Tie Died: A Quilting Cozy

Quilting Cozy #1

by Carol Dean Jones

First in the mystery series starring a senior sleuth with a passion for quilting—and quizzing suspects…Includes a bonus pattern!   Sarah Miller’s forty-year-old daughter, Martha, has been relentlessly encouraging her to leave her longtime home and settle into a retirement community—and now sixtysomething widow Sarah has reluctantly given in. It’s a tough adjustment, but she’s a tough lady—and she’s going to get her bearings and build a new life for herself.   She’s happy when she starts meeting some of her fellow residents and making friends. But then, one of them is murdered—and Sarah and her feisty friend Sophie are determined to find the killer…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Contemporary, Ebooks

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2013

Reviews

[ML Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lite little cozy. The quilting portion draws me in more that the other details. I’m curious to see where the next book leads.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixty-eight Sarah moves into a retirement village, after her daughter pushes her into it. Sarah is still mourning her husband and her grandson. Sarah finds friends, a new quilting hobby and use of computers. One of her new friends is murdered. She and another one of her new friends set out to figure out who did it.

[Barb]

The main character’s backstory too sad.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent start to a new series. I like the MC Sarah and her new friend Sophie. I like the combo of mystery with Sarah's new hobby of quilting. Some info on quilting was included, but it didn't overpower the mystery. And, the mystery was good. I was completely clueless as to the murderer, but it made sense with the reveal. I look forward to reading more in this series.

[Joann]

I am hoping to try the quilting pattern included in this mystery detective/ quilting book.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Widowed Sarah Miller enters Cunningham retirement community at the urging of her children. Soon she realizes that they were right--she misses her garden but enjoys her new friends and activities, including the quilting she decides to try in the nearby village. When one of her new friends is found dead, she and bustling Sophie decide to help the police find the culprit. The lead policeman is eventually taken off the case because of personal problems, Sarah adopts a dog, and a comforting figure from her past reenters her life. The plot isn't much and there's little sense of place, but the characters are amusing and I will try to read the rest (this is the first of a planned series of ten), but the real problem for me was the rather simplistic, though grammatical, writing.

[Mary Kovarik · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series; but I found it dull. The author has a lot of good ideas; but she doesn't express them well in my opinion. She has a large cast of characters, many of them stereotypes. It's almost like she made an outline of the story without developing the players further.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tie Died by Carol Dean Jones is the first book of the Quilting Cozy mystery series set in contemporary US Midwest. 68-year-old Sarah Miller reluctantly yields to pressure from her adult daughter Martha, to stop working and move to a retirement community. At first she's sad and depressed, missing the home where she and her beloved late husband raised a family. Soon she meets friendly neighbors (Sophie and Andy), explores the community center, and her spirits lift. Inspired by Andy to learn new skills, Sarah decides to take computer classes and quilting classes. She adopts a dog from the animal shelter. She volunteers at a nursing home, where she meets widower Charles Parker. He's the detective who reported her husband's death so long ago. They become very good friends. Sarah spends most of her time with Sophie, the neighbor who knows everyone and everything going on in their village. When a murder occurs in their small gated community, Sarah and Sophie can't help but try sleuthing (which of course the police don't appreciate).

Sarah's goal is to learn how to quilt well enough to make a remembrance quilt for her daughter from her late husband's ties. Instructions to make the quilt 'Tie Died' are included. Assisted by Charles' woodworking skill, Sarah transforms a guest bedroom into a custom quilting room.

A fast read, introducing a cast of characters in their retirement years who are open to new activities and friendships.

[Tracy Shephard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Miller is approaching her 70's and her children Martha and Jason are worried about her. Her husband has died in an accident and now alone, Martha and Jason suggest she moves into a retirement village so she can be with more people. 

Daydreaming about her life and watching the residents of the Cunningham Retirement Village, Sarah decides to see what's to do and make some friends. 

She soon signs up for computer classes and a quilting class, deciding to make a quilt from her late husbands ties. 

This cozy mystery is fun to read. Sarah reminds me of an older Agatha Raisin, and very soon when murder and mystery begin,  Sarah and her new friend Sophie find themselves in the thick of the investigation.

Of course, quilting is at the main core of these fabulous novels, and what I love is the history and information given throughout the book.  There is also an accompanying quilt pattern with each book. Full instructions and materials are listed, so it's very easy to catch the quilting bug and sew along with each novel. 

With funny, amazing characters these quick reads are just the thing to settle down with. I read Tie Died in just a few hours and with tea cake and delicious unexpected twist it was the perfect book for me. 

This is book one of the Sarah Miller series. 

[DiAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, WOW!! Thrilling from beginning to end! A rollercoaster ride that will keep you scrambling to figure out who-dun-it. Excellently written and characters that are perfect for the storyline and very believable. This is only the first in the series too! I can't wait to read MORE books by Carol Dean Jones.

When sixty-eight year old Sarah Miller moves into the Cunningham Village retirement community, she is mourning the loss of her husband, her young grandson, and the place that has been home for forty-two years. But Sarah is a survivor. As she reaches out into the retirement community that is to become home, she finds friends, activities, new hobbies, and a possible love interest. Includes instructions for the featured cover quilt. In the first installment of this fun, friendly series of cozy mysteries, one of Sarah's new friends is murdered, and she and her feisty friend Sophie are determined to find the killer.

If you like cozy mysteries, you're going to love this book!!!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sewposium quilt shops offered this series of books for a monthly book club and each comes with a relevant pattern by Karen Montgomery. This first book was delightful. I enjoy the characters and find them to feel real with wonderfully written adventures and emotions. As a quilter who still works full time and never having enough sewing time, I love to read books that incorporate what I love. This book did that very well! The pattern for this book is a quilt made with men's ties. While I may not make an entire quilt. I do think a framed block of my husbands ties would be a lovely keepsake to remember some of my most favorite ties that he has. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Erin Northcutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a cozy mystery and this fit the bill perfectly! Characters are well developed and I cares what happened to them. Although, unsure how I felt about Ruth and her back story. I love the tension between Sarah and her daughter Martha, very relatable.

This is the first book in the series and did a great job of setting the stage for the following books. I am a quilter and appreciate the referral to quilting details and the patience
required to make one. The community feeling among quilters is spot on!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice cute book and I am happy to report that there are lots of books in the series......the bad part is they are a super fast read (less than 300 pages).....I didn't guess anything right in this one but I am use to that HAHAHA....I like how it's written and the characters are very realistic and believable.

I take them to the beach.......they are great beach reading books......also last night reading books.....The best part is they come with a pattern for the quilt on the book cover!!!

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR list for ages, and I figured it was time to read it. a cozy focused on quilting and a 68-year-old woman who is admitted to a retirement village at her daughter's insistence. Sarah Miller does not want to be there, but soon finds a lot of new friends, including a man named Andy Burgess. Before long he is found dead. Sarah and her nosy friend across the street want to know what happened. He was such a nice man and couldn't believe anyone would hurt him.
Cute story, but not a keeper on my shelf. A fine book for anyone looking for a short mystery.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light mystery. Perfect for when you want a cozy mystery and if you appreciate quilting or are a quilter. The book features an elderly woman - who is not even 70 but behaves like an elderly stereotype - not like my dynamic friends that age. So think standard issue elderly, living in a retirement community and quilting while solving a murder and annoying the police. If this is what you are looking for, and I was this week of vacation, then this is a good choice. Oh- and I sort of saw the ending coming so it wasn’t the most complex plot. But I enjoyed Murder She Wrote.

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has the bones of a good story. I like the setting and most of the characters. There's a bit too much telling and not quite enough showing, and too many shifts in viewpoints for my personal taste. There are a few plot holes and inconsistencies that keep me from adding that 4th star. I don't understand the reasoning behind the charging and sentencing once the killer was revealed. Still, I see enough potential to make me want to read the next book.

[Cindy Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Really enjoyed this first of a new series (to me, anyhow!!).Major life changes found Sarah moving to a retirement community, where she settled in to the comfortable life with new friends and activities. Picking up computer skills and quilting filled her life, as did the scruffy pooch she found at the local pound. What she didn't expect was the murder of a new friend.....

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life of seniors.....

Well, Cunningham Village sounds like a great place to live. Well, except for the murder. Even that is an interesting story. I loved Sarah and her best friend Sophia. Let's not forget Charles. Can't wait to see where that goes. Oh, and who wouldn't love Barney?

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this book at my quilt guild meeting and checked it out. The characters and plot are interesting but the writing is so so. Some of the characters are rather erratic (Andy, for instance). Chapters are very short--3 or so pages--and it's a fast read. I'm hoping the writing becomes more polished as the series continues because I'd like to find out what happens next.

[Marlyn G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tie Died and more!

This book is a wonderful quilting mystery with a bit of romance . Sarah moves into a retirement community reluctantly. But then she forms a friendship with Sophie, and craziness begins. Sarah learns computer and takes quilting classes, and gets involved in a murder. Plus meeting a man she likes.

[Sara Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to a new cozy series. The main characters are older women in a retirement village. That’s nice to see. The quilting doesn’t play a major role in the story, but it’s a good hook for quilters who read. Or vice versa!

[Janet Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book since I like both mysteries and quilting. I enjoyed the book but was not that intrigued. The mystery was pretty obvious to me early. The quilting part was not that important to the story itself and rather forced.

[Sharon W. Cordray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quilting draws people together.

As a quilter, I can’t help but get drawn into books that are about quilts or have quilters as characters in them. Ms. Jones has created a great story and built a interesting group of characters. Ready to read the next one in this series.

[Bernadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grab a cup of coffee and a comfy place and enjoy! For me this is a wonderful cozy mystery, in reading the story it was as if I was watching what was happing. Great characters, a dash of humor and of course a mystery. Love the quilting sprinkled throughout!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished my book with quilting in it for the St Clair challenge. Followed a first time quilter as she learned to quilt and solved a mystery. I have a lot in common with the main character in this book.

[Donna Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fine little cozy. Very simplistic writing style, stereotyped characters and a strange way of switching character perspectives mid-paragraph. The writing isn't good enough for me to continue with the series.

[Linda Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

I really like reading this book. It made me sad in the beginning for Sarah but she came through with a new lease and friends. The mystery part was good also

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little afternoon read. Predictable but worth reading.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I'm so glad I found Carol Dean Jones books I was hooked if you you like a great cozy than you need to read this one I'm getting the next book now

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

this story begins with one woman moving from her home to a retirement community and making friends with people in the community.