Knot What It Seams

Southern Quilting Mysteries #2

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

"When former folk art curator Beatrice Coleman retired to Dappled Hills, North Carolina, for peace and quiet and quilting, she never expected that murder would disturb the peace... "
Dwindling membership has the Village Quilters hanging by a thread, and group leader Meadow Downey is desperate to recruit some new folks. With Beatrice's blessing, she attempts to weave frequent quilt show judge Jo Paxton into their fold. As the town's irascible mail carrier, Jo delivers trouble wherever she goes. And with all that mail at her fingertips, she knows everyone's business. Soon Beatrice wonders if they've made the right choice.
After a car accident sends Jo to meet her Maker, it's discovered someone tampered with her brakes. Meadow believes someone's out to eradicate the Village Quilters, but Beatrice isn't so sure. Now she and her fellow quilters will have to piece together the clues, or a deadly killer might strike again.... Includes quilting tips and recipes!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Crafts, Mystery Thriller, Quilting

280 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Author also writes under Elizabeth Craig

Elizabeth is the bestselling cozy mystery author of the Southern Quilting mysteries, the Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries, the Village Library Mysteries, and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. Find out more about her books and sign up for her newsletter on her website: http://elizabethspanncraig.com . Find her books on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...

Reviews

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

When former folk art curator Beatrice Coleman retired to Dappled Hills, North Carolina, for peace and quiet and quilting, she never expected that murder would disturb the peace…

Meadow Downey is on a quest to recruit new members for the Village Quilters Guild. She sets her sights on Jo Paxton, mail carrier, quilter, and judge for many of the nearby quilting contests. She is a much better quilter than mail carrier but all that mail gives her just enough information to cause trouble wherever she goes. Beatrice wonders if Jo is the right fit for the close knit Village Quilters. Before she can voice her concerns to Meadow Jo is killed in a car accident. Evidence shows that Jo’s crash was no accident – someone tampered with her vehicle. Meadow is sure someone is out to kill off the members of her guild. It is time for Beatrice to piece together some clues and pin down the killer before another quilter’s life is cut short.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
Never a dull moment in Dappled Hills. Thankfully Police Chief Downey can filter his wife’s comical hysteria and has an open enough mind to listen to Beatrice’s theories.

Beatrice has quickly made herself at home in her new town and is even learning to quilt. Meadow and Ramsey are the perfect couple. She is absolutely as crazy as the quilts she creates and always up to something. Ramsey is calm, cool and collected, and reads poetry to relax after a hard day of fighting crime. Miss Sissy is my absolute favorite character. She is off beat and unpredictable and I love her. Jo was a fabulous character as well. A true troublemaker. Too bad she had to die.

Craig’s whodunit was full of misdirection and curves with bits of humor sewn right in. There is a true Southern feel to the characters and events. More like Southern chaos instead of Southern charm. A fun and entertaining story. These are characters I can’t wait to visit again.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

the storyline for book #2 was s-l-o-w as molasses, worse than the first book! I had nothing else to read sooo I kept going. I really enjoyed the murder storyline, but like one of it's main characters, named "Meadows", the book babbles and goes every which way. Whew, tiring read....not sure I could endure another---sad

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in the series. Someone sent it to me, and I used it for a "book starting with the first letter of my name" challenge. It was an okay mystery, but there was no information given about what happened in the first book, so some parts were hard to figure out what someone was talking about.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A delightfully written cozy mystery. Great dialogue. Well thought out plot twists. Very nice indeed.

[Sharon Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in Elizabeth Craig's Southern Quilting Mystery series, and readers are again drawn into the fold of the Village Quilters Guild of Dappled Hills, North Carolina - where the gossip is good and the quilting is sublime!

This time, the super-competitive world of quilt shows is central to the story as the gals from Village Quilters coax quilt judge Jo Paxton to join their dwindling group. Jo is a well-known critic who makes the rounds of the area quilt shows, however she is not the most popular gal around - but it is still a shock when she is killed in a tragic accident. Or was it an accident after all?

It's up to Beatrice Coleman and her group of sassy seamstresses to uncover the real reason for Jo's death, and they are surprised to find suspects springing out from the most unexpected places. Can the gals sew up the mystery before anyone else is tangled in the threads of a killer?

Elizabeth Craig has created a charming world of quilting, friendship and intrigue with this series, and "Knot What It Seams" is a fun, fast-paced and intruiging tale - a great addition to this collection. The characters Elizabeth has created are quirky and personable, and who wouldn't want to live in a lovely town with the name of Dappled Hills - it just sounds idyllic!

Fans of cozy mysteries, quilting, and well-written fiction will enjoy this book, and this series! I highly recommend it, and if you missed Elizabeth's first book in the Southern Quilting Mysteries, "Quilt or Innocence," I urge you to check it as well! It's a winner as well!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I discovered this series, it has become one of my favorites. This is the second in the series of quilting mysteries. I've been reading them out of order, and you don't really need to know what happened in the first book to understand what is going on in this installment. In this one, the Village Quilters guild is looking for another member, and recruits Jo from a competing guild. Jo is not well liked, seems to know people's secrets, and pretty much puts everyone down. No surprise when Jo winds up dead. But with so many people who disliked or even hated her, the number of suspects are enormous.

Beatrice is the main character in this and the others in the series; she's a retired art curator and hopeful quilter. I enjoy the fact that she isn't some young brainless breathtakingly beautiful heroine...you can see her as a real person. Other recurring folks are really believable characters, although Meadow sometimes drives me nuts. But then, she drives Beatrice nuts too...

I'll definitely be reading more in the series.

[KyBunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series. Love the characters and the writing.

[Sue Stout]

This is the second book I've read by Elizabeth Craig. I have never written a comment before on Goodreads but felt I must about this series. I've been a quilter for years and have read other cozy mysteries with quilting as the theme which were engaging and well written. I don't recognize any of Ms. Craig's characters as authentic. Her portrayal lumps these small town women into crazy (Meadow) or egotistical women who use quilting to get the fame they seek. Others are mousey little souls. I've quilted in several cities where I've lived and found wonderful, caring women in each. I'm also retired like Beatrice, but have never had as my goal in retirement "relaxing", nor have I run into many women who have that as their goal. We have a range of interests which keep us busy.
Most quilters are very giving, generous women who love teaching others to create beauty with fabric and also give many of their works to charitable organizations. Unfortunately, I ordered the whole series on line and I'm very disappointed.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 The membership of the Village Quilters is wanting. So, in order to get new members, Meadow goes trolling the other quilting group in town (the Cut Ups). Her first prospective member is the mail carrier, Jo, who is also a quilting judge, and not liked by many people at all. When she has a car accident that is deemed a murder (brake lines were tampered with) suspects are many with all of the arguments she has had with many of her fellow quilters. There are a few likable characters in these books - Beatrice, retired folk art curator and recently moved to Dappled Hills; Ramsey, local sheriff and husband of annoying Meadow; Posy, the owner of the local yarn shop. The story line is interesting and eeps you reading. Just some of the characters are really annoying.

[Camilla Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a quilter (or even a person who likes to sew or do crafts of any sort). But I am enjoying this series. It's the mystery that I try to figure out. I do like quilts (rather than comforters), but most of mine (other than a few from grandmothers) are machine made.
The setting of the series is good, and the intrigue has me. Glad this author has written quite a few mysteries for me to read.

[Deborah Almada · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to like this series, nice southern setting, quilts, a retired Museum director, but I just can't like the main character Beatrice. She is just annoying and a little too impressed with herself and annoyed with everyone else, not a bad mystery but she's the only one who cares???? I don't think so!!!!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still think these books are off to a slow start and I'm somewhat confused by the "tips" which aren't really tips and the recipes which have less than nothing to do with the stories, but I like the supporting characters. I'm still somewhat ambivalent about Beatrice.

[Jan Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Southern Quilting Mystery book, and I will be looking for the others in the series. Very good, with twists and turns to leave you pointing the finger at several suspects right until the end.

[Mary Newcomb]

Quilt shows and guilds in the Dappled Hills NC area run differently than those in my area. Nonetheless, the quilting details seemed accurate, the characters were interesting, and the story moved along. It was a quick read, perfect for my mood just now.

[Marie]

I am learning to love these characters. I really can relate to Beatrice, I feel her pain when she tries to read! Meadow gets on my nerves a bit but she is a lovable pain! LOL....I have the next two in the series and I can't wait to dig into them!!

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first book in the series, but the characters are starting to get on my nerves in this one. Meadow is too annoying. Miss Sissy is turning into a one trick pony. I hope the next book is better or I won't be finishing this series.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good read in this fun, cozy mystery series.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy summer read. Not too much meat to the story but I did learn some quilting information that is useful.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle

[Dorothy A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this little story. So much fun and I love quilting so that made it even better. I will begin the next in the series today.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cozy mystery writer. She always keeps me guessing!

[Judy Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much Better

This book was better in that it kept me guessing. I like Beatrice, our main character. She's pretty savvy and amazingly patient with Meadow and her silly ways.

[Connie Kilp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first cozy mystery, and I would say it was a good introduction. I bought it for my love of puns and corgis, I wish I was more into quilting.

[Milicent Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute & simple who dun it weekend read. If you're a quilter you'd probably like it better then a non quilter.

[Joan Huehnerhoff · Rating 1 out of 5]

not at all what a quilting group is like.

[Suzanne Bratcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-crafted cozy mystery. A fun read for quilters.

[Kristin Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only giving this four stars cause one of the characters in the book was too annoying for me. Only took me two and half days to read. Loved reading it.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok cozy mystery

[Sam Audia · Rating 2 out of 5]

“It’s dying Beatrice! A gasping, tragic death. And it’s up to us to save it!”