Quilt City Murders: A Hadley Carroll Mystery

by Bruce Leonard

Quilter Hadley Carroll thinks her life can’t get any worse after being demoted from reporter to newspaper courier and having her fiancé, Matt Ackerman, dump her without explanation. But then, while chucking a sack of newspapers into the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky—known as Quilt City—she finds Matt’s body snagged under the transient dock. She knows she’ll never find peace if she doesn’t figure out why he left her and who killed him, so she gets to work.
As QuiltWeek Paducah, the largest quilting event in the world, approaches, then fills the small town with 30,000 textile connoisseurs, quilters turn up dead. Paducah’s mayor tries to instill calm as citizens panic, protests flare up, and visiting quilters flee by the thousands.
Despite grieving the loss of Matt, Hadley perseveres, strengthened by her troubled upbringing and aided by her weekly quilting group. She uses her investigative skills and impressive intellect to solve the murders, to bring peace back to her hometown, and to get a good night’s sleep—finally.

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2023

About the author

Hello, Readers,

An Amazon reviewer wrote the following about Quilt City Murders, the first Hadley Carroll Mystery, named Best Mystery of 2022 by the National Indie Excellence Awards:

“I love a good mystery, and this is definitely one. The characters are believable. The dialogue is clever. The setting is perfectly described. The world of quilting is flawlessly portrayed from quilters' quirky ways to brilliant descriptions of fiber art. The plot is well woven and keeps the reader guessing. The author’s use of English Language was very entertaining for a Grammar Nerd like me. It left me wanting more.”

An appreciative fan of the Hadley Carroll Mystery series wrote:

“Thank you for creating a world that feels this alive and characters who feel like real people. Hadley isn’t just solving crimes. She’s healing, growing, and pulling all of us along with her. I don’t say this lightly: your work matters. And it’s clear your heart is in every word.”

Quilt City Murders is a thoughtful, character-driven cozy mystery featuring an intelligent, emotionally complex heroine, rich community ties, found family, and a story that delivers warmth, grief, humor, and justice.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

Cozies with depth and real-world stakes that feature a strong sense of place and a found family

Strong, witty female protagonists who lead with empathy and intelligence

Small-town mysteries in which relationships matter more than clues

Across the series, Hadley navigates grief, anxiety, complicated family bonds, civic responsibility, and an evolving relationship with Detective Brandon Green. The mysteries unfold against the backdrop of real-world challenges, but violence is minimal, relationships are treated with care, and emotional truth matters as much as clues. Many readers have said the the humor in the series is its most-memorable element.

And then there are the countless jokes and dozens of delicious recipes inside of Quilt City Cookbook, narrated by Hadley at her funniest and most vulnerable.

Multiple award-winning Hard Exit is the most personal of the seven novels I've written. It takes place in Malibu and south Los Angeles and is narrated by grieving private eye Jack Drake, who lives in a Malibu beach mansion with movie star Amanda Bigelow.

Unlike the Hadley novels, Hard Exit isn't a cozy mystery. It contains cursing, a sex scene, and some violence. However, fists don't fly every twenty pages, and Jack doesn't subdue half a dozen armed foes with his wits and a handful of wet pork rinds.

I think Hard Exit—a love story wrapped in a murder mystery, and vice versa—will appeal to a broader readership than the Hadley novels. I hope you enjoy it.

The audiobooks of the first five Hadley novels are available now, as is the audiobook of Hard Exit. The audiobook of Quilt City: Payment Declined, the sixth Hadley Carroll Mystery, will be available soon-ish.

All of my books are available through my website, https://bruceleonardwriter.com
and the usual channels.

Please follow my author page at: https://www.amazon.com/author/brucele...

Thank you tremendously for your support.

All the best,

Bruce

Reviews

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work of fiction is set in my hometown of Paducah KY. Ironically, I read it one week after this year’s Quilt Week. Apparently the author lived here for a short amount of time and was/is quite familiar with the city & its businesses. He is sure to mention many local businesses, only changing the names or locations of a few. One thing I didn’t like was that he painted the city’s police department in a bad light. He made up for it at the end, or attempted to. Even so, it was in poor taste. He should’ve made them sound as good as they are, and not venture in to the territory of making them (or at least a few of the officers) sound bad. Overall, a fairly good story. Paducah Police officers should not have been painted as villains in the story. Also, Thankfully, the town is much safer than it is portrayed in the book, and PPD (along with the county Sheriff Dept) keeps it that way.
The.book held my attention and I didn’t predict the ending.

