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A Hadley Carroll Cozy Mystery #1
Quilt City Murders
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.
But the mystery deepens when fellow quilters succumb to foul play, so Hadley must use her investigative skills and impressive intellect to connect a series of seemingly unrelated crimes.
As QuiltWeek Paducah, the largest quilting event in the world, approaches, then fills the small town with 30,000 textile connoisseurs, Paducah’s mayor tries to instill calm as citizens panic, protests flair 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 resolutely determines to solve the murders, to bring peace back to her hometown, and to get a good night’s sleep—finally.
But the mystery deepens when fellow quilters succumb to foul play, so Hadley must use her investigative skills and impressive intellect to connect a series of seemingly unrelated crimes.
As QuiltWeek Paducah, the largest quilting event in the world, approaches, then fills the small town with 30,000 textile connoisseurs, Paducah’s mayor tries to instill calm as citizens panic, protests flair 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 resolutely determines to solve the murders, to bring peace back to her hometown, and to get a good night’s sleep—finally.
Paperback
Published May 1, 2024
207 people are currently reading
2751 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Leonard
11 books67 followersHello, Readers,
My latest novel, Hard Exit, is the most personal of the five I've written. I've lived with the story and various drafts for decades. The story takes place in Malibu and south Los Angeles and is narrated by depressed private eye Jack Drake, who lives in a Malibu beach mansion with movie star Amanda Bigelow.
He's endured traumas and suffered significant losses. He's muddled through years of grief and stasis, but then Game, an at-risk sixteen-year-old, changes Jack's perspective. The two of them become friends, then try to solve a series of murders in Malibu and south Los Angeles.
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 the Jack doesn't subdue half a dozen armed foes with his wits and a handful of wet pork rinds.
I'm proud of my first four novels, but I think Hard Exit—a love story wrapped in a murder mystery—will appeal to a much broader readership. I hope you enjoy it.
After I finish the thriller I'm writing, and after I write the next Hadley novel, Quilt City: Safety Second, I'll return with the second Jack Drake Mystery: Stronger at the Break.
Stay tuned for audiobooks of the first four Hadley Carroll Mysteries, which should be released late in 2024.
All of my books are available through my website, https://bruceleonardwriter.com
and the usual channels.
Thank you tremendously for your support.
All the best,
Bruce
Please follow my author page at: https://www.amazon.com/author/brucele...
Thank you tremendously for your support.
All the best,
Bruce
My latest novel, Hard Exit, is the most personal of the five I've written. I've lived with the story and various drafts for decades. The story takes place in Malibu and south Los Angeles and is narrated by depressed private eye Jack Drake, who lives in a Malibu beach mansion with movie star Amanda Bigelow.
He's endured traumas and suffered significant losses. He's muddled through years of grief and stasis, but then Game, an at-risk sixteen-year-old, changes Jack's perspective. The two of them become friends, then try to solve a series of murders in Malibu and south Los Angeles.
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 the Jack doesn't subdue half a dozen armed foes with his wits and a handful of wet pork rinds.
I'm proud of my first four novels, but I think Hard Exit—a love story wrapped in a murder mystery—will appeal to a much broader readership. I hope you enjoy it.
After I finish the thriller I'm writing, and after I write the next Hadley novel, Quilt City: Safety Second, I'll return with the second Jack Drake Mystery: Stronger at the Break.
Stay tuned for audiobooks of the first four Hadley Carroll Mysteries, which should be released late in 2024.
All of my books are available through my website, https://bruceleonardwriter.com
and the usual channels.
Thank you tremendously for your support.
All the best,
Bruce
Please follow my author page at: https://www.amazon.com/author/brucele...
Thank you tremendously for your support.
All the best,
Bruce
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
March 9, 2022
This book took me almost 2 weeks to read. It is well under 300 pages. Books that I don't enjoy always take me a long time to read. I really had no desire to finish this book or to see how it ended. I really disliked Hadley and can't imagine reading another book with her as the main character. Most of the attempts at her being funny came across to me as her being really sarcastic and nasty.
