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Stitches In Crime #2

Bobbins And Bodies

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All she wanted from the old farmhouse was the gorgeous mantel, not a dead body.

Paisley Sutton always expects the unexpected when she goes into a house to salvage the architectural prizes before its torn down. She even knows she might encounter a rodent or two. But she really isn’t expecting to find a dead body, not again. And when it turns out the young man she found slumped in the house’s basement was killed, Paisley discovers that it’s not only the house that was abandoned.

Will her research trigger the decades-old fears that someone hoped to bury in the rubble?

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2021

281 people are currently reading
377 people want to read

About the author

A.C.F. Bookens

39 books270 followers

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5 stars
378 (42%)
4 stars
322 (36%)
3 stars
153 (17%)
2 stars
18 (2%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Profile Image for Andrea.
1,788 reviews24 followers
April 6, 2021
I was so worried for Paisley and Mika in this one. I wanted to finish it to know they were okay, but I didn’t want to keep reading in case they got into danger. The fear was palpable in this one! In the end Paisley and Mika are okay, the mystery gets solved, and their friends are there for them. Read this one when you are prepared for all the feelings.

I received an advanced copy of this one. This is my review.
Profile Image for Lola.
1,983 reviews275 followers
April 5, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

Bobbins and Bodies is the second book in this new cozy mystery series and just like the first book I enjoyed reading this one. There's another mystery as Paisley stumbles upon a dead body in a house she's salvaging. There's plenty of danger and tension and also some fun daily life scenes.

While I enjoyed this book, the mystery in this one gripped me less than the one in book 1. After finding a dead body in the house she's salvaging she gets involved trying to solve it, which leads her and her best friend Mika to check out a local cult. Most of the book after that deals with finding out what the cult is up to and the danger Paisley and Mika are in. There's less focus on the dead person and more on the cult.

I do appreciate how well the author conveys the danger the characters are in and I do like how capable the police are and actually take the threat very seriously. This makes the book feel tense, but there also is enough lightness to compensate. I think this works very well, I just wasn't as interested in the cult plot line and the mystery seemed a bit more straightforward.

I like getting a feel for Paisleys daily life and I enjoy most of the normal daily life scenes as she goes about her day and spends time with people who care about her. I like that she has an awesome best friend in Mika. As well as her father and his wife who care about her a lot and are there whenever she needs them. I also like her budding romance with the sheriff, although they have less scenes together than in book 1. I am curious to see where their romance goes.

I like the authors writing style and it's a pleasant book to read. I like how it has it's own vibe with the danger and the unique themes of salvaging and cross stitching.

To summarize: This was a great sequel. I enjoyed reading this one and following Paisley as she gets involved in another murder mystery. The mystery didn't grip me as much as the one in book 2, but I still enjoyed seeing how it all played out. The mystery is a bit more straightforward and mostly revolved around a cult. I liked the dangerous vibe the book has, it's clear the main character and her best friend are in danger and I like how the police takes it seriously. I enjoyed the daily life scenes and seeing all the caring people Paisley has around her. I like the author's writing style and look forward to the next book!
Profile Image for Laura  Lane.
390 reviews7 followers
March 1, 2024
Excellent, clean,cozy mystery. Main characters are Christian. I'm really enjoying this series.
Profile Image for Patrizia.
1,944 reviews42 followers
January 26, 2022
4 stelle e mezza
Ho apprezzato il libro, ma non il fatto che stavolta la protagonista si sia lanciata a capofitto in una situazione pericolosa: ecco perché ho tolto mezza stella. Ho, invece, molto apprezzato la svolta nella sua vita personale.
Profile Image for Jeanne.
1,897 reviews7 followers
April 7, 2021
Bobbins and Bodies is the second book in the Stitches in Crime series by ACF Bookens.

Paisley is a 40-some year old single mother of a toddler. While going through a house to be demolished, Paisley finds a body which puts the demolition and potential income on hold.

It starts out really well. I loved what Santiago said about cross-stitcher. I’m starting to resemble that stereotype. Then it became more than just investigating the old murder. There was something much bigger and dangerous going on and it became too difficult for me to believe that Paisley and Mika would investigate even with the danger to Paisley’s toddler and dad and step-mom.

I would rate this 3.5 stars. I rounded up to 4 stars because this is the first book I haven’t really loved by this author.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Profile Image for Toni.
1,566 reviews64 followers
April 11, 2024
This is the second book in the Stitches in Crime series. Paisley and her son Sawyer, friend and yarn shop owner Mika and sheriff Santiago get mixed up in a church cult taking advantage of young women. They get embroiled in the mystery when one of the church members, a man was found murdered in one of the houses Paisley was salvaging finds from. Really interesting and kept me turning pages. Definitely loving this series. I love that main character cross stitches too.
Profile Image for .。:.*☾Annalisa☾ *.:。..
68 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2025
Much better than the first one. This time there was less focus on the interactions between her and the kid, and more on the actual murder mystery which made it more enjoyable.