[Jeannie Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quilter loves this book!

It was so well written, and the ending was a surprise, which is always good in a mystery. But the best things were all of the correct references to quilting.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of characters and I sometimes had to go back to figure out who they were referring to. But I loved the story, the mystery, and the setting. I will definitely be reading the rest in the series.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quilt City Murders is a delightful start to the Hadley Carroll Mysteries series. With a strong, relatable protagonist, an engaging mystery, and a unique setting, it’s an enjoyable read for fans of cozy mysteries and amateur sleuths. The combination of quilting and crime adds a fresh twist to the genre, and the book is well worth reading for those looking for a cozy yet gripping mystery. It sets up the potential for future books in the series, and readers will likely look forward to following Hadley on more adventures.

[Debbie Vetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, Didn't Guess Who Dunnit

Hadley is a smart young woman who's like a dog with a bone. Guess that's from bring a newspaper reporter. Hadley was slapped around, literally and figuratively, by her boss, a policeman, finding the love of her life floating by the boat ramp, having friends and others murdered. Playing Sherlock Holmes she figured out a lot without having privy to other information. Great story. Looking forward to Book 2. Thank you for introducing us to Hadley.

[Carolyn Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was okay. I was surprised that a male author would tackle a quilting mystery. I expected a cozy mystery but it was more traditional. I do have a question: do quilters really buy fabric by the bolt?? I normally buy yards, but not full bolts.

[Jody Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complicated.

Love a good mystery, and I enjoyed reading the relationship develop between characters. This story line is complicated. There are lot of murders, characters and clues to track. I enjoy quilting and recently visited Paducah and the National Quilt Museum, so I especially enjoyed these references. As the story unfolds, it all aligns and the final reveal works.

[Renee T. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got surprised

During the first few chapters the characters see url at to me. Or boring. Can't quite get a word for it. After a few more chapters that feeling seemed to evaporate and I was left with a sincere interest in finishing the book. Ends up that I liked it and I'm thinking about continuing with the series. Nice surprise.

[Antoinette Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great murder mystery

I enjoy a great murder mystery which his is. As a quilter who has been to Paducah, visited several fabric stores and the Quilter’s museum there, it gave the book another dimension why I enjoyed it so much.

[Terri McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

This may be a duplicate review. Not sure if the 1st one posted or got lost in cyberspace!

For a murder mystery, this was the funniest comedy I've read in years! Starts slowly but gain lots of momentum quickly and never lose it.

Fun to read! Loved it!

[Pat Brammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Story keeps you interested.
Look forward to reading more from the author.
Good to see a quilt themed mystery.
Must read

[Marlyn G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quilting and death.

Loved the intriguing story lines in this book. The characters are enjoyable. Descriptions of quilting events and quilt supply hoarders is accurate!

[kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific first book in a series. Introduces you to the main characters, which are well developed. Great storyline.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book while quilting - needed something light to have on in the background. Listening to books is not my favorite way to enjoy books, but it served the purpose.

[Debra Stockton · Rating 5 out of 5]

snappy dialogue

Great story with good writing and some excellent literary allusions. This was a good start to a series. Keep em coming!

[Rebecca Purdue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will fully admit that I am not a fan of men writing in women’s voices, usually. Sometimes I’m surprised. This time, I wasn’t.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book especially since I've been to Paducah's AQS quilt show many times. I want to try the pizzas at Mellow Mushroom now! Lol!

[Myrna Mentzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book, a lot of senseless murders, but the title tells you that. Audio book for me.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

good read. just went for a visit here last year and love the references. even went to Hancock fabrics.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully fun read

Murder is murder but this on has quilters in it with bodies wrapped in colorful fabric. Journalism is a hard business to be in right now.

[Ronda Van Dyke · Rating 5 out of 5]

great writing

Kept ya thinking and entertaining. Very good message and fun too! Love the laughs Great mystery and a little love

[Janet Bontke · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun read

Full of twists and turns. Definitely wasn’t who I thought the murderer was!!! Fun book to read !!! Enjoyable style