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Annie’s Quilted Mystery #1
A Patchwork Murder
Meet Emma Cotton -- expert quilter, founding member of the Nimble Thimbles quilting group, and co-owner of Cotton & Grace designs in the seaside town of Mystic Harbor, Massachusetts. Emma is a warm and caring woman who expresses herself through her unique, quilted creations. But behind her easygoing exterior lies a troubled heart that is haunted by the suspicious death of her childhood friend, Rose Peterson.
When Rose mysteriously died fifteen years ago, Emma and her best friend and business partner, Kelly Grace, didn't believe it was an accident, but the police refused to listen.
Now Emma has discovered a clue -- a list of suspects -- hidden inside an old quilt that could finally help bring her dear friend's killer to justice, and she is shocked by one of the names on the list: Allyson Vernon. Not only is Allyson a well-respected attorney at a top firm in Boston, she's also a current client of Cotton & Grace.
Emma and Kelly begin their unofficial investigation of Allyson and soon become ensnared in a web of deceit. They're stonewalled by the police, frightening things start happening at their shop, and it's clear someone is warning them to leave the past buried ... or suffer the consequences. To complicate matters further, they receive an anonymous package of evidence that suggests there may have been more than one guilty party involved in Rose's death. Who sent the package? And is Allyson as guilty as she seems, or is there someone else with blood on their hands lurking among the townsfolk, waiting for the opportunity to halt Emma and Kelly's investigation ... permanently? Join Emma, Kelly, and the members of Nimble Thimbles as they try to uncover the cause of the mysterious events happening in Mystic Harbor while they piece together new clues surrounding the untimely death of their beloved friend, Rose.
When Rose mysteriously died fifteen years ago, Emma and her best friend and business partner, Kelly Grace, didn't believe it was an accident, but the police refused to listen.
Now Emma has discovered a clue -- a list of suspects -- hidden inside an old quilt that could finally help bring her dear friend's killer to justice, and she is shocked by one of the names on the list: Allyson Vernon. Not only is Allyson a well-respected attorney at a top firm in Boston, she's also a current client of Cotton & Grace.
Emma and Kelly begin their unofficial investigation of Allyson and soon become ensnared in a web of deceit. They're stonewalled by the police, frightening things start happening at their shop, and it's clear someone is warning them to leave the past buried ... or suffer the consequences. To complicate matters further, they receive an anonymous package of evidence that suggests there may have been more than one guilty party involved in Rose's death. Who sent the package? And is Allyson as guilty as she seems, or is there someone else with blood on their hands lurking among the townsfolk, waiting for the opportunity to halt Emma and Kelly's investigation ... permanently? Join Emma, Kelly, and the members of Nimble Thimbles as they try to uncover the cause of the mysterious events happening in Mystic Harbor while they piece together new clues surrounding the untimely death of their beloved friend, Rose.
218 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 17, 2022
This is a Cozy Mystery, and this is the first book in the Annie’s Quilted Mystery series. I loved the beginning and the middle of this book. The characters where so great. I found the mystery so great. I hated to ending so much, and I do understand that this book is leaving you hanging so you want to read the next book in the series. I cannot say what I hated without giving away anything. I will just say the crazy things happening through out the story and the ending of this book makes no sense. The reason for all the crazy stuff going on through this book was just so dumb. I will pick up the second book because I really want to see what happens in the main mystery that was going on it this book.
January 13, 2020
When I pick up a quilting themed murder mystery, I expect it to do two things: share quilting patterns from the story, and solve a murder. This book failed on both counts.
In fact, this is part of a twelve book series, and they tackle one red herring per book. Only in the final book do they solve the murder, apparently. Who was it? I don't care. A twelve-book-to-one-murder ratio is absolutely appalling for murder mysteries! The first book was two hundred pages long! Who has time in their life to read 2,400 pages of unlikeable characters fucking around not accomplishing anything?
Furthermore, if you're writing a quilting-themed cozy mystery, you have to show at least a little interest in quilting itself. This book has the limpest, blandest descriptions of quilting I have ever seen.
The book begins with the discovery of a clue to the long-unsolved murder: a sampler quilt with the names of the suspects written on it. Each block is signed with the maker's full first and last name in permanent ink... on the back. This isn't how quilts work. It's purely a plot convenience. They would either have signed on the front like a regular friendship album quilt, or the label on the back would have all their names together.
Anyway, the Quilt of Clues is from the murder victim's class teaching how to "choose fabrics and designs that reflected our mood or our life" and "analyze each fabric's fiber orientations, softness, design and color schemes, and explain why they chose to pair the colors as they did." Okay, so the quilt reveals clues about the personality and motivations of each suspect. Is it ever described? No. Not at all.
Suspect number one, the ONLY suspect in the entire 200 page book, made a block described as "a classic quilt pattern" (page 85) and "such an old design" (86) because of her love of old textiles and her family's quilting tradition. Okay, which old quilt block is it? There are hundreds of named traditional quilt blocks, all of which can add unique characterization - is it Old Maid's Puzzle? New York Beauty? Broken Dishes? Mariner's Compass? Surely you can afford a little characterization, since it's not like anything else is happening in this book. But no. The quilt block is never specified. Ever. (Also, a woman with a strong family tradition of quilting, who has taken classes on quilting, who is so in love with old textiles that it's mentioned on her official bio, would be repairing her grandmother's quilt herself, not farming it out to the protagonists. Just saying, all the technical knowledge and craft-related characterization in this book is completely off.)
There is one quilt block pattern in the back of the book: a Friendship Star, which is part of a mystery quilt allegedly designed by the protagonists, which you can assemble if you buy all twelve (TWELVE!) of these books. So is the Friendship Star pattern one of the things the quilt shop owner protagonists work on in the book? Also no. They try to repair a vintage star quilt "constructed of squares with eight-piece stars" (okay, LeMoyne stars? Hunter stars?), are apparently in the middle of publishing a book of undescribed quilt patterns, work on a completely undescribed raffle quilt for charity at their bee, design an undescribed patchwork cat face sleep mask, and make a striped can cozy that gets maybe a paragraph of discussion. None of these patterns are provided, and none of these projects add any characterization details or progress the plot. And in two hundred pages, in a specifically quilting-themed murder mystery, this is a pitifully small amount of quilting, considering the amount of pagetime given to meals and early morning runs and new outfits and the protagonist's awful aunt pestering her to get married and have babies.
In fact, this is part of a twelve book series, and they tackle one red herring per book. Only in the final book do they solve the murder, apparently. Who was it? I don't care. A twelve-book-to-one-murder ratio is absolutely appalling for murder mysteries! The first book was two hundred pages long! Who has time in their life to read 2,400 pages of unlikeable characters fucking around not accomplishing anything?
Furthermore, if you're writing a quilting-themed cozy mystery, you have to show at least a little interest in quilting itself. This book has the limpest, blandest descriptions of quilting I have ever seen.
The book begins with the discovery of a clue to the long-unsolved murder: a sampler quilt with the names of the suspects written on it. Each block is signed with the maker's full first and last name in permanent ink... on the back. This isn't how quilts work. It's purely a plot convenience. They would either have signed on the front like a regular friendship album quilt, or the label on the back would have all their names together.
Anyway, the Quilt of Clues is from the murder victim's class teaching how to "choose fabrics and designs that reflected our mood or our life" and "analyze each fabric's fiber orientations, softness, design and color schemes, and explain why they chose to pair the colors as they did." Okay, so the quilt reveals clues about the personality and motivations of each suspect. Is it ever described? No. Not at all.
Suspect number one, the ONLY suspect in the entire 200 page book, made a block described as "a classic quilt pattern" (page 85) and "such an old design" (86) because of her love of old textiles and her family's quilting tradition. Okay, which old quilt block is it? There are hundreds of named traditional quilt blocks, all of which can add unique characterization - is it Old Maid's Puzzle? New York Beauty? Broken Dishes? Mariner's Compass? Surely you can afford a little characterization, since it's not like anything else is happening in this book. But no. The quilt block is never specified. Ever. (Also, a woman with a strong family tradition of quilting, who has taken classes on quilting, who is so in love with old textiles that it's mentioned on her official bio, would be repairing her grandmother's quilt herself, not farming it out to the protagonists. Just saying, all the technical knowledge and craft-related characterization in this book is completely off.)