Some things do make me cringe though. Like when her friend rubs a complete strangers feet, idk if that's just me but that's gross. Definitely one of the low points of the book for me.

Despite that, it was a good short read and I think I will continue with the series.
527 reviews3 followers
February 7, 2023
Another very implausible but fun audiobook, I’ve grown accustomed to the southern drawl. The fatality rate in a small Christian community is highly alarming. This tale actually only had one murder but exposed a cult following extremely unpleasant practices but good triumphs as I knew it would.
297 reviews4 followers
March 28, 2021
This second book in AFC Bookens’ Stitches In Crime series is a little more gritty than the first, from the moment Paisley finds a body in an old house she has been permitted to demo she is drawn into a world of backwoods cults and subjugated women. Paisley and her friend, Mika can’t turn away without trying to help find out what is going on in the back mountains. This was a tense story even as it reveals more of the relationships between characters. It is part of a series, but can work as a stand alone. I read an ARC and am voluntarily reviewing.
2,182 reviews4 followers
July 26, 2022
A fun read. The little boy is not a real typical thee year old, but fun and the crime solving is fun.
1,299 reviews16 followers
March 26, 2021
Finding the body of a young man among the ruins of a house Paisley was having torn down began a journey into a cult where the men abused, assaulted and raped woman. Paisley and Mike intend to put a stop to this and almost lose their lives. An eye-opening and frightening narrative. The scenes
so well crafted you can feel yourself right there with them. An exceptional story and outstanding portrayals make for an all around remarkable book. Highly Recommended.
127 reviews
March 23, 2021
Although this is the second book in the series, and I didn't read the first book, I didn't feel like I was missing anything and was able to jump right in where the story starts. Paisley starts work on a house looking for pieces that she can salvage and sell. Unfortunately, they find a dead body instead. Paisley and her friend Mika stumble upon a local cult as they try to find out what happened. Add in her son Sawyer and a handsome sheriff and this story has all of the makings of a great cozy!
228 reviews
March 14, 2021
An incredible read! Religious cults and the consequences that occur within and without the community is an unsettling subject but, once again, Ms. Bookens handles it with aplomb. Great interaction between the characters makes the story quite unnerving at times but this gives the story grit. We learn a bit more about Paisley and her family and the developing relationship with Santiago. It seems salvaging to earn a living is a difficult task when a body is discovered and you don’t know who to trust. What can I say without giving everything away? A must read. Looking forward to the next in series.

Profile Image for Jill DeBellis .
248 reviews
March 15, 2021
I absolutely love these characters. Cannot wait for more books in this series.
Paisley has been given permission to take whatever she could use/sell at an old homestead. Mika's uncle has a crew that can help take the house but when they get there and Paisley and Mika do a walk through they find a body. Which eventually leads to a backwoods cult. From the time that they start looking into this cult they are being terrorized. You may wonder how this cult is involved with the dead body? Who killed him? Why was he killed? All these questions will be answered when you read this book.
96 reviews
March 4, 2021
Bobbins and Bodies has action, suspense, and colorful characters that made me not want to put this book down. It goes deeper into the relationships that develop between Paisley and Santiago as well as Paisley’s interactions with the other people in town.

Paisley has a gift for stumbling onto dead bodies and into trouble but this time she may have more to lose. Paisley and Mika teamed together with Mika’s uncle Saul to tear down an old building while Paisley looked for items to salvage and stumbled on a human finger belonging to a skeleton.

Mountain Green Church is like a cult that makes people live on the premises with guards on stands to watch the property. In an effort to find out more about the church, Paisley and Mika go there find out what’s going on. They are met by a scary man they call “Santa Man” who starts following and threatening Paisley and Mika who become afraid of him and his friends. Thankfully, Sheriff Santiago Shifflett is on the spot to help protect the ladies.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and am looking forward to the next exciting book in the series. Thanks for a great plot and interesting characters.
490 reviews6 followers
March 7, 2021
I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. As usual Bookens delivers a powerful story. Paisley and Mika get in over their heads while looking into stories of a cult. If not for Paisley's Dad, Lucille and Santiago, there may not have been a future for Paisley and Santiago. I can not wait to see what Paisley gets into next. I highly recommend this book.
216 reviews2 followers
March 4, 2021
This is another first-rate story. The characters are very interesting and well-drawn, with lots of personality and the little quirks that make them so realistic. The plot itself is complex, full of interesting details and enough twists and turns to keep you reading from the first page to the last. I loved it!

