Cross-Stitch Before Dying: An Embroidery Mystery (Embroidery Mystery, #6)

by Amanda Lee

Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to find out that show biz and sew biz don't mix!

Marcy's mom Beverly is the costume designer for a lavish, Bollywood-style production...and she suggests Tallulah Falls as a great place to shoot part of the film. Everyone at the embroidery shop, and around town, is in a flutter that a glamorous movie production is taking place in their midst. But when the star of the film is found murdered, the police suspect Marcy’s mom, who made it no secret she did not care for the diva’s attitude regarding her wardrobe.

Marcy might as well issue an open call for suspects, because the star had a long list of enemies. To save her mom’s career and keep her from accessorizing with handcuffs, Marcy and her friends will need to stitch together the clues to catch one crafty killer who may have designs on Marcy next…

• ISBN10: 0451240073
• ISBN13: 9780451240071
• Publish Date: 6 August 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451240071

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Very average read. This series started out strong and has just withered for me as it's gone on. The characters and the dialogue feel flat to me, as if they're reading from a script. Even the romance isn't really much of a romance; the author tried to wring romantic tension out of a triangle that was just irritating, and once the "decision" had been made, there just wasn't anything left. There's nothing concrete to dislike about the characters, but they just down make me want to sit down with them and bond.

The plot idea was fairly well done, a starlet pushed to her death and Marcy's mother being heard arguing with her just before. No concrete evidence to tie anyone to the murder. However, the author wrote in a scene that made the murderer obvious to me from the very beginning and I couldn't actually entertain any of the other suspects as possibilities. Usually that doesn't mean anything for me - I really enjoy the whole story. But this time, without being engaged in the characters much, reading to the end felt like a bit of a chore, and I was relieved when I reached the end.

None of this might sound like a book worth recommending, but I would advise any reader to try at least one of the books in the series (the first one was the best, I think). I feel like my ambivalence is probably just a matter of personal taste and not necessarily meant as a condemnation of the whole series. But I'll not be continuing on after this book.