I see quite a few 5 star reviews for this and that suprised me until I noticed that most were fellow authors from the same publisher. I am guessing the rest were family members. Yes, it is that bad. 👎
I see quite a few 5 star reviews for this and that suprised me until I noticed that most were fellow authors from the same publisher. I am guessing the rest were family members. Yes, it is that bad. 👎
April 21, 2022
I had so much fun reading Quilt City Murders.
A whip-smart protagonist, fantastic cast of supporting characters, snappy dialogue, and a mystery that kept me guessing led to me finishing this book in one sitting.
Leonard skillfully combines suspense and laughs in this well-written, surprising gem of a book that was just the escape I needed.
I suspect we'll be reading a lot more about Hadley Carroll in the future.
A whip-smart protagonist, fantastic cast of supporting characters, snappy dialogue, and a mystery that kept me guessing led to me finishing this book in one sitting.
Leonard skillfully combines suspense and laughs in this well-written, surprising gem of a book that was just the escape I needed.
I suspect we'll be reading a lot more about Hadley Carroll in the future.
February 9, 2022
With Mickey Spillane caliber atmosphere, Quilt City Murders, Bruce Leonard’s murder mystery from Touchpoint Press, is a fast, fun, gritty ride, first of more to come, perhaps, in A Hadley Carroll Mystery series at its beginning. Leonard’s book delivers great dialogue, intrigue and a smart, observant, reporter-protagonist, Hadley Carroll—emanant sleuth you want to see catch her killer.
January 23, 2022
As fluent in sarcasm as she is keen on tidy grammar, journalist, Hadley Carroll, is mildly misfit into the small, southern town of Paducah, Kentucky. As the usually sleepy town anticipates the buzz of its annual, well attended Quilt Week, multiple murders fray the edges of the merriment. Reluctantly drawn into the mystery, Hadley forages through her own grief for cues and connections as the local police force seems to slog along ineffectually. Quilt City Murders is as upbeat with humor as it is poignant about the varied ways people manage life's trials. An array of local color and colorful characters draws an inviting backdrop to the protagonist whose righteous cleverness and wobbly but endearing psychology leave us wanting to get to know her even more. Quilt City Murders is well-paced, uplifting and intriguing at once. Don't miss it.
February 20, 2022
I'm not too familiar with the cozy mystery genre, but if other cozies are like Quilt City Murders, I'm hooked. This was such a fun book! Filled wry humor and a remarkably relatable-and memorable--main character, Bruce Leonard's novel is a joy to read from beginning to end, which I did in one day. I loved following Hadley as she navigated the mystery. I had never heard of Paducah, where the book is set, nor was I aware that there's a "quilting town," but these aspects made the book that much more interesting. Mr. Leonard hit a home run with this one. This may sound a bit sadistic, but I'm looking forward to reading about more people dying in Paducah! I highly recommend this book.
January 19, 2023
This is one of my rare DNF books. I grew up in Paducah, so thought it would be fun to read. But I think the author sat down with a bingo card of Paducah landmarks and then tried to fit as many as possible on each page regardless of how it moves the story along. Which it didn’t! I was nearly 75 pages in and they hadn’t even begun to investigate the murder. There was half a page of the main character taking a walk and it just listed the streets she walked on. Yes, those are streets in Paducah. But imagine you’re a reader who didn’t grow up on those roads. You would be like why??? I just couldn’t waste my time on this, even for the hometown callbacks. I have too many other books TBR and not enough time! 🫠
March 9, 2022
Finally a cozy mystery that you can't put down! The first in the Hadley Carroll Mystery series by Bruce Leonard, this is definitely a stellar kick-off to a series. Follow Hadley as she toughs out her reporter's beat during Quilt Week in Paducah, Kentucky, fighting the bullies, standing up for her journalist ethics, and solving murders...oh, and making a quilt, too!
Read my full review on the blog here https://cozymysterybookshop.com/cozy-...
Read my full review on the blog here https://cozymysterybookshop.com/cozy-...
July 18, 2022
This was a fun read but I feel like you’d have to be from Paducah or the surrounding area to enjoy it. The mystery wasn’t plotted well and there were editing errors that were confusing. But I really liked the characters and the usage of the Quilt show.
June 15, 2022
good mystery
This is a good yarn (or in this case thread) set in Paducah, KY during Quit Week, which makes it extra fun for quilters. I love Hadley, the main character, and look forward to the next installment in the series.
This is a good yarn (or in this case thread) set in Paducah, KY during Quit Week, which makes it extra fun for quilters. I love Hadley, the main character, and look forward to the next installment in the series.
June 7, 2022
Loved it
Great main character funny at times interesting plot and of course a relevant setting. Was not expecting to like this book so much but I find myself looking forward to book 2 and what all the characters are up to in paduch!
Great main character funny at times interesting plot and of course a relevant setting. Was not expecting to like this book so much but I find myself looking forward to book 2 and what all the characters are up to in paduch!
February 5, 2023
This started off with promise, and there were good bits of humour in it, but the ending felt rushed and there hadn't been any clues as to who might have done it, so the denouement was... not what it could have been. I found the conversations between the quilting ladies very stilted, and those bits were rushed through in a way that felt like the author didn't really know what would happen at such an event, or how to write the conversation that would take place.
I have to say, as a quilter, I don't know anyone who buys fabric by the bolt, but maybe I'm hanging out with the genuinely poor quilters. Seriously, good quality quilting cotton retails at around $14-$15/yard, and there's usually at least 10 yards on a mini bolt, never mind a full bolt. If you have a fabric line of 12+ fabrics that's an awful lot of money. Now pre-cut bundles are a whole 'nother thing that people tend to hoover up more of at an event, from fat quarters to half yards to yards... I'm also going to guess that the author's wife is a traditional quilter if she thinks Quilt Week is the best in the world. I know a large number of quilters even in the US that would fight you on that one, but maybe she's never heard of Quilt Con (I'd wouldn't put that one in 1st either, but the modern quilters would)
I have to say, as a quilter, I don't know anyone who buys fabric by the bolt, but maybe I'm hanging out with the genuinely poor quilters. Seriously, good quality quilting cotton retails at around $14-$15/yard, and there's usually at least 10 yards on a mini bolt, never mind a full bolt. If you have a fabric line of 12+ fabrics that's an awful lot of money. Now pre-cut bundles are a whole 'nother thing that people tend to hoover up more of at an event, from fat quarters to half yards to yards... I'm also going to guess that the author's wife is a traditional quilter if she thinks Quilt Week is the best in the world. I know a large number of quilters even in the US that would fight you on that one, but maybe she's never heard of Quilt Con (I'd wouldn't put that one in 1st either, but the modern quilters would)
February 17, 2022
Thank you to Bruce Leonard & TouchPoint Press for the copy of this book.. LOVED IT !!!!! I could not put it down. We have visited Paducah, Kentucky a few times so that was a draw to the book also. Lots of twists and turns in the telling of the murders. Keeps you guessing what would happen next. Can't wait for the next book with hopes of the new relationship continuing.
March 25, 2022
This was a fun read for me since I just moved to Paducah and haven't experienced quilt week yet. The mystery was well developed and centered around the avid quilters in the city. Since quilt week attracts more than 30,000 visitors to Paducah, the murders are incredibly damaging to the local economy. The eventual murderer was a complete surprise to me. I did not come close to guessing.
December 5, 2021
I had the honor of reading Quilt City while still in the works. Couldn't wait for it to be finished and
am certainly not disappointed. I've been a fan of Mr. Leonards since I started reading his travel
articles and am deighted he took the next step!
am certainly not disappointed. I've been a fan of Mr. Leonards since I started reading his travel
articles and am deighted he took the next step!
April 17, 2022
Paducah
I loved the book. Felt like I was there! Another books, perhaps, or a sequel? Please say yes. Thank you!
I loved the book. Felt like I was there! Another books, perhaps, or a sequel? Please say yes. Thank you!
July 13, 2022
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. As QuiltWeek Paducah, the largest quilting event in the world, approaches, fills the small town with 30,000 textile connoisseurs, added bodies are found and people begin leaving Paducah in droves. Hadley is determined to solve the crimes that have plagued the city.
As someone who grew up in the area but had not lived there for many years, I found this book to been absolutely enthralling. First, every time a location was mentioned and I did not recognize it, I had to look it up on the map to reorient myself. It did help that I visited Paducah twice in the last year. The author made very good use of the local landmarks including Noble Park and the Coca Cola building. And he also wove in the fact that there is gambling just across the river in Illinois.
The story itself was very good and made use of many of the attributes of people in the Western Kentucky region. It was well written and did not give away the solution to the murders until the very end. There were clues along the way but I wasn't able to solve things until the end. If I had one complaint about the book, I thought it went a little too fast through the National Quilt Week. But to be honest, I guess there wasn't much left to say after all the attendees left town.
I purchased the Kindle version but now I think I must have a hard copy of the book to share with some of my quilter friends especially the one who has been to Quilt Week.
As someone who grew up in the area but had not lived there for many years, I found this book to been absolutely enthralling. First, every time a location was mentioned and I did not recognize it, I had to look it up on the map to reorient myself. It did help that I visited Paducah twice in the last year. The author made very good use of the local landmarks including Noble Park and the Coca Cola building. And he also wove in the fact that there is gambling just across the river in Illinois.
The story itself was very good and made use of many of the attributes of people in the Western Kentucky region. It was well written and did not give away the solution to the murders until the very end. There were clues along the way but I wasn't able to solve things until the end. If I had one complaint about the book, I thought it went a little too fast through the National Quilt Week. But to be honest, I guess there wasn't much left to say after all the attendees left town.
I purchased the Kindle version but now I think I must have a hard copy of the book to share with some of my quilter friends especially the one who has been to Quilt Week.
July 13, 2022
Bruce Leonard’s “Quilt City Murders” is a totally entertaining read. It is a fast-paced mystery that weaves the hobby of quilting into the fabric of the story. Having never been to Paducah, I feel like I now know the best spots for coffee and the worst place to go for a jog. Leonard takes us on an in-depth journey of the city and its surrounds as his heroine, Hadley Carroll, attempts to solve the murder of her fiancé. Through her eyes we get an in-depth view of the newspaper business, quilting, and the social life of single women of a certain age. Hadley’s thoughts and speech are littered with bon mots that will have you laughing out loud. The witticisms give a break from the tense twists and turns of the plot and the reader is kept guessing right up until the end. I’m looking forward to Leonard’s next release.
Read
February 16, 2022Was a fun read!
April 16, 2024
I only read and finished this book because it was chosen for our library's book club. The writing and editing were terrible, and the plot made no sense.
February 13, 2022
Paducah, Quilting, and Murder
Hadley Carroll deserves a promotion! Quite an investigator! Looking forward to reading more, hopefully, in book 2. She and Brandon Green just might have a future, professionally and personally.
Hadley Carroll deserves a promotion! Quite an investigator! Looking forward to reading more, hopefully, in book 2. She and Brandon Green just might have a future, professionally and personally.
March 21, 2022
Quilt City Murders
This was an enjoyable read. Very light. I was under the impression it would bring the quilting characters into it a little more. Maybe how they formed the PQQ. Their history. Things like that.
This was an enjoyable read. Very light. I was under the impression it would bring the quilting characters into it a little more. Maybe how they formed the PQQ. Their history. Things like that.
June 9, 2022
Great
I've read a lot of quilting mysteries but this is the most well written one so far.
I didn't feel like I was reading a poorly written romance novel. This book was well written with believable characters and interesting background stories.
Thank you for letting me be an adult reader again.
I've read a lot of quilting mysteries but this is the most well written one so far.
I didn't feel like I was reading a poorly written romance novel. This book was well written with believable characters and interesting background stories.
Thank you for letting me be an adult reader again.
January 25, 2022
Brimming with wry humor, this novel offers a well-paced plot and a gang of interesting-yet-believable characters. I found Hadley, especially, to be a character I can easily relate to—she’s struggling with some weighty issues, but is definitely a champion for the underdog. I can see so many possibilities for the series, and in addition to wanting more of Hadley, I find myself hoping that quite a few of the minor characters will have their own stories, adventures, or subplots in future books. The book hits plenty of cozy mystery tropes that will appeal to that fan base, but the author plays with them in a way that feels fresh and just a bit gritty. I predict Quilt City Murders will have broad appeal.
March 4, 2022
Great whodunnit with an interesting use of quilting to solve the mystery. Especially nice for anyone familiar with the charming city of Paducah, Kentucky.
November 15, 2022
Drat. I really wanted to like this book, and it was set in my hometown. Or should that be, I really wanted to like this book because it was set in my hometown?
Alas, that was not to be. I didn't hate it and didn't dislike it enough to give up on it, but by the end I was only slugging through to see if it could possibly get better. But especially at the ending, I found it too confusing and the cast of characters too broad. When the murderer was finally revealed, I didn't feel the satisfaction of having guessed them--I didn't know them all that well--nor did I feel the aha! moment of having been fooled. The lead character was fooled, beautifully.
Nor did I fully understand her boyfriend's ending. At one point it made perfect sense...but then it didn't. Maybe I'm a little dumb.
And maybe I don't like books that make me feel a little dumb.
I'd say it was a good effort for a first book, and if the author tries again it might be better. But I'll leave it to someone else to find out.
And by the way, if you grew up in Paducah Kentucky, you might enjoy it just for that. He did an excellent job at name and place dropping.
Alas, that was not to be. I didn't hate it and didn't dislike it enough to give up on it, but by the end I was only slugging through to see if it could possibly get better. But especially at the ending, I found it too confusing and the cast of characters too broad. When the murderer was finally revealed, I didn't feel the satisfaction of having guessed them--I didn't know them all that well--nor did I feel the aha! moment of having been fooled. The lead character was fooled, beautifully.
Nor did I fully understand her boyfriend's ending. At one point it made perfect sense...but then it didn't. Maybe I'm a little dumb.
And maybe I don't like books that make me feel a little dumb.
I'd say it was a good effort for a first book, and if the author tries again it might be better. But I'll leave it to someone else to find out.
And by the way, if you grew up in Paducah Kentucky, you might enjoy it just for that. He did an excellent job at name and place dropping.
August 14, 2023
good try
I am sure some people enjoyed this quilting/mystery. I am unfortunately not one of them. I think anyone writing a book gets a five stars, but this book, this story, these characters were awful.
I am sure some people enjoyed this quilting/mystery. I am unfortunately not one of them. I think anyone writing a book gets a five stars, but this book, this story, these characters were awful.
October 6, 2022
An entertaining, page-turning cozy that introduces a memorable female sleuth character, Hadley Carroll. Come for the plot, stay for the witty prose, and make a date with Hadley for any future novel where she appears. Quilt City aka Paducah, KY, with its artisans and entrepreneurs, makes a perfect setting for this story that meanders across the cloth like a fine hand-quilted tapestry. A stunning debut for a talented writer.
November 6, 2022
Murders in Paducah. Not much happens until a frenzy at the end of the book. It seemed pretty unrealistic.
December 2, 2022
Didn't really care for this book. Main character was too ditsy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews