdered, and a killer sets his sights on both Cotton and the cardinal.

Together they are thrust into a search for a forgotten document, a 16th century Pledge of Christ executed by Pope Julius II that reveals a debt owed by the Vatican, still valid after five centuries, now worth in the trillions of dollars. But when the trail to collecting that debt leads Cotton to the famed Medici of Florence—a family that history says died out, without heirs, centuries ago—he realizes that two more things also hang in the balance. Who will be the next prime minister of Italy, and who will become the next pope.

From a quiet hilltop village in central Germany, to the ancient city of Siena with its famed Palio horse race, and finally to the historic piazzas, churches, and crypts of Florence, Cotton Malone uncovers the answers, one by one, everything hinging on when, and if, the Medici return.

I have read all of the Cotton Malone books all of them have been good. The Medici Return is one of the best though. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the history of the Medici and Pazzi clans. The Pignus Christi, the Pledge of Christ, referred to in the plot is not real however. While I was still reading, I researched the pledge online and found nothing. "Pignus" is a Latin word that means "pledge" so a pignus christi is translated as the pledge of christ. In Roman law, pignus referred to a pledge given to a creditor to secure an obligation. In this story Pope Julius gave this such pledge to Giuliano de Medici in exchange for ten million flori. The Author's Note at the end of the story cleared up my question whether the Pignus Christi was real. It isn't. Berry made it up. This was creative! By the time Malone is searching for this IOU, the Medici family has died out and a man who believes he is a lawful Medici heir is also searching for it. Others who are looking for it include two powerful Cardinals, one who is striving to be the next Pope.

The pace was pleasant, neither fast nor slow. With so much history written into the novel, a slower than normal pace for a Steve Berry book was appropriate. If there was anything that bothered me it was the part where Cotton participated in a horse race in Siena called the Palio. It did not advance the plot so I am puzzled why it was inserted. Steve Berry stated that he saw this race during one of his visits to Italy and that he was fascinated by it. Maybe that is the answer to my question.

I loved The Medici Return and highly recommend it to mystery fans. 4 out of 5 stars.