There is one quilt block pattern in the back of the book: a Friendship Star, which is part of a mystery quilt allegedly designed by the protagonists, which you can assemble if you buy all twelve (TWELVE!) of these books. So is the Friendship Star pattern one of the things the quilt shop owner protagonists work on in the book? Also no. They try to repair a vintage star quilt "constructed of squares with eight-piece stars" (okay, LeMoyne stars? Hunter stars?), are apparently in the middle of publishing a book of undescribed quilt patterns, work on a completely undescribed raffle quilt for charity at their bee, design an undescribed patchwork cat face sleep mask, and make a striped can cozy that gets maybe a paragraph of discussion. None of these patterns are provided, and none of these projects add any characterization details or progress the plot. And in two hundred pages, in a specifically quilting-themed murder mystery, this is a pitifully small amount of quilting, considering the amount of pagetime given to meals and early morning runs and new outfits and the protagonist's awful aunt pestering her to get married and have babies.
October 14, 2021
2 ish stars.
So the story and the mystery aspect was quite interesting. This book is part of a series where they are looking for their friends murderer. In each different book they are trying to find out which one of their suspects are the killer.
I felt like there was a lot of attention on what Kelly ate and how much she ate for no reason. It didnʻt add to the story at all and at one point Emma was body shaming Kelly.
Then, there was the Confederate flag mention and brush off which was unnecessary and did not add to the story at all. If the author was trying to show how progressive Emma and Kelly are compared to Aunt Dottie, she did a poor job at that.
I am really sad that I didnʻt enjoy many aspects of this book because the hardcovers are so cute.
So the story and the mystery aspect was quite interesting. This book is part of a series where they are looking for their friends murderer. In each different book they are trying to find out which one of their suspects are the killer.
I felt like there was a lot of attention on what Kelly ate and how much she ate for no reason. It didnʻt add to the story at all and at one point Emma was body shaming Kelly.
Then, there was the Confederate flag mention and brush off which was unnecessary and did not add to the story at all. If the author was trying to show how progressive Emma and Kelly are compared to Aunt Dottie, she did a poor job at that.
I am really sad that I didnʻt enjoy many aspects of this book because the hardcovers are so cute.
January 19, 2017
I didn't like Emma. She seemed overly obsessed with her friend's death, to the point of engaging in a whole range of intrusive, reckless and dangerous activities. The lack of resolution at the end was another con, and enough with Kelly's food obsession already.
June 17, 2017
First of a series. The protagonist was so unlikeable, that I had a difficult time finishing this book. The other characters were at least likable, if not particularly interesting. Not sure about the other books in the series.
June 6, 2018
I didn’t much care for Emma.
October 9, 2019
This book will have you on egde of your seat as you read it. Quilting and a Murder Mystery will have you looking for clues in this series.
July 10, 2020
This mystery is great! It's the first time I've read a book by Jan Fields and so glad the local librarian helped pick this out for me. I wanted something different and this fit the bill! This book kept me captivated and I read it in one sitting. This book is about 2 friends that can't get over their friends' death 15 years before. For some reason they believe she was murdered and the town cops and college dean covered it up. Throughout the book the friends try to find out who did it. They even go as far as stalking a student that was in her class all those years ago. The story ended on a cliffhanger so I can't wait to read the next in the series! Happy reading my friends.
March 4, 2023
DNF. The main character of this novel is not likable, she is in fact rather grating in personality. Considering that the main character is supposed to be 41 some of her behaviors make her seem like a petulant teenager. I was actually hoping that this would be a good cozy mystery featuring an older protagonist and quilting, but when the main character is so obsessed over a best friend’s murder that she alienates her own clients with her abrasiveness I find it hard to enjoy the book when the main character is that unlikable. Plus, the main character’s southern great aunt seems more like a caricature of an older southern woman. Not my cup of tea.
June 28, 2022
I didn't realize this was a multi-volumed mystery series with no conclusion at the end of each title until the last. That was disappointing.
But it was well-written with a good murder mystery woven literally into an antique quilt. I liked the characters, although the heroine's determination to find her friend's killer from 15 years ago seems over the top. She has supportive friends who try to caution her but she charges ahead without little concern for her own safety.
I liked the mystery but don't like having to wade through several books to find the killer.
But it was well-written with a good murder mystery woven literally into an antique quilt. I liked the characters, although the heroine's determination to find her friend's killer from 15 years ago seems over the top. She has supportive friends who try to caution her but she charges ahead without little concern for her own safety.
