A Patchwork of Clues
On her morning jog, Portia Paltrow comes upon the dead body of antique store owner and college professor Owen Hill, sprawled across the back doorstep of Selma Parker’s fabric and quilt shop on Elderberry Road. The site of their Saturday morning quilting bee just became a crime scene. Violent crime is rare in the charming village of Crestwood, Kansas, and rumors are soon circulating of a burglary gone wrong. But who would rob a quilt shop? No, Owen Hill has been murdered.
Selma and her assistant manager Susan are understandably at loose ends over the crime. So, while the tightly knit covey of quilters—who range from a new mother to a wise octogenarian—work together on a Crystal Pattern quilt for Selma’s store’s anniversary, they also get busy stitching together a patchwork of clues. But they’d better work fast—before a crafty killer bolts.
Series: Queen Bees Quilt Shop – Book #1
Author: Sally Goldenbaum
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Hobby/Writer
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Page Count: 155
Rating:
New from Lyrical Press Sally Goldenbaum’s first book in her “Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery ” series, A Patchwork of Clues is an easy to read, entertaining book with great characters and a wonderful setting.
Portia (Po) is a woman on a mission; she is in the middle of writing a new book about famous strong women in history and their connection with Quilting. She also tries to get out and keep in shape. As an older woman, it isn’t easy to stay fit, busy, and happy all at the same time, but she is making it work.
Po’s Quilting group meets every week to create works of art, catch up with each other, and spend time with like-minded people. The fact that their age range is very wide, they are close and comfortable with each other and accept each of them for who they are and who they want to be. All the characters in this book are interesting, the kind of people most of us would like to have as friends. Warm, caring, giving, and filled with a sense of purpose; each character adds a facet to the story that makes it worth reading.
The murder, on first impression, appears unpretentious; however, as the story progresses, readers begin to realize that it is far from simple and at its heart, is sinister and complicated. The reveal of the killer and the motive are a head-shaking moment that is very believable, even ordinary, with just enough unhappiness to make us realize that life can be messy and sad.
Although A Patchwork of Clues is on the slow side, it isn’t uncommon for a first book in a new series, but it certainly could have used more action and less description. The first book sets up the characters, locations, and overall what readers can expect from the sleuth, motives, and murders in future books. Overall, this is a pleasant first book in a new series, and I expect it will get better with each new addition.
Readers who enjoy A Patchwork of Clues may also enjoy Kaitlyn Dunnitt’s writer inspired “A Deadly Edits Mystery” series or Peggy Ehrhart’s knitting thrilling series “A Knit & Nibble Mystery”.
About the Author:
Sally Goldenbaum is the author of more than three dozen novels; most recently, the USA Today bestselling “Seaside Knitters Society Mystery” Series, including the Thorpe Menn nominated “How to Knit a Murder.” The series is set in the fictional town of Sea Harbor, MA. She also writes the Queen Bees Quilting Mystery Series.
Sally was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, raised her family in Prairie Village, Kansas, and now lives in Gloucester MA with her husband, Don.
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