14 June 2012

Just finished reading...

Quilt or Innocent (Southern Quilting Mystery #1) by Elizabeth Craig.

The protagonist of this charming new series is Beatrice Coleman, who has just retired from a demanding job as folk art curator at an Atlanta museum.  Although she's moved to a cottage in a tiny town called Dappled Hills in North Carolina to be near her daughter, she intends to spend the bulk of her time in a chaise longue, sipping tea and reading. 

But her plans are thwarted, when, in the midst of her unpacking, what appears to be a crazy woman knocks on her door and announces that she's come to rescue Beatrice.  The visitor turns out to be her neighbor Meadow Downey, an aging flower child, wife of the local police chief, and president of the Village Quilters guild.  Meadow and the other members of the guild (including Beatrice's daughter Piper) are determined to keep Beatrice from being lonely, though the new retiree is certain that solitude is what she wants.

The storybook town has plenty of eccentric residents, but they are credible, and their eagerness to involve Beatrice in their activities can be attributed to the fact that Piper has lived there for some time.   Beatrice finally succumbs to her new neighbors, realizing that they'll keep pestering her until she gives in.  As a folk art specialist, she's interested in what the women are creating.  Certain that she has no talent for the craft herself, she finds herself being persuaded to give it a try.

Posy, proprietor of the  local quilt shop, Posy's Patchwork Cottage, is a member of the group.  Judith, the owner of the   the owner of the space occupied by the shop talks about evicting her in favor of someone who will pay more rent.  Posty is upset by this, and the meeting ends on a tense note .  The next day Beatrice takes her corgi out for an early walk in the park, and comes across Judith's body lying in a pool of blood. 

Because of their public disagreement, Posy is the prime suspect.  The Village Quilters disagree, and with Beatrice as their "ringleader", they set out to find the real killer. 

Readers of cozies and craft mysteries should enjoy this quirky cast and gently humorous story.


FTC Full Disclosure:  Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of the book to review.

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