I liked the mystery but don't like having to wade through several books to find the killer.
April 25, 2018
Liked this book about a 15 year old murder, but the ending was disappointing. It left me wanting for more and the mystery wasn’t solved! No fair. Someone falls or is pushed down some steps 15 years ago and her best friends are trying to figure out if it was an accident or murder. In their hearts they think it IS murder but there is not enough evidence to support that theory. So they set out to find clues to help them.
April 22, 2020
I just happened to find this whole series in my local Goodwill a couple months ago. I initially only picked up the first 2, figuring I could buy the rest of the series if I liked them, but when I realized how hard they were to find online, I went back and got the rest and hoped they were good. I’m glad I did! Cozy mysteries are something I’m just newly getting into and this was exactly what I look for in one. The characters were funny and entertaining, it isn’t too dark and gruesome but there is definitely a mystery and some elements that put me on the edge of my seat. One thing I didn’t like was how often one character’s eating habits were mentioned and sorta mentioned as a negative quality that she has. Every time I read something about it, I got really uncomfortable and it pulled me out of the story. I’m sure it’ll continue throughout the series, so I’m not looking forward to that, but hopefully it at least won’t get worse. Other than that issue, I really enjoyed the book and I can’t wait to read the rest of them.
May 1, 2021
I actually really enjoyed this, but I find it incredibly annoying that unlike most mystery series, where the case is solved by the end of each book, here it's like one long book broken into installments. It's not satisfying, which is one of the prime reasons for reading a mystery. I feel like the publisher is trying to force me to purchase the next book in the series, and the next, etc. Nope.
October 19, 2025
The idea behind the book seemed good but the execution left something to be desired. Pointless details, conversations that seem overly detailed and a main character which isn’t very likable (she seems like a very sheltered early 20’s, not a 41 year old business owner). I won’t be continuing the series.
November 22, 2021
I started this series with the 3rd book i found at a flea mall and was intrigued so I'm now backtracking. This is the first "quilting mystery" type book I've read and I am looking forward to following along with the quilting blocks and the rest of the story.
January 20, 2022
I love mysteries. I love quilts. And I love series. This is a great start to a series. There is a mystery in the book but then there is an overarching mystery that will run the 12 book series. I am so excited.
May 28, 2024
Good start to a series, I’m going to do my best to devour. I love a good cold case so this is right up my alley. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I have done a few of the details differently, but still a good read and I’m looking forward to seeing how the series unfolds.
March 17, 2025
It was a nice easy read, a good palette cleanser. I was somewhat disappointed that the big mystery was not solved in this book - it continues on in book 2 - Raven Threads. Not really a big deal - I just thought each of these books in the series was a stand alone story with its own conclusion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2017
A good mystery. There are 12 possible suspects, and one checked off in 12 different books. So I am done.
December 18, 2017
1/2 star
June 21, 2019
This one kept me guessing as well. I really enjoy the hobby mystery books. I also enjoy that many of these mystery series have women as main characters.
May 2, 2020
Letting of characters moaning but no conclusion. Ugh
August 16, 2020
Nice quilting cozy! Surprised by the ending... but more inportantly, will I start the quilt!
October 20, 2021
Mysteries and quilts my to loves in a book .Great Job couldn't put down
December 24, 2021
Delicious cozy mystery - best friends, a yarn shop, eccentric aunts/mothers, and a murder to solve. Part of a serial, so the murder isn't solved in this book.
January 15, 2022
Starts slow but very good..now need to find second one
May 29, 2024
This is not a highly complex read - but fun. I liked it.
January 3, 2025
It took me a bit to get into it but then it had me hooked. Can’t wait to read the next one.
August 17, 2025
I am on the fence about this series. It hasn't grabbed my attention like the other Annie's books did. I will give the series a couple of more reads before I form my opinion.
July 12, 2019
A quick read. I don’t care for the main character, I don’t think she’s believable. Her aunt is the only character I really do like. The constant you need a man and every man that she encounters is interested in her and she’s so unaware, annoyed me. I’m also not thrilled that the murder isn’t solved.
I do like the quilting aspect and the quilt block at the end is a nice touch. I don’t know if I care enough about the character to read the other books though.
I do like the quilting aspect and the quilt block at the end is a nice touch. I don’t know if I care enough about the character to read the other books though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews