Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
A Patchwork of Clues is the debut of the Queen Bees Quilt Shop series set in the small town of Crestwood, Kansas and features Portia (Po) Paltrow and her group of quilting ladies. On an early morning jog down Elderberry Road Po discovers the body of antiques owner Owen Hill wedged in the doorway of Selma Parker's quilting shop and the police are quick to claim his murder was an act of burglary gone wrong. But when Owen's lawyer Max Elliott is run down and left for dead Po begins to suspect something dangerous is happening in her charming town.
The book starts off slow with the author giving a detailed background of each of the ladies in the quilting group, but eventually weaves the diversity of each woman into the solid foundation of friendships. A steady plot offers a variety of suspects including members of the Elderberry Road beautification committee, the alcoholic security guard who patrols the shops and several disenchanted spouses.
An interesting cast of characters and a touch of romance offers up the potential for more adventures with Po and her friends.
The book starts off slow with the author giving a detailed background of each of the ladies in the quilting group, but eventually weaves the diversity of each woman into the solid foundation of friendships. A steady plot offers a variety of suspects including members of the Elderberry Road beautification committee, the alcoholic security guard who patrols the shops and several disenchanted spouses.
An interesting cast of characters and a touch of romance offers up the potential for more adventures with Po and her friends.
Kristina A. reviewed A Patchwork of Clues (Queen Bees Quilt Shop, Bk. 1) on + 1528 more book reviews
A Patchwork of Clues is a cute, lighthearted cozy mystery. Po Paltrow is a strong female character and I like that she is an older protagonist (60s). It provides a different perspective. The quilters are various ages and have diverse personalities (a character for every reader). They are friendly group of women who support each other. It is cute how Po, with help from the other ladies, is working to set up her goddaughter, Kate Simpson with Officer PJ Flanigan. The author took the time to establish the characters and describe the Elderberry Shops which is good since this is a character driven cozy mystery. The mystery was clear-cut and not the main focus of the book. The body is found at the beginning (in the first chapter), but the investigating does not begin until the second half of the book. While I knew who committed the crime, the why took longer to uncover. The quilters were eager to dig into the mystery which is obvious when they say, âLet's sleuth!â. A Patchwork of Clues needed more action which would have helped the pacing. There are plenty of cozy moments with quilting, chatting, eating, and drinking wine. I enjoyed the fabric descriptions and the information on quilting. There is mild foul language in the story. I was happy to see an epilogue that tidily wrapped up everything tidily like a beautifully bound quilt. A Patchwork of Clues has eager quilters, charming shops, serious suspects, fabulous fabrics, and a sexagenarian sleuth.
