Cross Stitch Before Dying

An Embroidery Mystery #6

by Amanda Lee

Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to find out that show biz and sew biz don't mix!

Marcy's mom Beverly is the costume designer for a lavish, Bollywood-style production...and she suggests Tallulah Falls as a great place to shoot part of the film. Everyone at the embroidery shop, and around town, is in a flutter that a glamorous movie production is taking place in their midst. But when the star of the film is found murdered, the police suspect Marcy’s mom, who made it no secret she did not care for the diva’s attitude regarding her wardrobe.

Marcy might as well issue an open call for suspects, because the star had a long list of enemies. To save her mom’s career and keep her from accessorizing with handcuffs, Marcy and her friends will need to stitch together the clues to catch one crafty killer who may have designs on Marcy next…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Romance, Crafts, Contemporary

310 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 6, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Amanda Lee is a pseudonym of Gayle Trent.

Series:
* Embroidery Mystery

(from Gayle Trent's webpage)

"Thank you so much for stopping by my site!

I live in Southwest Virginia with my husband and two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. I’m a full-time writer/editor/mom/wife and chief cook and bottle washer, and I love every minute of it. Okay, not the bottle washing so much, but the rest of it is great.

I’m happy to introduce you to my latest characters, cake decorator Daphne Martin and embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer.

Read more about Daphne and Marcy at my blog.

Who’s Amanda Lee?

Amanda Lee is a pseudonym Gayle is using for the new cozy mystery series featuring a heroine who owns an embroidery shop. The series is set on the Oregon Coast and features Marcy Singer, a spunky, thirty-something, entrepreneur who is handy with a needle.

Drop me a Line or join me on Twitter!

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. It’s got it all, petite and curious embroidery shop owner, cop boyfriend, helpful friends and neighbors, cozy small town setting, mysterious murder and surprise ending. Best of all, instead of the usual nosy but indifferent cat lurking around there is Angus, a lovable Irish Wolfhound. Cozy fans will enjoy this one.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying this series. It is such a quick read. The characters are very likeable and Ted and Marcy are so cute. I did have to yell at Marcy a little because she didn’t catch in to the murderer when I did. Looking forward to reading more.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG this book left me starving! Marcy describes almost every meal she eats over the course of this book, and most of it sounds amazing! I had a really nice lunch today while reading, but I'm still hungry after I finished up this book lol.

In terms of the actual book though, the writing seems a little stilted and boring to me. There's too much 'then we did this and this happened' going on. It was also almost comical as to 'whodunnit' and I guessed that secret way too early on. It was all just too convenient!

But hey, there's a gorgeous dog, a likeable romance, cross stitching and a character with good friends and family to count on. All of these things added up to more stars than not, and really made the book for me. Four stars.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery! I love these types of cozies. Strong characters like Marcy and Ted kept me reading. The embroidery shop is really cute and makes me want to work on a cross-stitch kit.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really good installment in this cozy series so far. Don't know what else to say that I haven't said already. The characters I still like, the mystery was also good. I also like that we got to Marcy's mom in this one.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character,Marcy Singer's mother comes to town with a movie crew. When the leading lady is killed Marcy's mother is the main suspect. Marcy of course starts asking questions so she can help her mother. The book was an easy read.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcy’s mom Beverly is the costume designer for a lavish, Bollywood-style production…and she suggests Tallulah Falls as a great place to shoot part of the film. Everyone at the embroidery shop, and around town, is in a flutter that a glamorous movie production is taking place in their midst. But when the star of the film is found murdered, the police suspect Marcy’s mom, who made it no secret she did not care for the diva’s attitude regarding her wardrobe.

Marcy might as well issue an open call for suspects, because the star had a long list of enemies. To save her mom’s career and keep her from accessorizing with handcuffs, Marcy and her friends will need to stitch together the clues to catch one crafty killer who may have designs on Marcy next…

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I love this series and this book has been screaming from my shelf since it arrived. When the next installment, Thread End came out this month I knew I needed to get my butt in gear and catch up on what was happening with Marcy and Angus, her Irish wolfhound right away.

This time Marcy’s mom brings Hollywood to Tallulah Falls and all heck breaks loose. Before they even arrive Ted, Marcy’s cop boyfriend, is chasing a gunman through the streets. Then the movie people come to town and a young starlet is found dead shorty after arguing with Beverly, Marcy’s mom.

It isn’t long before the Seven Year Stitch Sit and Stitch area becomes command central for the Marcy, the Inch High Private Eye, and her friends to try to stitch all the clues together. With all the movie people in town there are plenty of suspects, the murder definitely has to be one of them right??

