A Seamless Murder

Magical Dressmaking Mysteries #6

by Melissa Bourbon

With a needle and thread, Harlow Jane Cassidy is capable of magic. Her neighbors in Bliss, Texas, on the other hand, are capable of murder....

Any garment Harlow stitches together has the power to grant the deepest desire of whomever wears it. So when she’s asked to sew aprons for a local women’s group, Harlow must get to know each member. First up is Delta Lee Mobley, who doesn’t care much for Harlow’s family—or anyone else in Bliss, for that matter. Granting Delta’s greatest wish could only lead to trouble....

But trouble finds Delta all the same. The day after Harlow delivers her apron, Delta’s body is discovered in the cemetery. It seems one of the townsfolk harbored ill will toward one of their own. Harlow’s sleuthing skills are a cut above the rest, and with a few magical tricks up her sleeve, she is determined to cuff this killer once and for all.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Paranormal, Fiction, Magic, Romance

295 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

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Melissa Bourbon is the national bestselling author of more than forty novels and nonfiction writing resource books. All of her books feature strong female and family relationships, bits of history, and lots of fun.

Melissa used to teach middle school English/Language Arts, but now she teaches creative writing to adults. She founded WriterSpark Academy, an online school for aspiring and new writers seeking to hone their craft.

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Reviews

[Moondance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aprons aren't couture garments.

Harlow has been asked to make aprons for a local group of women that are having a progressive dinner. Harlow's neighbor, Delta, receives the first apron and is found dead soon afterwards.

I waited forever and a day to read this book because i knew it was the last one in the series and I didn't want to let go. Harlow is one of my favorite main characters. i love the back story of butch Cassidy and the "magic" that each of the Cassidy women possess. Harlow's ability to create an article of clothing that speaks to her fascinates me. Although aprons are not high fashion, this book touched me deeply. Perhaps because my grandmother wore an apron every day and it brought such memories.

I love the depth and maturity of Harlow's relationship with Will. He is such a great man! I really appreciate that he accepts Harlow and her family's abilities. His interaction with the ghost of Loretta Mae always makes me smile.

The mystery was well done. I enjoyed the twists and turns that lead me to several possible culprits. The townspeople are like old friends to me. I love visiting Bliss.

I'm very sad that this is the last of my time with Harlow and company. On a bright note, I received a pattern for an apron while I was reading this. I just need to get to my sewing machine so that I can make one from my grandmother's old feed sacks.

I highly recommend this series.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the bunch. It was great catching up with the characters of Bliss, and that last chapter was awesome, but the killer was obvious, there was WAY too much introspection/review of the plot throughout the book, and the author had a character that wasn't part of a scene contributing dialogue to it. So, I enjoyed the read, but it wasn't nearly as good as it usually is.

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/111148...

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Making aprons for a woman’s group should be an easy task for most seamstresses but because of Harlow Jane Cassidy’s magical gift of granting the wearer’s deepest desire she needs to really get to know her customers. Delta Mobley is the head of the group and also Harlow’s next door neighbor but sharing a property line doesn’t mean you know or even like the people next door. There has been a little feud going on between the Cassidy and Mobley families for years, maybe making Delta an apron will be the first step to the families being more neighborly.

The apron gets made but before any real change between the families can happen Delta’s body is found in an open grave in the local cemetery. Harlow quickly finds out her family is not the only one who had problems with Delta. The suspects soon become many including her own family and the ladies in the woman’s group. Harlow believes by using a little bit of magic and asking the right questions she may be able to stitch together the clues and catch the killer before anyone else life is cut short.

These characters never fail to draw me into their story and I always learn a little something too. In this installment a local woman’s group is planning a progressive dinner when each course is served at a different member’s home. I have been to a couple of these events and they were fun and very interesting. In my case I always met new people and some became good friends. In this case the ladies in the group and their husbands all know each other and split up into comfortable groups. That left Harlow and Will as the outsiders of the group and they were focused more on finding a killer rather than making friends. They also planned to do a little snooping so one had to cover for the other. Like I said these events can be interesting.

Meeting all these new characters was entertaining. I hope some of them return in future stories. But my favorites are still Harlow, her mother whose gift makes gardens bloom and grass grow, her goat whispering grandmother and my most favorite of all Meemaw, who has her own special gift of getting just what she wants. Meemaw sets us up with one heck of a cliffhanger!

