The Quick and the Thread: An Embroidery Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

I have read many books in the "craft mystery" sub-genre and have gotten a bit jaded. But this book, bought on impulse, was far better than many of them. The dialogue was witty without being contrived, the characters were well-crafted and the plot intriguing. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series to be released.

An Embroidery Mystery
Release Date August 3, 2010
Obsidian
First in a Brand New Series

Marcy Singer packs up her life in San Francisco, including her Irish Wolfhound, Angus and moves to Tallulah Falls, Oregon, at the urging of her friend Sadie to fulfill her dream of owning a needlework shop called The Seven Year Stitch. Sadie and her husband Blake own MacKenzies' Mochas down the street from Marcy's store.

A big grand opening is planned and the whole town is invited. As the party gets going the store's former tenant, who appears to have had way to much to drink, is following Marcy around slurring that he has something very important to tell her. Other guests keep rescuing her from having any conversation with Mr. Enright. The party ends and Marcy can't wait until the next day as her business actually opens. People have signed up for all the classes she has offered and she is excited that her dream is finally coming true.

When Marcy and Angus arrive at the store, the dog runs to the storeroom door and starts pawing at it feverishly. Marcy opens the door to see why Angus is causing such a fuss, she screams as she find the former tenant, Mr. Enright on the floor. At first she thinks he had just passed out there during the party, the smell is awful he must have thrown up, she notices he scratched a message on the floor with a tapestry needle and that the storeroom is quite a mess. She finally realizes that the man needs help and calls the paramedics. They arrive and that is when she learns poor Mr. Enright was not just passed out, he was indeed dead. Her beautiful new shop has become a crime scene and she has become a murder suspect.

Before Marcy finds herself embroidered into a corner at the local jail she has to stitch together all the pieces of this darn mystery and find the real killer.

I LIKED IT !!!!

This was a fun little mystery, I had to refresh my memory about the term "straw buyers", but the plot was very interesting and a little scary as we see how easily identity theft can happen. The characters were well developed but with definitely more for us to learn as the series continues. I hope Marcy's mother is featured more in future stories, she sounds like a hoot! The next installment entitled "Stitch Me Deadly" is set for release in February 2010.

About this Author from Amazon.com:
Amanda Lee is the lady next to you in the grocery line or car pool. She has twins: one boy and one girl; she's a baseball fan, she likes to decorate cakes, she rocks at Guitar Hero... Oh, and she likes to think about murder. But it's okay! She only writes about murder...a lot!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian, a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This book is the first in a series about female-sleuth Marcy Singer.

Marcella (aka Marcy) is an accountant living in San Francisco who yearns for yarn: she really wants to own an embroidery shop. One day she gets a call from her former college roommate Sadie who lives in Oregon: the hardware store next to Sadie's coffee shop has gone out of business, and Sadie thinks it would be the perfect opportunity for Marcy to open her dream store.

Marcy decides to go for it, moves herself and her dog to Oregon, and names her shop `The Seven Year Stitch' since she is a fan of classic movies.

Soon opening day arrives and Marcy's shop is full of customers purchasing supplies and signing up for classes. That same evening she has a grand opening party, and many of the townspeople are there including former proprietor Timothy Enright of the hardware store that used to occupy Marcy's store.

He says he must speak to Marcy. But he is slurring his words so she thinks he is drunk and avoids him all evening. The next morning she finds the words "Four Square Fifth W" scratched onto a storeroom wall by a tapestry needle. The person who did that, Timothy Enright, is lying dead in her storeroom.

I found this book to be entertaining. Marcy is persistent in trying to find out both who killed Timothy Enright and what the mysterious message means. She goes by the old saying: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer".

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 20 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars