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A Quilting Mystery #2
Knot In My Backyard
Baseball may be America's official favorite pastime, but for Martha Rose and her friends, quilting is far more fun. . .and a lot less dangerous.
A diamond brocade pattern is more quilter Martha Rose's style than a baseball diamond--especially when it comes to the new eyesore of a stadium ruining her lovely San Fernando Valley neighborhood. Martha doesn't know a bunt from a bundt cake, but when she stumbles upon the battered body of baseball coach Dax Martin, she doesn't need a scorecard to know it's foul play. LAPD homicide detective Arlo Beavers is convinced one of her neighbors is responsible. But Martha and her fellow quilters Lucy and Birdie soon discover a whole field of suspects who might have wanted to take the coach out of the game permanently. . .
Praise for Forget Me Knot
"Mary Marks has stitched together a very clever plot with a cast of engaging characters in this funny, fast-paced debut mystery." --Laura Levine, author of Killing Cupid
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2014
224 people are currently reading
737 people want to read
About the author
Mary Marks
16 books305 followersMary Marks became an award-winning quilter after an early retirement from her job in administration on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles. After twelve years of sewing twenty four/seven, she came up for a breath and started writing about some of the nearly one hundred quilts she’d created.
Then the writing bug bit her. She was off to the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program for classes. A love of reading mysteries led her to take a four-day mystery writing workshop where she discovered a new creative passion.
Her first novel, FORGET ME KNOT, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic Competition of 2011. Out of that success came the Martha Rose quilting mystery series.
In addition to her own writing, Mary reviews cozy mysteries for New York Journal of Books online.
Mary was born in Los Angeles and grew up in L.A. and the San Francisco Bay Area. She moved back to Southern California to attend UCLA and earned a BA in Anthropology. The next years were spent raising three children. She enrolled in the American Jewish University in L.A. and earned an MA in Public Administration and Management.
She held administrative positions at UCLA until a physical condition stemming from a bout with childhood polio forced her into early retirement. She moved to Israel for a year and returned to L.A. to start her adventures in quilting and murder.
To read more about Mary, check out this interview with Ember Living
You Tube Oral History Interview
Then the writing bug bit her. She was off to the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program for classes. A love of reading mysteries led her to take a four-day mystery writing workshop where she discovered a new creative passion.
Her first novel, FORGET ME KNOT, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic Competition of 2011. Out of that success came the Martha Rose quilting mystery series.
In addition to her own writing, Mary reviews cozy mysteries for New York Journal of Books online.
Mary was born in Los Angeles and grew up in L.A. and the San Francisco Bay Area. She moved back to Southern California to attend UCLA and earned a BA in Anthropology. The next years were spent raising three children. She enrolled in the American Jewish University in L.A. and earned an MA in Public Administration and Management.
She held administrative positions at UCLA until a physical condition stemming from a bout with childhood polio forced her into early retirement. She moved to Israel for a year and returned to L.A. to start her adventures in quilting and murder.
To read more about Mary, check out this interview with Ember Living
You Tube Oral History Interview
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
January 16, 2016
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I liked Martha Rose the minute I met her in Forget Me Knot, the first book in this series. I can relate because I am 50ish, overweight, love food, hate to cook and a horrible failure when it comes to dieting. This time she gets herself in trouble just by taking a walk. She knows she needs to be more active but finding a dead body just a few minutes from her house may make her reconsider the whole exercise thing.
The police of course determine that Martha’s neighbor is the killer because he had an argument with the victim over a monstrosity of a baseball diamond that was built behind their houses. None of the neighbors is happy about all the extra traffic or the noise but Martha knows none of them would commit murder because of it. With a little help from her friends Lucy and Birdie they come up with enough suspects to fill a baseball roster. Martha Rose is on a mission and detective Beavers is not going to stop her from finding who really hit Dax Martin out of the park – permanently!
I started reading this book and couldn’t put it down. Mary Marks has hit a home run with this one. She pitched us a slew of suspects and we followed the clues together striking out one of them at a time until we are totally surprised by who is left on deck. Can you tell I like baseball too? :)
The book was so much fun to read. Martha, Lucy and Birdie have their weekly quilting sessions where they talk about everything from quilt squares to politics to the homeless population in their neighborhood. They come up with a fantastic plan to not only help people but a way to hopefully flush out the killer and they get all kinds of attention. Martha even makes a new friend that sort of turns her life upside down in a really good way.
Fabulous characters, excellent plot and subplots, some romance, the perfect amount of humor and a setting that is so easy to picture all add up to a grand slam of a mystery. I absolutely loved it!
February 5, 2020
Martha Rose’s neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California used to be peaceful and quiet until a local private school built a baseball stadium in the open space that used to boarder her street. She and her neighbors have tried to fight it, even after it was built, but no one is willing to listen to them. While out for a walk one morning, Martha finds the dead body of Dax Martin, the school’s baseball couch. The police begin to quickly focus on her neighbor Ed Pappas, who had a fight with the victim recently, but Martha doesn’t believe he is guilty. Can she prove it?
Quilting doesn’t play as big a part of this mystery as it did the first in the series, but it is still an active part of Martha’s life, as are her quilting friends. It’s hard to complain since this book is filled with a strong mystery. Martha strikes out early, which only adds to her drive to solve things, and makes the solution more satisfying for us when she does. Some of Martha’s attitude and actions early on were a little frustrating for me, but it made me appreciate the character growth we saw in her later in the book. The rest of the cast are great, and I enjoyed spending time with them, returning characters and new characters alike. When I read the first book in the series, I found some needless political comments off putting, but they were absent in this book. The plot does bring up a few political issues as a natural part of the plot, but they are kept in the background here – the book never stops to peach and they only come up very briefly. As a Los Angeles resident, I enjoyed seeing places I know pop up in this book, especially a few key scenes that took place near where I played ultimate Frisbee for years. Overall, this is a fun second mystery that will please cozy mystery readers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Quilting doesn’t play as big a part of this mystery as it did the first in the series, but it is still an active part of Martha’s life, as are her quilting friends. It’s hard to complain since this book is filled with a strong mystery. Martha strikes out early, which only adds to her drive to solve things, and makes the solution more satisfying for us when she does. Some of Martha’s attitude and actions early on were a little frustrating for me, but it made me appreciate the character growth we saw in her later in the book. The rest of the cast are great, and I enjoyed spending time with them, returning characters and new characters alike. When I read the first book in the series, I found some needless political comments off putting, but they were absent in this book. The plot does bring up a few political issues as a natural part of the plot, but they are kept in the background here – the book never stops to peach and they only come up very briefly. As a Los Angeles resident, I enjoyed seeing places I know pop up in this book, especially a few key scenes that took place near where I played ultimate Frisbee for years. Overall, this is a fun second mystery that will please cozy mystery readers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
February 6, 2024
This is a 2nd book in A Quilting Mystery serie. The book is interesting, engaging. The mystery is well plotted. I enjoyed reading it
September 6, 2015
I loved the first book in this series, and for that reason am giving this one 3-stars rather than the lower rating it probably deserves. The mystery was a good one, but Martha's actions too often were just unbelievable. Without giving too much away, she does one thing that is SO stupid and ends up getting a favorite character gravely injured that I nearly threw the book across the room! She pulls some other stunts, but this one is the worst. Then there is the "triangle" that has developed. Don't get me started on that! I mean, c'mon! Martha is pretty much my age and FAR from a femme fatale! Based on how much I loved the first one and the fact that the mystery here is good, I'll read the next one. But if the triangle drags on and gets more unbelievable I'll be done!
March 4, 2018
As with the first in this series I found this one well written and an easy read. More of the Jewish aspects of the main character came out in this one, and I enjoyed reading about them and learning a few expressions and words. There are a couple things that did bother me, though. One, jumping to conclusions in the midst of being smart and organized. Two, the tendency to ignore the "it ain't over 'til it's over" directive; comes off as naive and foolish. Note that my take is that this series does border the line of cozy/non-cozy, which is fine with me. It's not too gruesome, no so much of a thriller, yet it is not so lightweight. Yep, potential love triangle; I'll see how far the author takes it before it bothers me. I plan to continue with the next book series.
January 24, 2015
Martha Rose wants to lose weight so she's joined weight watchers again. She wants to wear her size 16 jeans without busting the seams. She taking up walking to help achieve that goal. In the process she runs across the body of the local baseball coach. She calls her detective boyfriend Arlo Beavers and then tosses her cookies all over her new shoes.
One of the worst things about the new cozies is the trend to have the romantic triangle. It's beyond annoying to me. Here it's worse than usual. We've got Martha not just being pursued by two men, but actually sleeping with both. Throw in the fact that I didn't much care for the character anyway and it just made the book hard to finish.
I guess my problem with the romantic triangle is it makes the character weak. She doesn't know her own mind. She frets and spends too much time trying to decide what to do. Meanwhile the actual mystery takes a backseat. In this case it doesn't help that the mystery is unbelievable.
Why this is a "quilting" mystery, I don't know. There's not much about quilting. I think it's just another ploy to make it fit in with some kind of craft cozy genre.
I won't bother looking up the first one.
One of the worst things about the new cozies is the trend to have the romantic triangle. It's beyond annoying to me. Here it's worse than usual. We've got Martha not just being pursued by two men, but actually sleeping with both. Throw in the fact that I didn't much care for the character anyway and it just made the book hard to finish.
I guess my problem with the romantic triangle is it makes the character weak. She doesn't know her own mind. She frets and spends too much time trying to decide what to do. Meanwhile the actual mystery takes a backseat. In this case it doesn't help that the mystery is unbelievable.
Why this is a "quilting" mystery, I don't know. There's not much about quilting. I think it's just another ploy to make it fit in with some kind of craft cozy genre.
I won't bother looking up the first one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2017
Any fan of FORGET ME KNOT, the first book by author Mary Marks, in this Quilters Mystery series, is sure to be a fan of
KNOT IN MY BACK YARD.
Ms. Marks pens this story with the same enthusiasm as the first title.
Protagonist Martha is back, as are her quilting buddies, Lucy and Birdie. These characters continue to be fleshed out as the author spends more time with them.
The mystery aspect of the story is well done and will keep most guessing until the “whodunit” it revealed.
Mixed with the mystery is also angst, and humor. And these characters are very opinionated. LOL They tend to speak their minds very clearly.
There is no doubt Mary Marks is a wonderful author. It will be nice to see how this series grows as it moves forward.
And for the quilters out there, Ms. Marks includes a quilting tip at the end of the book!
KNOT IN MY BACK YARD.
Ms. Marks pens this story with the same enthusiasm as the first title.
Protagonist Martha is back, as are her quilting buddies, Lucy and Birdie. These characters continue to be fleshed out as the author spends more time with them.
The mystery aspect of the story is well done and will keep most guessing until the “whodunit” it revealed.
Mixed with the mystery is also angst, and humor. And these characters are very opinionated. LOL They tend to speak their minds very clearly.
There is no doubt Mary Marks is a wonderful author. It will be nice to see how this series grows as it moves forward.
And for the quilters out there, Ms. Marks includes a quilting tip at the end of the book!
August 20, 2015
The second book in the Quilting Mysteries series. New characters have been added. Crusher aka Yosyi, Valley Eagles, Sonia and others. Martha finds the bloody body of the baseball high school coach behind the ball field. Martha is helping a neighbor with defense of a murder charge. Her actions injured Arthur and Arlo is furious and breaks off with her. Crusher, motorcyclist and his gang takes over protecting Martha. There are several twists in this book that will keep you interested. The ending is a surprise. I highly recommend this book.
March 27, 2017
This is the second book in the Quilting Mysteries series by Marky Marks. It features Martha Rose and her friends, Lucy and Birdie. I enjoy seeing these older characters enjoying life and solving crimes. This book also includes a new romantic interest for Martha in Crusher, Yossi Levy, an ex-con, motorcycle rider and his friends from the Valley Eagles. When Martha decides she needs to lose weight for her boyfriend and detective Arlo Beavers she buys new tennis shoes to go walking every day. This does not work out so well for Martha or her shoes. On her first wearing, she stumbles upon the dead body of the mouthy, bullying baseball coach at the upscale private school. The school recently built a huge, state of the art stadium on public grounds which also has ruined the quiet community as well as blocking their beautiful views. When Martha's friend and neighbour Eric is arrested for the crime, she ramps up her investigation skills to find the real killer. The only thing that bothers me about this series is that Martha puts herself in danger many times without thinking about the consequences. In this book on of her decisions which goes completely against what Arlo requested of her, almost results in the death of his dog. This causes a series of events that throw Martha's personal life into an upheaval. There are several twists in this book that will keep you interested. Once again, I did not figure out who was behind the murder until just before it was revealed in the book. There were a lot of suspects and red herrings which made me keep reading beyond bedtime to see what was going to happen next. The ending tied up all the loose ends nicely, but has set up a bit of a love triangle for the next book. I love the gutsy women and neighbours in the book. They are smart, fun, interesting and stick up for one another. I hope we see more of them in the next book. Of course, being a quilting book, there are some quilting activities, I learned a little about quilting and there are some tips at the back of the book. I recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers, especially those who like a crafty mystery.
June 27, 2018
Martha has decided that her clothes are getting a touch too snug and so she has embarked on Weight Watchers and a walking regime, at least that is the plan! It all starts so well with a nice healthy breakfast, but part of the way through her walk she stumbles across a dead body, the dead body of someone she knows and isn't that keen on. With a friend of hers in the frame for the murder Martha makes sure that all the pieces are patched together and the right person made to pay.
Add in a major argument with Detective Arlo Beavers, a rather hunky Jewish biker and Hilda (the homeless lady) keeping tabs on her and Martha has plenty to deal with!
The second in the quilting series and this made for great reading, we have a potential love triangle (actually maybe two or even three love triangles!), Birdie has some fun at long last, and whilst we don't see as much of her and Lucy as we did in book one they still are there in the background cheering and groaning depending on the situation! 4 out of 5 stars for this one and time to read number three.
Add in a major argument with Detective Arlo Beavers, a rather hunky Jewish biker and Hilda (the homeless lady) keeping tabs on her and Martha has plenty to deal with!
The second in the quilting series and this made for great reading, we have a potential love triangle (actually maybe two or even three love triangles!), Birdie has some fun at long last, and whilst we don't see as much of her and Lucy as we did in book one they still are there in the background cheering and groaning depending on the situation! 4 out of 5 stars for this one and time to read number three.
January 2, 2021
Very much enjoyed this second one, the story and events made me want to keep reading. Martha is very rarely still as she solves the problem. And now I want to read on because will it be Yossi or Arlo? Again love the quilting details, the dirty politics and the highlight on homelessness and immigrants.
June 11, 2021
This was disappointing. The minute I read about the main character recklessly endangering a dog that didn't belong to her, I lost interest in it. The mystery wasn't any great shakes and I really hated the denouement. On top of that there's a love triangle when I thought this wasn't going to be a series with one of those. I'll read one more book as series books are not something I give up on one bad book, but... Martha isn't someone I like.
March 3, 2015
My first Mary Marks read and i so enjoyed it. As a quilter, i actually undersood the quilt terms...
A great little mystery with a cast of great characters. If you quilt, read. If you don't quilt, start! LOL! Either way, you will enjoy this read...
A great little mystery with a cast of great characters. If you quilt, read. If you don't quilt, start! LOL! Either way, you will enjoy this read...
December 27, 2022
I’m disappointed it didn’t have more quilting inside. I found a twist with the cop’s partner interesting. I didn’t guess who dunnit till just before the reveal. I’m also disappointed that it reverted to the standard excuse for murder: too nasty to be sorry for the guy. At least the author did show the new widow as distressed at the funeral. This was more of a 2.5 star rating. Way too much of the book was about her dilemma of which guy to chose romantically, with it at least a bit still hanging in the air at the end. There tends to be a lack of concern for life in cozy romances and that is a fault I see here. Such as the general lack of concern for the dog, attacked while defending Martha. I better stop before I do lower the rating to 2 stars. Too late, I changed to 2 stars…
October 19, 2020
The main character of the series is a 55 year old woman who lives in San Fernando Valley. She is dating a police detective but there are trust problems in the relationship. A friend of Martha Rose seems to be the prime suspect in the killing a high school baseball coach. Martha does whatever it takes to find the real killer. The book was an easy read.
April 30, 2019
Martha Rose is in her 50's, divorced, and an avid quilter. I the prior book (this is book 2 in the series) she found a dead body, got tossed in jail, and after started dating the lead detective. In this one, Martha has joined Weight Watchers and is on a walk when yet again, she finds a dead body. It's the coach from the school baseball team, and there are no shortage of suspects but the police focus on one of Martha's neighbors. Martha knows in her heart that he is innocent, and begins meddling and investigating herself.
So...normally I get irked at MCs who go off thinking that they are smarter than the police. This one works. Whether it's the character or the writing, it all came together. Given I started on Saturday and finished Monday, you can tell that I could hardly put the book down. The characters are well developed; her fellow quilters are feisty (especially Birdie). Not all goes well for Martha with beau detective, and Martha now has a new interest - but will she forgive and move on, or lean towards 'Crusher'? Only the next book will tell.
I also liked the way the author weaves in explanations of Jewish traditions. She doesn't just say that Martha is preparing Shabbat but has Martha explain to another character what it's all about. I liked that she was able to do that.
The only thing that kept me from 5 stars was that I thought some of the conspiracy (that's all I'll say) around the corporations and the Army Corp was a bit far fetched, but it all worked. And no, I did not guess who the bad guy was.
Highly recommended you find this series!
So...normally I get irked at MCs who go off thinking that they are smarter than the police. This one works. Whether it's the character or the writing, it all came together. Given I started on Saturday and finished Monday, you can tell that I could hardly put the book down. The characters are well developed; her fellow quilters are feisty (especially Birdie). Not all goes well for Martha with beau detective, and Martha now has a new interest - but will she forgive and move on, or lean towards 'Crusher'? Only the next book will tell.
I also liked the way the author weaves in explanations of Jewish traditions. She doesn't just say that Martha is preparing Shabbat but has Martha explain to another character what it's all about. I liked that she was able to do that.
The only thing that kept me from 5 stars was that I thought some of the conspiracy (that's all I'll say) around the corporations and the Army Corp was a bit far fetched, but it all worked. And no, I did not guess who the bad guy was.
Highly recommended you find this series!
February 19, 2021
I thought the main mystery was well done, but Martha's behavior in this book really turned me against her. I love all the other main characters except Martha, but I find her behavior in this book to be terrible, horrible, no good, very bad and totally lacking in integrity! I hated it that Martha put Arthur's life in danger. If she wants to play fast and loose with her own safety, that's her stupid choice, but the dog had no choice. He did what retired police dogs are trained to do—he put his life in danger to protect her from her own arrogance. If I'd been Arlo, that would have been the end of it forever. She could learn some valuable lessons from that dog!