The author was able to show us Delta was a very complex woman and a woman that had changed of late. She did have a unique way of communicating with her family. Some people hold things in and bottle them up, some vent things very well. Delta form of communicating was sweet sometimes but left me thinking that if she was a “venter” or a woman that voiced her opinions wrong or right she may not have died.

Melissa Bourbon sews together another wonderful mystery that keeps us on pins and needles until all the clues are pieced together. A little sewing mixed with a little sleuthing always makes for happy reading.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story ,Harlow Jane Cassidy is making aprons for a group of women who are having a progressive dinner party. One of the group is found murdered in the cemetery and Harlow starts asking questions. The book was an easy read.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relish the fashion streaks throughout, relinquished the active mystery solving until the final episode.
The only book I read in the series, honey glazed, esp. the ending.
Meemaw's magic (realism) is tasteful not overplayed. I was drawn to the plot weaved through fashionistas yarn, dyed in Lone Star hue, embellished with Bliss passed on from (Butch) Cassidy (and his mistress). How about Sundance Kid (shrunken to a nickname of goat herd)?

[Amy (I'd Rather Be Sleeping) · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a reason I don't read many mysteries anymore: I always seem to know who the guilty party is long before our sleuth figures it out. While this wasn't the sort of book I would chose for myself, (it was a birthday gift) I did enjoy it. There were a few contradictions, but the people were all likable - which is kind of unusual for mysteries. :)

Anyway, this book would have gotten three stars from me, but I knew who the killer was with 90+ pages to go and was left wanting to skip to the end. I didn't though, but I couldn't believe how long it took our amature detective to put everything together.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Well written. I read an earlier review that said he/she knew who did it from the beginning. Not me. I had several suspects, and it wasn't until the person was revealed that I knew for sure who did it. I enjoyed the setting, the apron sewing information, and even the oddness of the Meemaw in the house.

I picked this book up from the library not knowing that it was in a series. I didn't read the other books, and this one was able to stand alone. Would I know the characters better if I had read the other books? Maybe. However, this stands alone, and I didn't feel that I was missing any information by not reading the earlier books.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second one of the series i have read. I wasn't really fond of the first one I read (A Fitting End). But I already owned this one so i decided to read it.

The same as the first one I read, this one annoyed me because of the constant mentioning that she was a Cassidy. I just think that the series would be better without that aspect of the story. She could still have a magical power without that.

I also felt that the plot was predictable. I had guessed the end by the middle of the book.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book from one of my favorite series was a disappointment. It seemed to be missing its usual charm and interplay between quirky family and friends. The mystery, mainly due to the the annoying personalities of the characters, was uninteresting. Harlow took on more of a busybody role which did not appeal to me at all. Hopefully the next book returns to the ideas and interactions that attracted me to the series in the first place.

[Teri Stich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightfully, charming, cozy mystery, the perfect book for a 5 hour flight. Murder, mystery, dressmaking and magic, that makes for a great combination in an easy read. Fun, quirky characters just add to the reading pleasure. While it is part of a series, reading the others is not necessary to enjoy this one. While I would not go out of my way to read the others if one of them landed one my desk I would.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sadly disappointed in this installment. There wasn't enough depth to the mystery and the killer was fairly obvious. The previous books felt more cozy and I really missed spending time with the usual characters. The reviewing of the facts through out the book became monotonous and I found myself skipping paragraphs. Visiting Bliss is always like "going home", but this time I wasn't feeling it.

[Melodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was maybe a 3.5 star read, but just going the 3 here. I always enjoy a visit with these characters, but the bad guy was terribly obvious in this one. Really liked the last chapter, tho! If you like this series, you'll want to read this one, too.

[Kristin Whitehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt that this one was lacking a little most of the way through because most of the usual characters weren't around. But the ending! It's going to kill me to have to wait for the next one.

[Sanderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good cozy mystery series!! :)

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just felt like this one written a little half heartedly.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very first sewing project for 7th grade girls back when I was a 7th grade girl was to make an apron. We all had to follow the same simple pattern. Start with a rectangle. Make narrow hems along the sides and a deeper hem along the bottom. Make a casing across the top. Thread a wide color coordinated ribbon or narrow strip of matching fabric through the casing to help gather the fabric and serve as the apron strings. Make simple square pockets to stitch near the bottom of the apron. Decorate with rick rack or other sewing notions. Mine was black gingham with red rick rack. Who cares, right? It was frustrating to me because I already knew how to set in sleeves, do invisible zippers, stitch gathers into a waist band, and it was frustrating to be sewing straight, boring seams. (I asked to take woodshop, the required alternative to Home Ec, but I was told that was for boys only. Too dangerous for girls. And of course, one of the girls in my Home Ec class proved sewing wasn't all that safe when she ran over her fingertip with the needle and another girl forgot to put water in the bottom of the aluminum double boiler when making hot chocolate and melted the bottom of the pan and created possibly potential fumes to spread through the food lab. The teacher kept that pan for future demonstration of what happens when you miss a step in the recipe directions.) Sorry for the boring trip down Memory Lane!

After reading about all those incredible aprons, I want to dig out my ancient Singer portable and create a fancy apron I'll never wear. Needless to say, I loved the sewing project for this one. The mystery was a bit more complex because there were so many characters I kept forgetting which ones were family, which ones were red hatters, and which spouse belonged to whom.

[Robert Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Seamless Murder" is the sixth in the "Magical Dressmaking Mysteries," by Melissa Bourbon. My mass market paperback copy has 310 pages, including an excerpt from "A Killing Notion," which is fifth in this Cozy Mystery Series.

Harlow is hired by Delta Lee Mobley, who is a part of the Red Ladies Society, to make aprons for them. Given Harlow's expertise, as a fashion designer in New York, making aprons is not at all a challenge for her dressmaking abilities. Of course, given her Cassidy Charm, she needs to get to know the ladies a little better, so she can make sure she is creating the best possible aprons for the society members.

However, not too long after Harlow meets with Delta Lee, she is murdered, and once again, Harlow is thrust into yet another murder mystery, whether she wants to be or not.

I have enjoyed all of the installments in this Cozy Mystery Series. Harlow is so kind, helpful, loving and talented, very devoted to her family, her home, her business, her boyfriend, Will, and her not-officially-but-really stepdaughter, Gracie, Will's daughter from his first marriage, as well as her good friend, Madelyn and, of course, the spirit of her Meemaw.

I cannot wait to read the next one.

[Carla Samples · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC!

This book was just as amazing as the five before it. I have completely fallen in love with each character in these stories, especially Harlow. She is just how I would have loved my life to be patterned (pun intended)after. Melissa descriptions of her characters make each and every one come to life before you. It really is a magical collection of stories and this final book, although it is the end of the story, leaves your imagination wondering and wanting more. My only hope is one day she will continue Harlow's life story. You will never find a more talented writer to make a story come to life!

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. It felt like Bourbon had a contract to write the book and her heart just wasn't in it. What happened to Gracie? And her friend in Chicago? And all the regular characters that fleshed out the earlier books. I wondered a few times if she actually wrote it or someone else wrote it for her. I notice there are 2 more books in the series that were self-published so I have to wonder if she knew this was going to be the last one and figured it didn't matter.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harlow takes on a project to create aprons for the Red Hat Society. She has also been creative and uses her magic to create each apron per each individual. She starts off with Delta who ends up in the cemetery the next day where Harlow trips over her body. She still needs to create the rest of the aprons while trying to figure out who killed Delta.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. Just think I found a bunch of books in this series at our library sale. I have sure enjoyed all the ones I was able to find. This one brought back memories I made with my grandmother when she helped me make an apron. I sure wish I knew what happened to it. I'm looking forward to reading more as soon as I can find another.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many characters introduced all at once that I almost needed a chart to keep track. Most of the regular characters weren't around much in this one. But since this seems to be the last book of the series, I was satisfied with the ending.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bad thing about reading a Magical Dress Making Mysteries book is that you can't help but reading it nonstop which makes it over too soon!
Good characters, good setting, interesting plot and well written. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Julie McEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good apron

I choose this rating because it is a continuation of a series and I love, love, love a good series. To
recommend this book to anyone who love a good series. I choose this because of the the way she continue to go on each page of description.

[Jennifer Kovaleski · Rating 4 out of 5]

mystery magic & romance

Not a book in this series has been disappointing. Harlow and her family are the definition of cozy . The mystery was interesting to solve with lots of red herrings.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful edition in this series!

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another seamless whodunnit!

[Christine Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

was good

[Carrie Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://mrslibrocubicularist.blogspot...

[Patti Abernathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in this fun series. I figured out who was the most likely suspect early on. I enjoy the sewing storylines.