Review: A Crafter Quilts a Crime by Holly Quinn


Perfect for fans of Betty Hechtman and Maggie Sefton, Holly Quinn's third Handcrafted mystery aspires to wrap you in its warmth.

Community Craft proprietor Sammy Kane must piece together a patchwork of clues when a "live" mannequin ends up stone-cold dead.

Snowcapped pines and glittery dusted sidewalks adorn tranquil Heartsford, Wisconsin, while residents cuddle beneath heirloom quilts in front of cozy wood fires. But come the next day, the below-zero temperatures won't keep the locals away from Heartsford's annual Fire & Ice event. To boost customer traffic at Community Craft's one-night-only sale, Samantha "Sammy" Kane persuades a few of the craftspeople who sell their wares at the store to participate in a live mannequin window display contest.

Local quilter Wanda Wadsworth emerges as a favorite to win the contest, as she manages to not move a muscle for an unusual amount of time. Onlookers outside the window try everything to get her to crack--tapping on the glass and making funny faces--but nothing disrupts Wanda's stillness. When the eagle-eyed spectators realize Wanda isn't breathing, a blanket of grief and fear descends upon the wintry town.

Detective Liam Nash can't seem to piece the clues together. Fortunately, Sammy's cousin, Heidi, and her sister, Ellie, are on hand to reconvene their detective team, S.H.E. They set out to solve Wanda's untimely death before the case grows as icy as a sub-zero Wisconsin winter. But they are all too aware that the killer is too close for comfort.

My Rating: 3/5

A light and fun read with just the right amount of suspense to keep me hooked. 

Though I do have to admit the beginning of the book threw me a little bit. I'm not sure whether it was the style of writing or the point of view in which the story has been written, but once I got through that initial reaction I found myself enjoying the story and the interaction between Sammy and Detective Nash.

Can they get to the bottom of who killed Wanda? And where is her husband?

Publication Date: 11 Feb 2020
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Format: Hardcover
RRP: $26.99 USD

I received an ebook from the publishers via NetGalley for the purposes of a review, this review is my own personal view and is not required to be positive. 

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