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Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery #5

Emperor's New Quilt: A Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery

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A mysterious abandoned quilt. A sinister string of murders. Can this amateur sleuth follow the pattern to catch the killer?After much hard work, Taylor Quinn is finally finding relief from the trauma of losing her mom. Invited to help solve the mystery of an abandoned quilt, she agrees to take on the pleasant distraction. But her innocent investigation leads her straight to a dead body with a pair of sewing shears stuck in its back.

When two journalists reporting on the stabbing are taken out the same way, Taylor faces her worst A monster is targeting everyone she’s talked to about the quilt. Desperate to prevent more deaths, she starts building a patchwork of clues. But piecing them together might land her in an early grave.

Can Taylor uncover the villain before her life is cut short?

Emperor’s New Quilt is the exciting fifth book in the quirky and lovable Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery Series. If you like witty dialogue, charming settings, and stitching together the truth, then you’ll love Tess Rothery’s page-turning whodunit.

Buy Emperor’s New Quilt today to sew up a chilling case!

584 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2020

243 people are currently reading
60 people want to read

About the author

Tess Rothery

13 books52 followers
Small towns, romance, quilts, coffee, and crime.


Tess Rothery's cozy mysteries transport you to a quiet world where murder lurks under the comfortable surface of everyday life.

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5 stars
122 (52%)
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82 (35%)
3 stars
28 (11%)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
2,130 reviews46 followers
November 4, 2020
Taylor Quinn's life is unraveling. Her sister's marriage to Jonah Lang, a famous media influencer, has her on edge. Her quilting store isn't doing well and her romantic life is in turmoil. What else could go wrong? How about another murder! There are rumors that the Cutter is back after so many years. Taylor needs to keep away from the press but she's infatuated with one of them. Will she breakup with Hudson and change her life. There are so many questions. As usual I enjoyed this fast paced cozy written by Tess Rothery. Taylor deserves a break, but she doesn't get it. This mystery is complex and kept me guessing. I enjoyed how the characters keep growing and evolving. Their life changes pull me in. I feel as if they are real people.
12.6k reviews189 followers
October 26, 2020
An absolutely fabulous and entertaining cozy mystery. Any Taylor book is a delight by itself and can’t wait for the next.
Profile Image for Jeanie.
1,315 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2020
Emperor’s New Quilt is the fifth novel in this series about Taylor Quinn and the 3rd generation quilting store that her grandmother had started many years earlier. The character development is great; I feel as if I learn more about Taylor and her family each time, and even some of the new characters pop off the page. Dialogue is excellent and well-balanced. The mystery included red herrings and the whodunits was somewhat of a surprise.

It has been nearly three years since Taylor moved from Portland, back to the lovely little town of Comfort, Oregon. Her mom, who had run Flour Sax Quit Shop for several years along with a taping YouTube videos that showed various quilting techniques. Laura had been murdered; the police didn’t think so, but the question was raised by teenage sister Belle. That was the first time Taylor worked on a murder and was able to prove her mom didn’t die accidentally and identify the killer.

Taylor is at the Comfort Quilt Shop Owners Guild meeting when she learns about a quilt that was unclaimed after the recent Cascade Quilt Expo. It was left behind with no provenance or information on the current owner, only a tag indicating it was made in Oregon Territory between 1820 and 1840. Based on the age and known history of Oregon, that left only one possible woman who made it. It will be displayed at the Comfort Flour Mill Museum. Taylor will meet with Shawna, a volunteer with the museum, and Lorraine, who runs the museum, to study and identify the quilt and its artisan. A couple days later, Taylor joins the group who are examining the quilt, which contains mysteries of fabric use and design that will take time to solve.

Taylor returned to the museum the next day and entered the new storage building to look more closely at the quilt. Instead of finding the quilt laid out again on the table, however, was Shawna, dead, with a pair of scissors in her back.

This intriguing mystery quickly becomes more complicated with additional murders and the thoughts that the serial killer called “The Cutter” from the mid-1970’s cold cases had come back to Comfort. There are more questions than answers and held my attention throughout. To me, however, the relationship dramas, particularly between Taylor and Hudson and between right—hand person Roxy and Clay became distracting due only to the time they consumed. That is my personal preference, however, and may not be an issue for other readers. I enjoyed catching up with their families a bit, including Belle and Jonah, yet wanted a little more focus on the mystery.

Overall, this is a great cozy mystery and series, and one does not have to read prior novels in the series as the backstories were woven in seamlessly. There was at least one excellent red herring, and plot twists that kept changing my pet suspects. I was very surprised to see whodunit with regards to the murder, as it was someone I had briefly considered and discarded. With regards to the origin of the quilt, I was less surprised based on the clues throughout. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate well-written cozy mysteries with quilts, Oregon Territory history, and romance.

From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel, and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for Roxx Tarantini.
574 reviews4 followers
November 9, 2020
Book Five in Rothery's series, delivers exactly what we've come to expect of this author - murder, intrigue, and more than a little knowledge on the history of quilting. A bang-up combination already, but as we've seen with the other Quinn Quilt Shop Mysteries, there's always a bit of romance too. This time Taylor has almost decided when a few unexpected "old flames" show up to gum up the works. Can the mystery be resolved while her romantic life is up in the air?

Another great read from Rothery here, I've loved the four previous volumes, BUT each one of them - and Five is no exception - are easily read as standalone too. I highly recommend the whole series!

[I received an Advanced Reader Copy of the book from the author with no obligation to review. The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.]
Profile Image for Jean .
664 reviews21 followers
October 21, 2020
The Emperor’s New Quilt is another delightful read in the Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mysteries series. As usual, the characters are well-developed, there are interesting clues, and up-to-date dilemmas. There is a lot of family love in this series: Taylor’s care for her Grandpa Ernie and Sister Belle, her grandparents’ love for her, etc. It always feels a little sad to leave Comfort, Oregon at the end of the book. To my mind this series is cozy mystery writing at its best. I recommend it!
Profile Image for Billie.
5,783 reviews72 followers
October 26, 2020
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
146 reviews
October 31, 2020
This is the kind of book one might pick when you just want to read something light and easy. Nicely written with characters that are well developed. The charming setting and the story lube kept me interested. Recommended. Thanks to the author, I received a free copy of this book. I am leaving a review voluntarily.
4,516 reviews38 followers
November 6, 2020
Emperor's New Quilt is a well written cozy mystery set in a small town. This book works as a stand alone, but I have read them all in order. The recurring characters have come to feel like extended family members. There are several plot twists, possible motives, and suspects in this entertaining mystery. I did not guess the murderer. Once I started reading, I could not put the book down!
Profile Image for Heather W.
4,065 reviews35 followers
November 12, 2020
Emperor’s New Quilt is the fifth book in the Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery Series.

This is a great addition to the series. I love reading these cozy mysteries. The author gives us quirky characters, quilting, murder, mystery, mayhem, friends, and family.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
Profile Image for Mary Kay.
16 reviews
November 3, 2020
Excellent Series

Love this series and the quick chapters. I am so glad the new book will be out in January 2021.
Profile Image for Lynn DeLano.
172 reviews
November 24, 2020
Wild ride

This one was a wild ride full of suspects and killings encased in love triangles to go along with them.
113 reviews2 followers
January 2, 2021
This is definitely a story that builds up. I love the characters and the tension built up well. If you love stories with believable characters who have similtaneous dilemmas you will love this book.
1,012 reviews
August 6, 2021
A mysterious quilt and a murder

While trying to figure out where a mystery quilt came from, a woman is murdered. Family and friend issues get complicated.
250 reviews2 followers
August 24, 2021
Another hit!

I love Taylor Quinn. She's smart and fun. I never suspected the person who turned out to be the murderer. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
35 reviews
February 22, 2023
I keep trying to love this series but the characters are just not my cup of tea. I don't like any of them at all.
Profile Image for Shari Binkney.
22 reviews
August 30, 2023
Great read

Fun, mysterious, & exciting. Such a good cozy mystery! An easy read that goes very quickly. Can’t wait to read the next novel.
452 reviews17 followers
July 9, 2024
After the close of the quilt expo, an old quilt appears to be left behind. Taylor has been asked to help try to authenticate the quilt and see if it is as old as it is believed to be. She also enlists the help of her grandfather, but with his dementia, she never knows if he is confused and is telling the truth. When Taylor goes to the museum to help with the quilt, she discovers one of the volunteers murdered. She hears rumors that there may have been a serial killer that killed in the same way decades ago. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Will Taylor be able to find the killer or will the killer continue to strike? If Taylor's life isn't crazy enough, her sister Belle and her new husband Jonah are currently staying with her and Grandpa Ernie while they search for a place to live. Another great addition to the Taylor Quinn mystery series.
338 reviews4 followers
January 23, 2021
Book Five in A Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mystery Series

If you enjoy reading a clean whodunit, then this story will be perfect for you. The story is free of sex scenes, profanity, and graphic violence. I nice read for a quiet evening. It can be read as a standalone, but I find reading the series – in order – is preferred to understand the full backstory.

I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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