Threaded with Lies: A Clean Christian Cozy Mystery with a Cold Case Disappearance, a Loyal Dog, and Small-Town Secrets

Alex Allin #1

by Gracie Gann

A mysterious envelope. A deadly secret woven in gold. A cozy mystery with more twists than a log cabin quilt.

Quilt shop owner Alex Allin is ready for a quiet retreat in her cozy Colorado town—until a velvet envelope lands on her doorstep. a cryptic message, a swatch of golden brocade, and a decades-old mystery someone doesn’t want solved. Soon she’s tangled in another small-town whodunit—with stitches pointing straight to Norway and a decades-old mystery someone doesn’t want solved.
With her best friend Juniper, a Granny Squad who thinks they’re MI6, and Saedie—the world’s most biscuit-motivated canine—Alex unravels a web of coded quilts, Cold War whispers, and one devilishly handsome journalist.
As secrets unravel, suspects pile Valerie Morse, the jittery town clerk with too many secrets… and Ms. Anders, who’s been hiding the truth for years.
When a stalker begins circling and clues point dangerously close to home, Alex must uncover the truth before history repeats itself— and a long-buried secret claims one final hers.

Perfect for fans of clean, heartwarming cozies laced with friendship, folklore, and faith-tinged charm. Bonus recipe and quilt block pattern included!

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 6, 2025

About the author

Gracie Gann writes heartwarming cozy mysteries stitched with secrets, small-town charm, and a touch of faith. She and her husband served as missionaries for over 50 years before she turned to fiction, stitching her love of history, mystery, and meaningful connection into every book.

Gracie now lives in Colorado with Steve and their black-and-white Cavapoo, Saedie—who frequently steals both snacks and scenes in her stories. When she’s not plotting fictional crimes, she’s dreaming up recipes, exploring hidden corners of the world, or designing her next quilt.

Her Alex Allin Cozy Mystery series is perfect for readers who love a good puzzle, a strong female lead, and a little faith mixed in with their fiction.

Visit her at www.graciegannbooks.com

Reviews

[Bibliophile Foodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blend of small‑town charm with a deeper, historical storyline. Alex Allin, who runs her quilt shop in Aspen Ridge, gets pulled into a mystery after receiving a strange envelope with a swatch of golden brocade. What starts as curiosity quickly turns into a search that uncovers secrets reaching back to World War II.

I liked how the story balanced everyday life, quilts, baking, and the humour of the Granny Squad with the darker mystery of hidden artifacts and people who disappeared decades ago. The mix of past and present gave the book a different feel, and I found myself completely absorbed.

The characters were warm and believable. The community feel of Aspen Ridge made the mystery even stronger because it showed how history and secrets can live quietly in small towns until someone decides to uncover them.

The biblical quotes added a sense of reflection that fit the tone of the book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great cozy mystery with older sleuths involved in investigating, quilts, baking, a cute little doggie sidekick, and a mystery that spanned generations and more than one country.

At first I was a little surprised to see biblical quotes at the beginning of the chapters, being that I am not religious. However, none of them were "preachy", but rather fit into the story well, showing how the ladies (& one man) and the community in general, had their faith to guide them. I feel they were a small touch that accessorized the story well.

The mystery itself was rather interesting - involving hidden artifacts, secret messages, some danger, and a community that came together to reveal the secrets that had been hidden for years.

I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series, whenever it appears. Alex, Justin, and Saedie have more travels and mysteries ahead.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely cosy mystery around Aspen Ridge & the Lightning Keepers, an underground resistance started in Norway who communicicated by stitching messages into quilts. During WWll a lot of them fled to Aspen Ridge & still used quilting to send messages. After the war they are betrayed & many of them just disappeared. Alex is pulled into this with the delivery of a mysterious envelope with a quilting square from someone unknown. Will she, along with other trusted friends be able to figure it all out before the descendents of the perpetrators of the original crimes carry out their threats to get rid of them all? A beautifully descriptive story that you want to keep reading to find out the whole truth.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Rdeaders Only.

[Skater · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good Story

This is a good story, but the story telling is very sparse. I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a series and had no idea what was happening or who everyone was. There is no back story for the characters. The hints for the mystery itself had me doubling back to see if I had missed something. Nope, it’s just the way the story is told. They talked about a character running and hiding stuff from the Nazi’s but then they’re talking about 1959. Finally, this is a Christian story, heavy on the constant prayer. This is fine, but I would prefer to know in advance. That said, the story telling style is just to sparse and almost spastic in how it drops events and clues and not for me.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gracie Gann takes her readers on a mysterious adventure in Aspen Ridge, CO. Her vivid descriptions allows her readers to feel as if they are investigating old houses, enjoying a Norwegian inspired meal at Juniper's cafe, rumaging through museum archives, or even chatting with the local sheriff at the police station. The quirky characters of the Granny Squad bring a since of humor to an otherwise serious and dangerous investigation. I appreciate that Gracie begins each chapter with a scripture verse reminding me that God's Word applies to all situations. And, as a quilter, I could relate to all the quilts terms. I never would have thought to hide important documents in a quilt.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Betty Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intricate cozy mystery is the first of a series of cozy mysteries the scene is a small town in Colorado which sheltered refugees from Nazi persecution. Aware of the genocide the refugees rescued children and placed them in America where they were given new names. Families who sent their children gave mementos and photos which were preserved and hidden in a small Colorado town. The story of their recovery is well told, with a creative cast of believable characters, well planned plot lines, and a subtle under-story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[REGINA BRADBURN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Threaded With Lies

