Welcome to San Fernando Valley, California, where Martha Rose and her coterie of quilters are enjoying life on the good side of retirement--until murder pulls a stitch out of their plans. . .
Martha and her besties Lucy and Birdie are set to expand their Quilty Tuesdays by inviting newcomer Claire Terry into their group. Though at forty Claire's a tad younger than their average age, her crafty reputation could perk up their patchwork proceedings, especially as they prepare for the fancy quilt show coming to town. But when they arrive at Claire's home and find her dead inside the front door, and her exquisite, prize-winning quilts soon missing, Martha is not one to leave a mystery unraveled. Especially if she wants to stop a killer from establishing a deadly pattern. . .
"Mary Marks had me on pins and needles and wanting to wrap myself up in a warm quilt while reading her cozy debut!" --Lee Hollis, author of Death of a Chocoholic
"Mary Marks has stitched together a very clever plot with a cast of engaging characters in this funny, fast-paced debut mystery. I loved Martha Rose and her posse of crime-solving quilters and can't wait to read what they're up to next!" --Laura Levine, author of Killing Cupid
This one fell flat for me. The beginning was slow and fairly boring. The mystery aspect did pick up but I didn't particularly like Martha or the love interest. I did enjoy the way in which the mystery was solved and how she figured it out - it was rather unique to write messages, stories into her quilts in braille. and I really enjoyed how that all came together. I guess the main issue is that by the end of the novel, I felt more connected with the dead woman, Claire. Her life and subsequent death and the circumstances surrounding her, were a way more fascinating and riveting story. On the other hand, I didn't care for Martha at all. I didn't care about her life story and her thoughts felt very messy - Martha's not the kind of person I'd be friends with - she just felt weak to me. I did like the supporting cast of Birdie and Lucy and the rest of Lucy's family but they certainly weren't unique enough or vibrant enough to make it worth reading. This isn't bad. It's just not anything to rave about. It's a bit more technical than the [b:Quilt or Innocence|13006585|Quilt or Innocence (A Southern Quilting Mystery, #1)|Elizabeth Spann Craig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327561763l/13006585._SY75_.jpg|18167962] series and for a cozy mystery a lot longer than normal. Or at least felt like it was. Unfortunately I felt every bit of that extra length.
