Innocent Until Proven Quilty

Annie’s Quilted Mystery #5

by Donna Kelly

Beantown is the backdrop when Emma Cotton and Kelly Grace, the owners of Cotton & Grace quilt design shop in Mystic Harbor, Mass., take on the next suspect who may have been involved in the death of their friend Rose. Vanessa Nelson, now an assistant curator at a prestigious Boston art museum, was one of the last to see Rose alive. Now Vanessa is in trouble with the museum, accused of stealing an exquisite painting and dismissed from her position. She seems like the kind of person accustomed to living on the wrong side of the law. Could she be both a thief and a murderer?

Emma and Kelly must go undercover at the museum, hoping to find a link between the theft of a priceless work of art and an unsolved death fifteen years ago. Meanwhile, Emma finds herself in the crosshairs of a conspiracy between her aunt, Dottie Faye Sinclair, and Kelly's mother, Maeve Quigley, who want to "help" Emma gain the attention of Eric Hart, the handsome doctor Dottie Faye believes is Emma's soul mate. Thanks to Vanessa Nelson's underhanded scheming, Emma and Kelly must get to the bottom of the museum heist before they can move forward in their quest to discover the true identity of Rose's killer. Will that journey once again throw their lives into mortal peril?

Genres: Mystery

203 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Donna Kelly is a mystery writer and freelance journalist. She is also the theater critic for the Ledger, the daily newspaper of Lakeland Florida. She is also the writer-in-residence at Arts Ensemble Education Foundation in Winter Haven.

Since childhood, Donna’s fascination with regional folklore, the stories human minds create to explain what happens in the world, and the quirky history of people around the globe, has generated poems, short stories, and book ideas. The paranormal and spiritual beliefs of mankind kindle her imagination.

In 2012, Donna set out to achieve her lifelong goal of becoming an author. Combining ideas garnered during her 15 year tenure as a newspaper journalist with her love of research and writing, Donna began honing her craft while writing four cozy mysteries for Annie’s Publishing.

Reviews

[DiAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanessa Nelson, an assistant curator at a Boston art museum, was one of the last people to see Rose alive. Now Vanessa is accused of stealing an original painting and terminated from her position and seeking to prove her innocence.
Emma and Kelly must go undercover at the museum, in the hopes of finding a link between the theft of the painting and the unsolved death fifteen years ago, of their friend Rose.
Meanwhile, Emma's aunt, Dottie Faye Sinclair, and Kelly's mother, Maeve Quigley, are determined that Emma needs to improve her social life and they are convinced Dr. Eric Hart is just the one to do it.
A relaxing read. Well worth picking up.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to DNF this after a few chapters. I realized I could not handle any more of that ridiculous Dottie Faye. Also, the premise that two hopeless women are running around trying to find a killer when they can't even run their own lives, is unbelievable, to say the least.

I bought this set at a library sale, and most of the books appear never to have been opened. I'll bet the previous owner felt the same way! Anyway, I'm going to skip to the last volume to see what actually happened, then re-donate them all.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the cold case mystery lot this series is built around. I really want to know what happened to Rose, but my overall enjoyment of the series is impacted by my growing annoyance with Emma. She drives me nuts! She is not at all a likable character to me. I will continue on with the series because I am intrigued with the mystery and the stories are good, but Emma is not my favorite!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma & Kelly are on the hunt-who murdered their friend Rose? Between all their volunteering & sleuthing, it's a wonder they have time to get anything in their lives done! Thank goodness for Maeve & Dottie.

Donna has a way that paints a picture in your mind-I can actually see Aunt Dottie-I get a smile on my face as I read about her; her meddling & antics. The descriptions she uses on the people & places-you can see them-as if you were there. The house in Salem-I could have been standing on the sidewalk, staring at it.

This is a fun,quick read. Sweet & homey. For someone that is used to fast paced with lots of action, this was a nice way to slow down & breathe-have a cup of tea & relax with a book.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma and Kelly eliminate another one of Roses' students in her murder and solve another crime, too.