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this terrific book and am so glad that I bought it. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a cracking good story.
Profile Image for Marie.
10 reviews
April 4, 2022
Mostly good but poor editing

Really like the books but was troubled by Lucille being referred to as Lucinda in the first chapter. My biggest issue with self published books are mistakes like that.
Profile Image for Vidya.
267 reviews23 followers
April 12, 2022
I really enjoy this series. With this book I really had a hard time believing that a single mother with a young son would volunteer to go undercover to join a cult. Otherwise I love all the characters in it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
8 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2021
Edits needed!

Lucinda? Lucille? Continuity errors made it hard to get thru the first couple chapters, but I really like Bookens' voice .
260 reviews
May 14, 2022
A little difficult to believe this one, but I keep going back because I like the protagonist and her support system in this lovely town.
Profile Image for DJ.
769 reviews
December 2, 2022
Relatable,loveable characters and a mystery that keeps you entertained!

Bobbins and Bodies, book two of ACF Bookens Stitches in Crime series, carries on with the entertaining characters , beautiful setting and cozy mystery from book one. I really love this series! It is a series designed to touch the heart and soul of women of a certain amount of life experience who value family and friendship, the slow burn of sweet romance and creative stress reducing hobbies like cross-stitch. As I mature, I find I tire of reading about 20-something women trying to make a life for themselves today. I relate much better to Ms Bookens characters who have lived (and survived) to late adulthood but have no intention of settling into rocking chairs to watch the world pass them on by. Paisley Sutton and her bestie Mika are women after my own heart. The way they innocently seem to get themselves into so much trouble reminds me so much of myself and friends I can't help but smile! Honestly, Paisley seems to just trip over bodies! (Truth be told, I just trip, usually a crack in the sidewalk or my own two feet, no dead bodies, so far).
I wish I could tell a story with as much flair as ACF Bookens. But since my talent is limited to stitching on stamped Aida cloth, I am glad Ms. Bookens is around. Her word choices and sentences are a cornucopia for the senses. I can see the old house listing on its foundation, I hear the rumble of the tools and machinery used to salvage the memories from an old building and I can smell and taste the dust ,mold and decay she encounters at each site. And I bask in the peace and warmth ACF Bookens invokes with descriptions of the evenings after Paisley puts her son to bed and settles herself to enjoy her sheriff friends visits on the front porch. The feelings of budding love and memories it brings to mind are so comforting. It reminds me that there is beauty in this crazy world of ours, if we slow down and take the time to enjoy it!

In many ways, I feel that ACE Bookens has read my mind and managed to my thoughts, dreams and memories into words I can recognize and bask in as I read. As I sip my morning coffee, rocking in my old rocker with my dogs at my feet, I find myself at peace with my world. Pick up ACF Bookens Stitches in Crime series, and settle in to laugh, cry and cuddle up as you enjoy Paisley and Mika's misadventures!
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,417 reviews12 followers
October 13, 2021
The second book in this lovely cozy mystery series set in a small town in America, which sees a single Mum, Paisley, bringing up her Son (Sawyer) whilst running her own business salvaging bits and pieces from buildings about to be demolished. She also writes a local interest newsletter which looks into the town's history and also, the history of the buildings in area.

She's got a good friend in Mika, who owns the local yarn store and who dotes on little Sawyer. There's also Beauregard, the huge Maine Coon who walks on a leash and goes everywhere with Paisley and Sawyer.

Paisley's Dad and Step Mum are always there, delighting in taking Sawyer when they need to, allowing Paisley to work.

Whilst looking for treasure in these historic buildings, she also finds bodies, this time whilst she was lifting floorboards. This discovery leads to some of the towns history coming out and exposes a church which isn't your usual place of worship.

The local Sheriff (Santiago) gets involved, and he has a soft spot for Paisley and Sawyer, but she has had her heart broken before, can she afford to let him in? He will do anything to protect the woman he is slowly falling in love with.

All in all a well written series which, when started, is hard to put down, resulting in some very late nights/early mornings!!! I'm really looking forward for the next book in the series, already downloaded, ready to start, can't wait! Well worth a read if you like cozy mysteries with a bit of family and romance thrown into the mix. These books are best read in order to preserve the continuity of the characters, but the mystery side of the book are standalone stories.

If you like this series, read another series by the same author, the St Marin's cozy mystery series, set around a bookshop.
38 reviews2 followers
November 20, 2022
Initially, I rated this a 4. I really like the characters and how they are developing in the two books I've read. I think the salvage jobs and Paisley's dad's projects are fascinating. I also like that this cozy mystery does not have the over-the-top quirky characters that can grate on the reader's nerves. The cult storyline was darker than some cozies but okay. There were even some surprising twists in the mystery. My only issue besides poor editing: I did not feel like the park scene was that dangerous, not enough to warrant the amount of protection Paisley got. I get that the Sheriff is interested in her, but the amount of manpower used to protect Paisley and Mika during their "undercover" work must have been the entire police force for their town, despite the "trade" with a neighboring PD.

