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

by Amanda Lee

[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.