I certainly didn't like the ugly turn that the "love story" took. I'm not a fan of love triangles, and I have no respect for somebody who sleeps with one man while claiming to love another. Sure, she and Arlo were broken up at the time, but she wanted him back. It was also unfair to Crusher. I really liked Crusher. I don't want to see him hurt. Causing my dog to be seriously injured and wreckless infidelity are two things that for me are unforgivable. She doesn't deserve either Arlo or Crusher.
As a reader, her behavior in this book is going to be hard to forgive. Unfortunately, I've already bought the next two books in the series, and it's too late to return them. So my dilemma is do I read the next two books to see if Martha ever learns to trust Arlo and stops withholding evidence, putting herself and others in harm's way in order to solve crimes that the detective she claims to love is thoroughly capable of solving? I stared out really disliking the main character in another series that shall remain nameless because she seemed cold and aloof, but as the series progressed and we learned why the main character was so headstrong and had so much difficulty forming relationships I came to really like her. I'm hoping that starts to happen soon with Martha. If knot I won't buy any more books in the series. Or am I lacking in integrity by being reluctant to lose the $3.98 investment.
I certainly didn't like the ugly turn that the "love story" took. I'm not a fan of love triangles, and I have no respect for somebody who sleeps with one man while claiming to love another. Sure, she and Arlo were broken up at the time, but she wanted him back. It was also unfair to Crusher. I really liked Crusher. I don't want to see him hurt. Causing my dog to be seriously injured and wreckless infidelity are two things that for me are unforgivable. She doesn't deserve either Arlo or Crusher.
As a reader, her behavior in this book is going to be hard to forgive. Unfortunately, I've already bought the next two books in the series, and it's too late to return them. So my dilemma is do I read the next two books to see if Martha ever learns to trust Arlo and stops withholding evidence, putting herself and others in harm's way in order to solve crimes that the detective she claims to love is thoroughly capable of solving? I stared out really disliking the main character in another series that shall remain nameless because she seemed cold and aloof, but as the series progressed and we learned why the main character was so headstrong and had so much difficulty forming relationships I came to really like her. I'm hoping that starts to happen soon with Martha. If knot I won't buy any more books in the series. Or am I lacking in integrity by being reluctant to lose the $3.98 investment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2014
I enjoyed reading a mystery with a strong-willed woman who is middle-aged (55), a bit overweight, and when the police hone in on one of her friends, is determined enough to prove them wrong. Martha is quite spunky for a quilter and enlists the help of her friends to help the homeless, albeit with an ulterior motive. That is, to find two people who may have witnessed a murder. The plot has quite a few surprises. The biggest one being that she and Arlo, her detective boyfriend, have a falling out. A new acquaintance, Crusher, is a scary biker dude on the outside, but a teddy bear and protector on the inside. He has his eye on Martha and doesn't hesitate to step up to the plate and make his romantic intentions known. I really liked Crusher and the new element he adds to the story.
Read
August 19, 2015Motorcycles and More
The second book in the Quilting Mysteries series. New characters have been added. Crusher aka Yosyi, Valley Eagles, Sonia and others. Martha finds the bloody body of the baseball high school coach behind the ball field. Martha is helping a neighbor with defense of a murder charge. Her actions injured Arthur and Arlo is furious and breaks off with her. Crusher, motorcyclist and his gang takes over protecting Martha. There are several twists in this book that will keep you interested. The ending is a surprise. I highly recommend this book.
The second book in the Quilting Mysteries series. New characters have been added. Crusher aka Yosyi, Valley Eagles, Sonia and others. Martha finds the bloody body of the baseball high school coach behind the ball field. Martha is helping a neighbor with defense of a murder charge. Her actions injured Arthur and Arlo is furious and breaks off with her. Crusher, motorcyclist and his gang takes over protecting Martha. There are several twists in this book that will keep you interested. The ending is a surprise. I highly recommend this book.
September 20, 2016
Exciting Story
I am a big fan of this quirky series. The diversity of the characters makes it an interesting read.
Martha is a fun character and her tangled love life gets in even more of a mess when she and Arlo disagree over an investigation.
