Broken Melody

Broken Melody photo

When you join Amish Inn Mysteries, you'll automatically receive exciting new stories beginning with this book. Frequency of shipments noted by media type. Cancel anytime.

Choose an option

Choose one of the options above!

When a nationally televised singing competition comes to Pleasant Creek, Indiana, it's music to Liz Eckardt's ears. Business is booming all over town, especially at her bed-and-breakfast, the Olde Mansion Inn. Two talented sets of songsters are packing her house, and she is happy to offer them the practiced rhythm of her hospitality.

But it soon becomes clear that not all of Liz's guests are in tune with each other. The tone darkens when flyers protesting the event appear on windshields, and business owners - including Liz - receive threatening calls. Even Material Girl Opal adds her voice to the chorus of dissent. Later, acts of sabotage occur, clearly designed to make the contestants sing the blues. Is the villain a solo act, or is there a concerted effort to bring down the curtain on the show? 

Meanwhile, an eccentric woman belts out some awful accusations at Liz's dear friends and tenants, Mary Ann and Sadie. She seems determined to settle a score. But Liz can't help suspecting that not only does she march to the beat of a different drummer, she might be orchestrating all the sour notes sounding around town.

With the help of Beans the dog and her own girl group, Liz must figure out how to restore harmony to Pleasant Creek before someone stops the music, for good.

The Characters

Liz always loved and admired her mother, Abigail. She was an amazing, hard-working woman and role model. It is no surprise Liz inherited Abigail's determination and strong work ethic, earning Liz a successful career as one of Boston's most prominent attorneys. But even so, at 40 and with Abigail's recent death, Liz is running on empty.

When she inherits an old diary from Abigail's childhood after her mother's passing, Liz is stunned to read about the life Abigail had growing up in an Amish community. She'd never mentioned any of it to Liz. Ever. Why would her mother keep such a big secret?

Determined to find out what caused Abigail to abandon her Amish life at the age of seventeen, Liz leaves Boston and moves to her mother's hometown of Pleasant Creek, Ind. While she settles into the quaint and friendly community as the new owner of the Olde Mansion Inn, Liz is careful to keep her connection to the Amish a secret ... at least for now.

Will Liz's journey bring her the answers she longs for about her mysterious heritage ... or send her straight into harm's way?

Liz didn't realize when she bought the inn that she was also "inheriting" the resident lazy-yet-lovable English bulldog, Beans. She doesn't have the heart to give him away, so she adopts him into her new life. Although he spends most of his time sleeping by the front door, Beans still manages to get mixed up in the mysteries of Pleasant Creek.

Known for her delicious home-baked apple pies and impressive quilting skills, Mary Ann is one of Pleasant Creek's most loved citizens. She is also the proud co-owner of Sew Welcome, the fabric shop located on the first floor of the Olde Mansion Inn. Having lived in Pleasant Creek all her life, can Mary Ann help Liz learn more about their Amish neighbors and track down the true identity of her mysterious family?

An accomplished and sometimes wildly creative quilter, Sadie co-owns Sew Welcome with Mary Ann. Shrewd, and salty-tongued, 70-year-old Sadie says exactly what she thinks, which sometimes lands her in hot water. Sadie takes a liking to Liz right away, often treating Liz like one of her own children. With a bit of a reputation for being a busybody, Sadie always seems to know everything going on in Pleasant Creek. It's nearly impossible to keep a secret around her, but Liz must be careful not to reveal her real reason for coming to Pleasant Creek until the time is right.

Jackson is the handsome mayor of Pleasant Creek who also owns Cross Furniture Co., a local business that employs many of the Amish men in the area to help handcraft high-end wood furniture. Jackson is well-liked in the community and stays very involved in everything that goes on in town. From the moment they meet, he is attracted to Liz, but senses there is more to her than meets the eye.