I lowered my rating to a 3 because a day after finishing the book, the whole cult plotline makes no sense. If the cult leaders know her dad from school, and it's such a small town where everyone knows each other, how could the cult leaders ever believe that Paisley and Mika needed "protection"? Assuming they believe them, why they would then basically stalk the women and threaten them if they want them to join? They never saw anything incriminating, so why the hostility toward potential recruits?. It was ridiculous for them to put on costumes for church when the stalkers had seen how they normally dress.

From looking at other reviews, it looks like I have a minority opinion. I will probably keep reading this series because I like the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
293 reviews4 followers
April 5, 2021
Paisley Sutton is planning to assist with dismantling an old house for the salvageable materials she can sell. She talks with her friend Mika's uncle Saul, who owns a construction company and he agrees to help her with the demolition and salvage. When they start looking through the house for usable items, Paisley finds a human finger and the Sheriff is called. They discover the body of Stephen "Rocket" Southern who had been missing for the past eight years. After talking to Rocket's mother Olivia, they learn about his girlfriend Renee and her brother, Scott and the problem between Scott and Rocket. Paisley and Mika learn about a cult being run up in the mountain that Scott had been going to. Sheriff Santiago knows the cult is run by a Reverend and the women are kept basically as prisoners. Paisley and Mika decide to try find a way to get in and check out the compound to see if Scott is guilty of killing Rocket. Are they able to find a way in and get back out alive?

I am voluntarily reviewing this book after receiving it free.
Profile Image for Natalle Keown.
17 reviews3 followers
March 4, 2025
Bobbins and Bodies - @andicumbo
Book 2 of 11 in the Stitches in Crime series.

“It’s kind of amazing how some of us women haven’t really gotten the idea that we’re better when we help each other.”
- Isn’t that the truth?!
- Book 2 will always hold a special place in my heart simply for the way that our favorite main characters fight for safety & freedom of women!🙌🏼

I want to be Paisley Sutton when I grow up.
ACF Bookens just continues to build Paisley into the badass woman, mother, & business owner that she is on the inside - & I can’t wait to read more of her story.

In a 200 page, cozy murder read, I always want to know more.
More of Paisleys life.
More of Paisley’s friendships.
More of Sawyer.
More of the support she receives from everyone she loves.
& more of her so sweet and wholesome love interest.

ACF Bookens, the Stitches in Crime Series, is always a 5 ⭐️ read when it comes to my cozy murder mystery picks.
Profile Image for Laura.
3,205 reviews348 followers
April 7, 2021
Pulse pounding ending! Many scary, emotional moments.
Paisley discovers a body on a salvage job and gets involved in finding out what happened to the victim. When she and her best friend go to console his mother, they learn more about a "church" in The Hollow with questionable beliefs. Is this death related to the church or its members?
Why is Mika's uncle so friendly with these people?
Paisley's son Sawyer adds much needed humor and lighter moments to this dark topic novel.
She also has a few almost romantic moments with the Sheriff, between dangerous activities. He is learning quickly that Paisley has an independent streak and keeping her safe may be a challenge.
Along with the dangerous moments, we learn more about Paisley's relationship with her parents.
A wonderful escape read for cozy mystery lovers and those who watch reality construction shows.
Profile Image for dnsyl57.
597 reviews12 followers
April 10, 2021
"Bobbins And Bodies" is the 2nd book in the "Stitches In Crime" series by A.C.F. Bookens. Paisley Sutton is ready to do a salvage operation on an old house when she discovers a body just before the demo is start. The body has been there for a number of years. It doesn't take long to discover that the death wasn't an accident and that it may be linked to some secrets.

This book had me thoroughly hooked and a bit creeped out by the behavior/actions os some of the suspects. My heart was racing right along with Paisley and Mika's! The secrets that they discovered and the steps they were willing to take to expose such horrid acts/beliefs kept me turning the pages and hoping Santiago and the rest of the team would get to them in time!

A C F Bookens certainly has a way with stitching together a story! This is a must read!
Profile Image for Patricia Kiyono.
Author 45 books130 followers
September 26, 2022
I purchased this ebook soon after reading Book 1 in the series, but it took me some time to get around to reading it. Paisley is still working as a salvager to support herself and her young son. When she brings a demolition crew to an old house so that she can salvage the lumber, the discovery of a body puts the project to a halt. One of the demolition crew has an idea about who the victim might be, and suddenly Paisley and her friend Mika are investigating a cult up in the nearby mountains. Thankfully, the local sheriff is ready and willing to back her up, because his previous investigations into the cult haven’t been successful. But there’s a lot of danger, and while I enjoyed reading the story, I’m pretty sure I would never attempt some of the things the two of them do.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews

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