I am a big fan of this quirky series. The diversity of the characters makes it an interesting read.
Martha is a fun character and her tangled love life gets in even more of a mess when she and Arlo disagree over an investigation.
January 25, 2024
The first book in this series didn't really do much for me, but it was promising enough that I put the next book on my to-read shelf. Maybe because quilting wasn't as 'important' to this story as in the first book, but this one kind of fell flat. I have never finished a quilt, although I pieced one quilt top decades ago, so quilting isn't something I think about every day, but I find the art fascinating just the same.
Martha, the MC, alternately made me want to stand up and cheer (when she stood up for herself) and drove me crazy (when she was worried about her appearance). The cheering was few and far between, though, so for most of the book, her character frustrated me. I really like her two best friends, though, and wish some of their personalities would rub off on her. As if that isn't bad enough, a love triangle is developing - ugh!
The murder victim in this book appeared to be popular in the area, but as the book progressed, it became obvious that more and more people had reason to want him dead. There were a lot of plot threads happening around the murder investigation, and it took a while to figure out how everything fit together. One particular character was high on my list of suspects, and for a change, I was right :) Given that character, the motive made sense.
I've already purchased the next book in this series, so I'll read it at some point. It just won't be any time soon.
Martha, the MC, alternately made me want to stand up and cheer (when she stood up for herself) and drove me crazy (when she was worried about her appearance). The cheering was few and far between, though, so for most of the book, her character frustrated me. I really like her two best friends, though, and wish some of their personalities would rub off on her. As if that isn't bad enough, a love triangle is developing - ugh!
The murder victim in this book appeared to be popular in the area, but as the book progressed, it became obvious that more and more people had reason to want him dead. There were a lot of plot threads happening around the murder investigation, and it took a while to figure out how everything fit together. One particular character was high on my list of suspects, and for a change, I was right :) Given that character, the motive made sense.
I've already purchased the next book in this series, so I'll read it at some point. It just won't be any time soon.
September 15, 2020
A brilliant 2nd book in this great cozy mystery series with 3 friends who are quilters, one of them gets herself into scrapes when murders occur and she has to find the real murderer because the police have their sights set on someone else!
Martha, Lucy and Birdie, the 3 quilters are involved this time because Martha finds the body of the local private schools coach, the police arrest a neighbour and good friend of Martha's, Ed; Martha has to find the murderer fast!
There's a new love interest too for Martha, circumstances have meant that her relationship with the police detective Arlo Beavers is on the rocks, enter a motorbike riding friend of Ed's!
Can Martha survive this mystery, can her relationship survive?
These are really good stories, light hearted even though they are murder mysteries. I can't wait to read the next one now!
Martha, Lucy and Birdie, the 3 quilters are involved this time because Martha finds the body of the local private schools coach, the police arrest a neighbour and good friend of Martha's, Ed; Martha has to find the murderer fast!
There's a new love interest too for Martha, circumstances have meant that her relationship with the police detective Arlo Beavers is on the rocks, enter a motorbike riding friend of Ed's!
Can Martha survive this mystery, can her relationship survive?
These are really good stories, light hearted even though they are murder mysteries. I can't wait to read the next one now!
October 10, 2018
So while looking for mystery I remembered reading the first book to the series and was curious to what was gonna happen next. I have to say I really like my thought her even though she is a grandma type her personality makes me think of her as much younger. I love the friendship between Martha Lucy and Birdie.
