I won Thread on Arrival by Amanda Lee from a giveaway on Lori’s blog escape with dollycas.
I fell in love with the soft, pastel colors on the cover art. I love a cover that is, well, cozy.
It’s been almost a year since Marcy moved to Tallulah Falls and opened up her embroidery shop, The Seven-Year Stitch. She’s made some close friends and even has a couple of love interests.
When she agreed to help her friend, Reggie, by teaching an embroidery class to abused women, she had no idea she’d become entangled in a hunt for lost treasure and a murder.
The town and its denizens reminds of Cabot Cove from Murder She Wrote. Everyone knows each others business and like with most small towns, news travels faster than the telephone.
Marcy is a smart business woman, a very loyal friend, and is either gifted or cursed with an impulsive nature. She dives into things quickly, wanting to help out, and often lands in hot water. Her close-knit (no pun intended) group of friends are often right in the middle of it with her.
In the beginning, there is a bit of a love triangle, but Marcy makes her choice fairly early on in the book. She’s not a player, doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. She just cautious after her last relationship ended badly.
The fact she has this giant wolfhound, Angus, really drew me to this story. If you don’t know the breed, they are one of the largest dogs, over six feet standing on their hind legs. Marcy, or Inch-High Private Eye, as her beau fondly calls her, is a tiny thing and her dog dwarfs her.
Angus is the first to know when Marcy chooses her man.
I giggle. “I’ve got a boyfriend, Angus!”
From the back seat, he woofed his approval before slurping my ear with his tongue.
I totally approve of her choice. He’s sexy, funny, and his more serious nature is a perfect match for the impetuous Marcy.
“Is this where I say something horribly corny like Yeah, but you’re a thief – you stole my heart?” he asked.
From murder, to a new beau, to a reality show, Marcy is right in the thick of things. Now she just needs to put the threads together, to solve the mystery before anyone else ends up dead.
As I got a little ways into the book, I realized this was a series and Thread on Arrival wasn’t the first book. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover this was book #5 in the Embroidery Series. Four more cozy mysteries to read.
I had no trouble reading this book before the others. The author placed small bits of history from the other books throughout the story, kind of filling in the blanks. You could read this without having read the others and feel completely comfortable and satisfied.
Of course, I’ll be reading the other four books. Right at 300 pages, I read this in about three hours, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Almost forgot! When I was checking out other books by the author, I found out Amanda Lee is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. She has also written The Daphne Martin Series and the Myrtle Crumb Series.
Four Stars for this sparkling read.
About the author
Amanda Lee is a pseudonym of Gayle Trent.
Series:
* Embroidery Mystery
(from Gayle Trent’s webpage)
“Thank you so much for stopping by my site!
I live in Southwest Virginia with my husband and two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. I’m a full-time writer/editor/mom/wife and chief cook and bottle washer, and I love every minute of it. Okay, not the bottle washing so much, but the rest of it is great.
I’m happy to introduce you to my latest characters, cake decorator Daphne Martin and embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer.
Read more about Daphne and Marcy at my blog.
Who’s Amanda Lee?
Amanda Lee is a pseudonym Gayle is using for the new cozy mystery series featuring a heroine who owns an embroidery shop. The series is set on the Oregon Coast and features Marcy Singer, a spunky, thirty-something, entrepreneur who is handy with a needle.
The Embroidery Series
Go here for more of Amanda Lee’s books.
And go here for Gayle Trent’s books.
Related articles
- Spotlight on Cozy Mysteries – The Embroidery Mystery Series by Amanda Lee (janetboyer.typepad.com)
- Spotlight on Cozy Mysteries – The Cake Decorating Series by Gayle Trent (janetboyer.typepad.com)
- An Interview with Author Gayle Trent + Giveaway + News! (janetboyer.typepad.com)
