Angie's first auction may turn out to be her last—when she bids on a coat of arms that someone would literally kill to possess . . .
Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow Needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework—a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms.
Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker's invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery—or she may be the next one going, going . . . gone . . .
I loved 98% of this book. It was a return to the good parts of this series - an old mystery crossed with new elements. The first three books did this very well. The fourth fell down but the fifth picked back up and the sixth was average. This returned to the best parts of the first three books and then just fell apart. Because the motive makes absolutely no sense. I just don't get it. I enjoyed the mystery being unraveled. I enjoyed the action and the danger. And the romance between Patrick and Angie didn't bother me as it has in the past. And then. WTF? Seaward was the murderer because he wanted the documentation proving the Holgates were illegitimate? He literally said he wanted to publish this information - so why the hell do his death threats then say he'll kill anyone to reveal it? That makes absolutely fk all sense. I was expecting some spectacular reason and then it was just that. Basically he did it because he's nuts. Crazy af. Because it makes no other sense. And that annoys me. A lot. So much so that it actually detracts from my enjoyment of the other 98% of this book and is making me reconsider what rating to give. It's a solid three stars for 98%. The remaining 2% drop to 1. Or minus.
Extra thoughts.
New editor? Someone's dropping the ball. This book and the last book had continuity issues. Somewhat minor but annoying nonetheless. And noticeable enough that it's bothering me.
Angie's disregard for Sarah's safety was irritating. I felt she should've emailed him herself and left Sarah out of it. It's not like Sarah even wanted to be involved to that degree.
And I didn't really understand the relationship between Angie and Clem. Angie doesn't even really seem to like Clem and I thought she'd still be bitter about Clem outing Patrick and Skye in the last book. But no, she's accepted her back in the fold with no mention of conflict or outrage. I expected at least some sort of confrontation about her being a bitch and a bad friend.
For the sake of mostly loving this series I'm going with 3 but I'm not impressed with the plotting of this book.