Alex Allin is busy with her cute Cavapoo Saedie & Patchwork Haven quilt shop in Aspen Ridge, Colorado. I really like the sassy Granny Squad & her bestie Juniper Wood since they provide humor and help her solve the mystery of the Norwegian brocade fabric with help from Journalist Justin Case. I liked Grandma’s Winter Spice Wafers recipe & the Log Cabin Quilt Block design at the end of the book that was shared as a bonus. The biblical quotes are very nice touches. I got this book from Amazon after I read another book in the series & will definitely read more books by this author.

[GinaB. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Allin is busy with her cute Cavapoo Saedie & Patchwork Haven quilt shop in Aspen Ridge, Colorado. I really like the sassy Granny Squad & her bestie Juniper Wood since they provide humor and help her solve the mystery of the Norwegian brocade fabric with help from Journalist Justin Case. I liked Grandma’s Winter Spice Wafers recipe & the Log Cabin Quilt Block design at the end of the book that was shared as a bonus. The biblical quotes are very nice touches. I got this book from Amazon after I read another book in the series & will definitely read more books by this author.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Now Alex must uncover the truth before history repeats itself—and a secret buried for generations claims one final victim.'

The characters were very appealing and likeable and quirky and mysterious and compelling. Plot was intriguing and exciting and well paced. World building was solidly drawn and impressive. Enjoyed immensely and highly recommend.

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Patricia Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Threaded in Lies is an intriguing mystery and a great addition to the series. Alex, Juniper, Justin, Saedie and the Granny Squad are on the case once again. Absolutely love the Granny Squad! Saedie is adorable. WWII mystery, danger and secrets. Well written. The plot was well developed. Can’t wait for the next adventure. An added bonus of a recipe and a quilt pattern is awesome. I highly recommend it.

[Dianne Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tale of threads!

I love the Gracie Gann stories with thread as the underlying theme. Totally unique, captivating and believable. The mystery and the investigation are fascinating. I highly recommend this book and others by Gracie Gann.

I read this book as part of an advance reader team. I am voluntarily writing this review.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful smalltown who done it that will keep you turning the pages and sitting on the end of your seat! Interesting complex characters and a fast paced story. I loved the twists and turns around the mysterious golden fabric. A real page turner and a must read!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quilt scrap is something else. It' a the clue to a story that pas remained secret for years. What are the secrets contained in the quilt scrap?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just read the revised version
of this story in one day.
I simply couldn't stop reading it.
Ms. Gann always writes an excellent
story and this is one of her best.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did
and will when I read it again.


Phyllis S.

[Rashelle Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

I took my time reading this book because I wasn't ready for it to end! Definitely recommend for a fun mystery!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex Allin is the owner of a quilt shop in Colorado. When a swatch of cloth shows up in her shop, she becomes mixed up in a mystery involving secret codes stitched into quilts and a decades-old murder. She begins to receive threats, warning her to stop digging into the past. With her best friend Juniper, the Granny Squad and her canine bestie Saedie, Alex sets out to decipher the code and solve the puzzle. Can she unravel the puzzle before someone silences her for good?

This book was filled with plenty of intriguing and conspiracies that keeps the reader on their toes. Sometimes it was a little too much and I would get confused. I thought the characters were nicely developed and I appreciated the humor that the Granny Squad injected into the serious plot. At the end of the book, the author includes a recipe and a quilt square pattern. Just a note, this story has some underlying Christian themes throughout. If possible, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars. This book is for you if you enjoy solving complex puzzles.

*I received an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another first time that I have read Gracie Gann books and they are wonderful. Alex Allin a quilt shop owner in Aspen Ridge Colorado and her friend Juniper Woods owner of Sweet Juniper bakery and coffee store plus Sadedie her dog who loves pastries and Justin Case a Journalist help them try to solve different mysteries with the help of the Granny Squad. But that all change when Alex get a envelope with a cryptic message and swatch of golden brocade. They start looking into what happened during World War II and after as people started to disappear all of sudden and no one looked into it. There were alot of Norwegian folk that had moved there to get away from the war. Alex, Juniper and Justin started to really look into everything as they were starting to warnings to stop digging but that only made the want to find out what really happened. This story has so many different thing going on and I could not put the book down until I finished it.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book in the series (can be read stand alone). Charming characters that are just a little quirky and fun and a storyline that will keep you digging along the characters will keep you glued to the pages. Fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a town's history hidden in quilt squares. Hidden in plain sight and investigated by Alex, Justin, Juniper, and the Granny Squad. It shows just what happens when a few families control everything that happens in a small town through generations.
I received an arc and this is my honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, enjoyed reading it. Recommend.