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Quilting calamity and a string of clues. Can Alex untangle the knots before she’s keeled?

After the death of her beloved grandmother, Alex Bailey’s life is left in tatters. As she struggles to stitch things back together, she takes solace in one final gift—a cruise—booked before the quilting matriarch's death. To weave the quilting community back together, Alex convinces her friends on Spruce Street to join her on the cruise.

With all hands on deck, a mysterious quilt and an unknown destination, she must trust that everything will go according to the plan. Until a death onboard the Tranquility puts a wrinkle in Alex’s idyllic quilting vacation. Unraveling the mysterious threads that surround the young man’s death, Alex must determine if it's a terrible accident, or death by design. Determined to catch the culprit, she loosens the knot of suspicion and provides the bait needed to hook a ruthless killer.

Will Alex be able to follow the pattern and untangle this nautical mystery before there's a storm at sea?

170 pages, ebook

Published February 3, 2022

705 people are currently reading
449 people want to read

About the author

Kathryn Mykel

57 books1,010 followers
Kathryn Mykel, is an award-winning author of best-selling Sewing Suspicion, book 1 in the Quilting Cozy Mystery Series.

Inspired by the laugh-out-loud and fanciful aspects of cozies, Kathryn Mykel writes lighthearted, humorous cozies surrounding her passion for the craft of quilting. She's an avid quilter who was born and raised in a small New England town.

For more fun content and new releases, follow https://www.authorkathrynmykel.com

Sign up for her newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/61c1f4...

or join her and her thReaders on Facebook at @AuthorKathrynMykel or the Books For Quilters FB Group.

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5 stars
460 (45%)
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307 (30%)
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194 (19%)
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41 (4%)
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18 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
Profile Image for Shirley Chapel.
726 reviews177 followers
May 15, 2023
I read the first book in this series and liked it but unfortunately I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the beginning and as the characters were getting reading to go on an all expenses paid cruise I could feel their excitement and anticipation for the trip ahead of them. As the book continues I began to lose interest and found my mind wandering away from the story. The first book was clean read and this book also was but the main character Alex was thinking about being lovers with the private investigator Hawk. So book three may go in that direction. I was not very intrigued by the murder or the mystery. This book just didn’t do it for me. I bought book three because I thought this was clean read and now I’m not sure. I will read book three at some point and it will be the deciding point on whether I continue on in this series.
This book is of the Cozy Mystery genre. I gave an honest review on my opinion of the book. I purchased my own copy.
Profile Image for Maria.
2,990 reviews96 followers
July 12, 2022
I love anything set on a cruise ship and this one was intriguing. The mystery destination, the dramatic passengers, and the lovable cast of characters helped this story hold my interest. Alex's life keeps changing for the better. I enjoyed learning about different quilting blocks and techniques.
Looking forward to the next.

I received a copy from the author for an honest review.
Profile Image for Tari.
3,634 reviews103 followers
February 14, 2023
I'd been meaning to get back to this series but it didn't take me long to remember everyone especially Betty who'd been Nona's bestie and sorta took over as a grandma figure for Alex. This was the cruise that Nona ordered for all the neighbors, although I'm sure she wouldn't be too thrilled at the lack of participation, but the main players were all there. All I can say is thank goodness for Pete and Betty at the showdown! That was something else!

I just love that little dog Kibbles that Alex ended up adopting although I hadn't remembered she used to belong to a killer. One word of advice is to make sure you read this series in order because it was intended that way due to how the rest of it's written. Since I have the next book, I dug right into it after this!
1,226 reviews11 followers
January 13, 2022
This is book two in the Quilting Cozy mysteries and although I hadn’t read the first one, it was fairly easy to pick up on the characters and their relationships. Alex’s aunt Nona had died, but before she did, she made arrangements for the group of friends to go on a cruise to a mystery destination, along with making a quilt on the way! The group meets some rather odd people on the cruise, and one of them mysteriously dies before they get to their port destination. Of course, they are curious how the young person died and start asking questions. It was entertaining to follow them as they unofficially investigate the death. But where is their final destination and why did Nona pick there? I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and BookFunnel, but write this review entirely voluntarily.
531 reviews4 followers
January 17, 2022
This is the 2nd book in the series and I didn’t read the first one but it was an easy read. Alex’s parents had died on a cruise ship and so she had an adoptive Grandmother Nona raise her. She had been in New York working for a law firm when her grandma had been murdered. Her grandma sent her and the Spruce Street homeowners on a cruise to an unknown destination. Alex had been left with three quilts and she must get them to the recipient. Henrietta was the name of one of the quilts. Who is Henrietta? While on this cruise there had been a death of a young adult, some heated arguments and some sneaking around. The author Kathryn Mykel keeps you on your toes figuring out what is going on. I definitely want to know more about the other two quilts. I am hooked!