In this series Martha find another dead body and it belongs to a high school coach for baseball. Due to her finding bodies and wanting to solve the crime Martha and beaver split up. Now she is loving this crime without his help but she makes new friends especially one named Crusher. I have to say I don’t know who I prefer Martha to be with. In the end Martha find the killer and I am curious to who martha chooses but I’m guessing that’s the next book
In this series Martha find another dead body and it belongs to a high school coach for baseball. Due to her finding bodies and wanting to solve the crime Martha and beaver split up. Now she is loving this crime without his help but she makes new friends especially one named Crusher. I have to say I don’t know who I prefer Martha to be with. In the end Martha find the killer and I am curious to who martha chooses but I’m guessing that’s the next book
November 28, 2020
I really like this series — these books seem to have more depth than the average cozy mystery, often tackling difficult issues, in this case homelessness and illegal aliens. Martha has joined Weight Watchers, so is going for an early morning walk when she discovers a dead body. And it is not a stranger. Instead it's the baseball coach from the prestigious private school that recently erected a (possibly illegal) stadium in a park behind Martha's house. When another neighbor, who had known issues with the deceased is arrested, Martha once again becomes involved in the investigation, which leads to issues with her relationship with one of the detectives. Even so, she is determined to what she can, no matter where it might lead. Recommended.
November 1, 2021
A sort of cozy murder mystery. However, I'm very perplexed as to why an author would have the main character share her previous escapade with the reader at the very start of this book and in so doing, basically give away the whole concept of the book. Oh, the case isn't solved at that point but you pretty much know what is to come if not the cast of characters and all the details. The murderer and the why it occurred remains a mystery until the end but there's very little suspense here if you're a mystery reader. Though the romance angle had some interesting twists and turns as well as some humor.
February 16, 2022
This was another good book in the series and I really enjoying it. I’ve really gotten attached to Crusher… Martha really knows how to make complications in her life that’s for sure. But I suppose we’re all good at that in our own ways. They were a lot of twists and turns and interesting tidbits and side roads along the way. I don’t know a whole lot about Jewish culture but it’s really interesting to learn all of the little things. Kind of fun you know? It was also sad to hear about the homeless… I mean you know that there are homeless and you know pretty much what happens with them but it’s another thing to read about how they survive on a daily basis. Anyway all that aside from the plot.
May 1, 2025
A fairly standard cozy mystery set in "the valley"--the San Fernando valley, specifically Encino, California. I have never been in that area, but it sounds rather lovely, especially being so close to the L.A. river.
The quilting theme is a quiet presence. Martha prefers traditional patterns and fabrics and actually hand quilts her creations. I've tried hand quilting...it is a slow process but very zen.
The mystery is handled well, but the most interesting part, for me, was Crusher's character. And how intriguing to have two men in love with an older woman! Though, right now, 55 seems pretty young to me! I was thoroughly engaged and am looking forward to reading more.
The quilting theme is a quiet presence. Martha prefers traditional patterns and fabrics and actually hand quilts her creations. I've tried hand quilting...it is a slow process but very zen.
The mystery is handled well, but the most interesting part, for me, was Crusher's character. And how intriguing to have two men in love with an older woman! Though, right now, 55 seems pretty young to me! I was thoroughly engaged and am looking forward to reading more.
October 3, 2018
A middle aged divorcee in southern California (plus she's Jewish) finds that she has a knack for crime solving. She also is a bit overweight but is pursued by a biker as well as a police detective. She has the smarts to know that she can handle things herself but she does get by with a little help from her friends. The quilting tidbit comes from the group she belongs to in her neighborhood. Quilting tips included in the book!
December 11, 2021
I really enjoy this series. Good mystery and quilt patterns. Ms. Marks is obviously a dedicated quilter, knowledgeable about fabric and the history of quilting. She manages to sneak quilt info in between the clues of the mystery. Like Martha, I really dislike it when men try to tell me what to do--or what not to do. In Martha's case, she's told to stay out of the investigation. Hah! As if she and her friends would let that happen.
July 25, 2022
Well that took a completely different turn than what I was expecting.😲 I am in very deep thought over everything 🤔 and I am very eager to devour the next book. 😁 (just so I can see if Arlo and the chippy jumped in the nearest lake 😠) I thought maybe Uncle was taking a interest in Martha's new friend but I don't think that will work out. 😐 With Quincy coming home I wonder if the investigating will stop? 🙄 Naw! 😂
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