Amanda Lee has crafted another great story.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcy Singer and her Seven Year Stitch embroidery shop set in Tallulah Falls, Oregon, are at the center of still another mystery.

Her mother, Beverly, a costume designer who lives in San Francisco, has taken on another project with a movie producer, and Marcy and some friends have been invited to help with the designs.

When the movie production people show up in Tallulah Falls to shoot some of the scenes, a murder occurs, shutting down production and leaving everything up in the air regarding the movie. The disaster brings the spotlight into Marcy's comfortable life and shines itself on her mother.

Will Marcy find herself in the middle of still another mystery which only she can help solve? And when still another murder stuns both Marcy and her mother, what drastic actions will Marcy take next?

While I do enjoy Marcy and her friends, her dog Angus, and her boyfriend Ted, there isn't a lot to sort out in this story. It is pretty predictable and the "who-dunit" portion of the novel isn't much to ponder. I had my eye trained on the killer early on, primarily because he was one of those characters that kept popping up and seemed entirely too ingratiating.

The ending of "Cross-Stitch Before Dying: An Embroidery Mystery" was wrapped up a little too quickly, once everything started coming together, and the author was "telling" us about events rather than showing us. What I do enjoy about this series is the characters, their lives, and the dialogue between them. So I'll keep reading, even when the story doesn't offer many surprises. Four stars.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and revisiting it's characters. Marcy's mom comes to town with a movie set and what seems like a dream for some turns into a nightmare. A body is found and fingers are pointed at Marcy's mom. The only problem I had with this is first the book is hard to describe, I felt that I couldn't get a flow in parts. Marcy's mom who is usually a strong woman just seemed to flake out in this one, she just didn't seem in character for me, but this was minor, I still enjoyed her. I also don't need reminded on what Marcy is working on constantly, just say she's working on her project, I don't need mauve pillowcase every time, once again minor irritation. The mystery was excellent, I guessed right with one part but couldn't tie it in. The explanation at the end made sense. It really had me second guessing and bouncing back a forth with suspects, and there were enough to choose from. I will definitely continue on with this series.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first cozy series I started, some two years ago. Needless to say, I found myself distracted by so many other cozies and also, my library doesn't have this series in its stacks. I had used the Interlibrary Loan services to read the prior books in the series.

To me, this book reminded me of how a cozy should be.... A great plot, nice character development, romance that complements, but doesn't overshadow, the mystery and strong proofreading/editing. As more and more cozies are being self-published without proper proofing and editing, and the number of editors dwindles at "traditional" publishing houses, I find myself getting frustrated with books lacking these important qualities. But, in the end, it is all about the mystery.. And this book definitely has it.. I've missed this series and have already made arrangements for obtaining the next one...

[Jenn C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time Marcy's mom is in the hot seat, having been accused of helping a young (and annoying) starlet to her death. Marcy, naturally, doesn't believe a word of it and sets about proving her mom's innocence. A decent read, but not the best of the series. The ending in particular was very rushed - the last four pages were all tell and no show.

Still not a fan of Sadie (despite her "BFF" status with Marcy, she has issues), and Vera was verging on the point of being annoying. I would have liked to see a little more conflict with Ted (good conflict, that is ;) but I do like his and Marcy's relationship (BTW, it's only been 6 weeks? In what, 3 books?)

[Melodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last one of these was pretty much just an okay read. This one wasn't even that. I skimmed a lot of this book. It just wasn't interesting to me. The series started off great, but has truly petered out, at least for me. Marcy has become one dimensional and Angus is the only character I can truly say I really like. Great dog! The victim was a classic trainwreck and rather boring. I'll be passing on this series in the future. Too many that are consistently good and too many new series popping up every month to try!

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as earlier books in the series. I had trouble suspending disbelief. Why was an actress with the Polish name (Babushka Trublonski) cast as an Indian Bollywood show? Why ask some inexperienced stitchers to fake traditional embroidery rather than buying from a usual source. And I almost stopped reading at "San Fran," ugh. Other than that, okay plot, lots of filler, and a very rushed ending.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do so many people have to die?? Marcy's mom gets caught up in this mystery and things just seem to keep compounding until finally the killer shows his/her hand!
I am not telling who did it, just read it! It's very good and I always love to read about Angus, the dog!

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars?

Almost everything I want to say about this is terribly snarky and unpleasant, AND YET. I enjoyed the book and I will eventually read others in the series. So it must have something going for it ;).

[Measi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad concept, but after such a drawn out plot, the ending was insanely rushed (10 pages from the whodunit lightbulb to the last page) and honestly ruined it.

[Nicole Wrightson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book went quickly again because when I had it in my hands I didn't want to put it down but at last real life sometimes plays a big part in reading. I have been doing a lot of things that takes time away from reading. I am going to work out a better way to get reading done. Right now got a pile of library books I really need to get through and this was one of them.

I finally found a place to put a book to really work on getting through it. Even if it is for a minute here and there. Like I said working on a way to better read. But this one was pretty good paced and left you trying to figure out which person could have done it. Just when you through you had something figured out, it went and changed it with some new information on you.

Mom has come to town again and has brought an entire movie production with her. But mom doesn't get along with the star and when the star ends up dead, mom ends up a good suspect for murder. But the question becomes who had a better reason for wanting the Diva dead? Twists and turns leave you wanting to hold on tight for the big revile.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I randomly picked this book from the library shelf just to try something different. It was actually very different from what I expected.
I actually don't generally like murder mysteries (with some exceptions), but I actually kind of enjoyed this book. Despite being a murder mystery, it surprisingly, had more of a cute, "feel-good" vibe to it, instead of a dark, suspenseful vibe. There were no gory or disturbing descriptions of the murders or the bodies and the setting was more friendly than I expected, but the book still leads the reader through trying to piece everything together to find the murderer. The writing style was fairly simple and I felt like it was pretty predictable in a lot of ways, but I'll probably consider reading other books in the series when I'm in the mood for a fairly quick read that's not too intense.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Lee is a great cozy writer. I really liked that there was a reasonable number of suspects. This story has Marcy's mother Beverly, a costume designer for a Bollywood film contacting her daughter for her expertise in embroidery. Marcie is learning an Indian form of embroidery called chikankari.

But the jarring thing is that Beverly is the last one to see the star actress, and is suspected of killing. Her mother's reaction to stressful situations is to withdraw and just separate herself and not talk to anyone. That just makes the police more suspicious of her.

I have not tried the type of embroidery mentioned in the book but I have a lot of experience in other times of embroidery and that really made me feel at home with the book.

An added bonus is Angus, Marcy's Irish Wolfhound adds devotion, and humor to this story.

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dove ho messo quel ricamo a punto croce che ho lasciato a metà? Inutile, tutte le volte che leggo uno dei libri di questa serie mi viene voglia di mettermi a ricamare... Nonostante io mi fermi al suddetto punto croce, che è pure citato nel titolo di questa storia.
Scherzi a parte, questa storia mi è piaciuta subito, sebbene abbia sospettato della persona giusta non appena è apparsa in scena: sto diventando troppo brava, leggendo tutti questi cozy mysteries... Però non riuscivo a capire come si collegassero l'assassinio dell'attrice con quella del ladro di banca, così un po' di suspence c'è comunque stata. Mi spiace che questa serie sia ormai terminata, sebbene io abbia ancora quattro libri da leggere: dovrò centellinarli...

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the strongest book in the series, they mystery and background stories had the potential to be interesting, though the way it was introduced stretched believablity a bit much even for a cozy, but everything felt kind of flat this time around. There was a lot more talking about what characters were doing and saying and less actual interaction between them.
The ending especially was a let down, it was abrupt and felt like to little pay off for reading through the whole story.
I still enjoyed the characters and the community, but I hope the next book picks up a bit more.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beverly, Marcy's mom, wants to recruit Reggie and Marcy to assist her with costuming a Bollywood-style movie. When the director hears from Reggie that an area near Tallulah Falls is similar to Somwarpet, where part of the movie is set crew and cast descend on the area. When Beverly is a suspect, Marcy gets busy investigating the murders.

[Toria Bedell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcella's mom asks her and a couple of friends to help her with costume for a movie. When the production comes to Tallulah falls tragedy strikes. Btru is killed while on set and Beverly is seen arguing with Babs before her death. Beverly is now a suspect.

[Rena Nowacoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a stretch to combine embroidery with movie costume design but three murders entangle Marcy’s mother as a suspect. I wish I could curl up with my needles in the stitching square and brainstorm to help solve the mystery.

[Pat Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better mystery than the last one, a 3.5 rounded up. Liked that the cast included Marcy's mom and Alfred.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way the author comes up with unconventional mysteries & then logically ties all loose ends together. This continues to be a great series!

[Linda Haring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one to read although I figured out the murderer in this characters first appearance in the story. Books make me want to start crossstitching again!

[Veronica Noechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great atmosphere, enjoyable characters, but the mystery was a little flat. It's unfortunate. I'd enjoy visiting the setting again, but I don't see myself picking up the next book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot, brilliant characters, told with warm and just enough tension to keep the reader hooked. I have to say I totally loved Archie the Irish setter.