I received this ARC from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Susan Vail.
2 reviews
June 2, 2022
I just finished reading this book and loved it, can't wait for the next in the series. I read book one of the series too. I really like how Kathryn Mykel has characters in a variety of ages and backgrounds. This series is very believable in that you could see this playing out in real life. Mykel is a master of suspense and cliff hangers. Her characters say things like, I got a couple of questions answered but now have many more to get answered. That is also how she ends the book. The whole time I was reading it I was like, well what about this, could that guy really be so-n-so in disguise? So, she answered a few of my questions about what's happening and the characters but, left me hanging and wanting answers about others. Can't wait for book 3 - Pressing Matters.
1,769 reviews23 followers
January 25, 2023
Quilting Calamity

Now that is what I call a wild ride, an adventurous cozey mystery with a botanical caress of murder. The array of characters are vibrant, colorful, definitely spunky as well as quirky that seem to draw you in before everything really starts the you're enticed further through intrigue, mayhem comical banter clues that first take you one way then another while the plot carries you throughout with complete focus keeping you turning page after page entranced until you've reached the unexpected and climatic conclusion. Acquire " Quilting Calamity " a Quilting Cozey Mystery Book 2 for hours of intriguing and enjoyable entertainment .You won't be able to put it down once you start reading it, I know I couldn't. Kat
333 reviews
May 11, 2022
Great Read

I liked the quilting part, I'm a big quilter. l love the neigborhood being all together like one big extended family. They even act like extended family with their bickering about the small stuff and totally ignore the real problems. The charactors were well developed and very likeable. I have it planned out in my head which way the charactors should act and react. I love that everybody knows everbody else. The perfect small town..But it isn't jus a small town. Someone there is a murderer. Who is it, who is the victom going to be and why. Who's the killer and what is their motive. And who in the world is Hennritta?
1,995 reviews
August 29, 2022
I read 30% and didn't want to continue. The lead character was constantly paranoid and I'm not really sure what she was worried about. I'm just not interested in reading any more about any of the characters. It's too bad as I enjoyed the first book in the series.

Amazon synopsis:
Quilting calamity and a string of clues. Can Alex untangle the knots before she’s keeled?
After the death of her beloved grandmother, Alex Bailey’s life is left in tatters. As she struggles to stitch things back together, she takes solace in one final gift—a cruise—booked before the quilting matriarch's death. To weave the quilting community back together, Alex convinces her friends on Spruce Street to join her on the cruise.

With all hands on deck, a mysterious quilt, and an unknown destination, she must trust that everything will go according to plan. Until a death onboard the Tranquility puts a wrinkle in Alex’s idyllic quilting vacation. Unraveling the mysterious threads surrounding the young man’s death, Alex must determine if it's a terrible accident or death by design. Determined to catch the culprit, she loosens the knot of suspicion and provides the bait needed to hook a ruthless killer.

Will Alex be able to follow the pattern and untangle this nautical mystery before there's a storm at sea?
Profile Image for Lori.
219 reviews16 followers
June 14, 2022
To start: this series really needs to read in order to understand and watch the characters and the story unfold.
What Could Happen on a Cruise?
Oh, a fun second book in this series. Alex has her hands full, even though she wants to relax on this cruise. She is doing her best to follow “Nona’s” last wish. But many things on the cruise are just not right and when strange things start to happen, well, Alex is stumped. Really? She just wants to relax and enjoy the cruise. Then they get to their destination and still strange things happen on land. Oh, but this kept me reading trying to figure out who the culprit was. Another page turner. Can’t wait for book 3 to come out.
Profile Image for Short, Sweet and Cozy.
1,496 reviews
March 11, 2023
A Quilting cozy mystery on a cruise!

This is a great unique cozy mystery series! In the first book, Nona died and left 10 quilts for family, close friends and a few that are part of other books in the series. It is a wonderful idea that introduces new characters and ties each book together. Nona plans a cruise for Alexandra (Alex), her granddaughter Charlotte, several of their Spruce Street neighbors, Joey and Cecelia. A new friend of Joey’s ends up dead and the circumstances are odd. The Spruce Street crew is on the case. The pace of the book is good and there are several accidents that keep the story interesting. I guessed a small part of the finale but there is more to the story. The characters are wonderful. The whole part about all of Nona’s secrets is a little odd but it adds to the story and we are learning a little with every book. The audiobook is extremely well done and the characters and voices are easy to distinguish. Very enjoyable! I received a free audiobook from Kathryn Mykel’s Facebook event and I volunteered to do an honest review. #QuiltingCalamity #QuiltingCozyMysteries
1,445 reviews27 followers
May 14, 2023
Quilting Cozy Mystery Series:
Set 1, #1, #2 & #3 - Having both Set 1 and some of the individual books, I was happy to have three books to binge on from a new (to me) author. That feeling did not last long. None of these books are standalones and story lines are left unfinished. Pressing is actually part of a book; maybe number four completes three? I won't find out. This series is typical, average Cozy Mystery genre. I stuck with these books since they were part of a contest. Yep, I put myself in this position. 3*

Sewing Suspicion, #1 - Good story lines. Good characters but some actions and thoughts aren't realistic. I did losing focus about the last third of the story. 3*

Quilting Calamity, #2 - The start of the cruise adventure should have been interesting but the more I read, the more I found other things to do. I was bored. 3*

Pressing Matters, #3 - Unfortunately to get to the end of this story, you need the next book. Yep, cliffhanger. I scanned this book since I had major attention difficulties reading books two and three. 3*
Profile Image for KK from KY.
157 reviews
February 16, 2023
Calamity indeed!

I enjoyed this cozy. This is the second in the series. I wish I had read the first book first. At times, I felt like I was missing that background information needed to really appreciate the reason for all this “calamity.” It was still not too hard to get the gist of what had happened previously. I may read the first book. I can see myself reading more of this series. It is a story of a community who acts as a family. They take care of each other. They quilt together. They travel together. And the find trouble and fix it together. The ending absolutely leads you on to the next and wanting more. This was a clean story. Nothing much in the way of language, no gore, and no smut.
Profile Image for Debbie Lacey.
337 reviews7 followers
June 24, 2023
Setting the Scene: Alex and her community have embarked on the cruise planned by Nona before her death. The destination is unknown. Some of the passengers seem suspicious. What could go wrong? As it turns out, a lot.

What I Thought: This was another fun adventure with Alex and friends, even if murder and mayhem followed in their wake. Alex will learn more of Nona's secrets provided she can stay alive long enough to do so. That said, it is time to meet the mysterious Hawk. Alex could have used him on this trip, even though Betty would tell a different story. Of course, there is another letter and another adventure coming up.

Once again the narrator did an excellent job voicing the characters and the spirit of the book.
1,385 reviews15 followers
February 3, 2023
I have never read anything by Kathryn Mykel before, this was fantastic. This is book two in The Quilting Cozy Mystery series; even though I did not read book one, I could still follow the storyline. Alex's Aunt Nona died, and left instructions for a group of neighbors to go on a cruise, to a mystery destination. This is not the relaxing cruise you imagine. A must read to see what happens to this wonderful group of neighbors and friends. Love the plot, beautiful setting, and great interesting characters.
81 reviews2 followers
February 19, 2023
Must have been choppy seas on this trip. The action/dialog often seems to skip around with things not completely explained or understandable. I got the feeling that leaving important information out was supposed to be a hook to get you to read the first book in the series; this one really doesn't feel like a stand alone tale.

Basically the writing was fine, but I refuse to buy another book just to clarify something from the one I bought and read. Honestly, the reader would like to know why professional Mafia hit men are after our heroine, it's not just something you can skip over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
161 reviews3 followers
October 31, 2023
I enjoyed the first book in this series and went on to this the second book. I enjoyed it but not as much. It could be me, but I found the story jumped around and seemed to leave things out. I would turn to the next chapter and find that something happened that I now had to piece together. Lots of readers complain that authors get too wordy. This book could have used a few extra words.
The secrets continue. I now need to read book 3 to get more answers. I do like series and how each book builds on the last, but cliff hangers - no thank you.
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,417 reviews12 followers
March 6, 2022
The residents of Spruce Street are off on their cruise, which Nona had gifted to them after her death. As requested, Alex, her honorary Granddaughter has brought along Henrietta, one of the quilts Nona left, along.

Everything seems to have been thought of, except the small matter of murder! Someone dies on the cruise, Alex is attacked, and more of Nonas secrets are revealed. Nona is turning out to be a very mysterious person!

Alex, having been taken in by Nona at 15 after her parents died, is now a lawyer but came home as Nona needed her. She'd also grown suspicious of the law firm's practices and had decided to leave. When Nona is murdered in the first book, some of her secrets are revealed, there are more to come.

These are easy to read cozy mysteries which are fun to read. The books are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and series. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series to be released and have it in my diary to download the day it does.
1,612 reviews32 followers
May 21, 2022
A great follow=up to a Sewing Suspicion. The stories are as much of a joy as the titles of her stories. Kathryn Mykel is a one of a kind author, just looking at the titles of her stories give you a lead on to what her cozy mysteries are going to be like. It is so nice to find nice clean novels that you can curl up in a corner and set the world's worries aside. I can not wait until I get my hands on to her next read. Thank you Kathryn for sharing your gift of writing with us,
Profile Image for Krystal.
53 reviews
May 24, 2022
Another great Quilting Mystery

Another great Quilting Mystery. I love the how the author is able to incorporate multiple layers of mysteries into her books. Some of the clues are obvious but there are so many others that manage to skate by unnoticed. I love that not all of the mystery is about solving murders, part of it is uncovering Nona's hidden past. I can't wait to read more.
23 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2022
Stitching together a crazy quilt of a mystery!

I was hoping for an amusing diversion for a stress-free evening. This book was just what I was looking for. Kathryn Mykel delivers another great read. The heroine is someone I would like to meet. She and her "Scooby gang" provide high seas hijinks mixed with mystery and mayhem, and a satisfactory conclusion. I am looking forward to Book 3!
200 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2025
I liked the first book in this series but I was not so intrigued with this one. It was a weird mystery. Maybe just too many disjointed things that didn’t fit together?🤷‍♀️ Though we were introduced to the Spruce Street neighbors in the last book, now having them sleuth together seemed confidently far fetched? Also having a cruise going to some mystery island? I don’t know, like I said, weird mystery.
Profile Image for Carol .
166 reviews1 follower
May 14, 2022
A sailing we go

This time Alex and her neighbors go on a trip to "nowhere" that was arranged by Nona. Its to be a relaxing cruise, but there is danger that lies ahead. Who is trying to hurt Alex and why? Who is the mysterious Henrietta that Alex is to give the quilt to? Stay tuned and you will find the answers in book 2.
88 reviews
January 29, 2023
A refreshing read

I have always been fascinated with quilting, even though I have never tried it! I also love going on cruises so combing the 2 made this a perfect read for me. The author has done a great job of combining two storylines to make a good mystery! I will look forward to reading more from her!
Profile Image for Cheryl.
1,159 reviews12 followers
February 20, 2023
This is the 2nd in the series. The main character is Alex. Alex is a retired who came back home to check out what really happened to Nona, the woman who raised her. Now she is on her way to a cruise ship to find out what else Nona had in store for her. It seems has if there is a couple on board who want to kill her. But why? Who sent them ? Can she figure this out before it's too late ?
Profile Image for Gail.
661 reviews26 followers
February 25, 2023
I found this a little confusing to follow. Alex is not Nona’s granddaughter, yet they have a joint banking account. Charlotte is the granddaughter. I haven’t read the first book in the series and I think it could clear up some background information. Quilting is a part of the story, but not the main theme.
Profile Image for Sandy Digger.
537 reviews3 followers
May 31, 2023
Quilting calamity

This is an interesting story, involving quilters and some unexplained side mysteries. There are some things that must have happened in book 1 which would probably explain some things but it can be read as a standalone book. It starts with the whole neighborhood going on a cruise…where several murders occur but not the murder of the intended target.
Profile Image for Anita.
649 reviews29 followers
November 27, 2023
Alex and the residents, well at least most of them, go on a cruise together. All arranged by Nona before her death. Hawk does background checks on all the people going on the cruise just to make sure she will be safe. But when someone dies right in front of Alex on the cruise she begins to wonder who was really supposed to die.
12 reviews
March 9, 2024
The Crazy Quilting, Killing Cruise

Well, I'm happy that we finally found put WHO Henrietta is! And Liam, even tho we haven't met him yet. And.......... NEW killers? Will it ever end? And will Alex ever give in to Hawk? I think she needs MORE romance and LESS murders! But that's just me. 🤗
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