Publication Date: 12/03/2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Obsidian Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0451240634
ISBN-13: 978-0451240637
(Received for an honest review from Obsidian Mystery)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound
Elizabeth Craig on the WEB: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Books in the series:
Quilt or Innocence (2012), Knot What It Seems (2013), Quilt Trip (2013)
Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from Quilt Trip, courtesy of Barnes & Noble Read Instantly feature.
Synopsis:
As a quilter, retired folk art curator Beatrice Coleman likes to have all the seams stitched together—but her plans keep getting tangled up in unexpected ways…
Beatrice has never crashed a party but now her fellow quilt guild member, Meadow Downey, is driving them to a Victorian mansion in the mountains beyond Dappled Hills, North Carolina. Muriel Starnes, an elderly eccentric, has organized a meeting of quilters to pick someone to administer a quilting scholarship. The fact that the Village Quilters weren’t invited isn’t enough to keep Meadow from speaking her piece.
But once the quilters arrive at the mansion, it seems they may never leave. An ice storm sends an old tree crashing across the driveway, leaving them stranded for the night. And by the next morning, they are one fewer—for Muriel has been sent to meet her maker. With everyone in the house a suspect, it’s up to Beatrice and the Village Quilters to figure out who has a guilty conscience before someone else gets tied up in knots.
Thoughts:
Elizabeth Craig's Southern Quilting Mystery series continues with her latest offering, Quilt Trip. It is the third mystery in the series and has the feel of an old fashioned whodunit, complete with a group of unsuspecting quilters gathered in a mansion, terrible weather and a killer in their midst. Craig's use of humor and adventure add to the mix, making this a very enjoyable cozy for mystery lovers and quilter's alike!
My grandmother's were avid quilter's. I tried my hand at it when I was younger, but it wasn't the niche for me. I am a cross stitcher at heart, but I love those memories of watching them pick the fabrics and colors, of the many happy hours they spent around the quilting hoop, laughing and enjoying the peace and tranquility that quilting brought to their lives. I miss them very much. I am very thankful for some of the wonderful quilts they created though, to remember them by.
This book reminded me of a good old fashioned mystery. Akin to the game Clue, where you have all of the suspects contained in one place, unable to get away, until someone solves the crime. I liked that Agatha Christiesque kind of mystery. In my opinion Agatha was the forerunner of the cozy sub-genre with her Miss Marple series and I enjoyed the nod to her writing style that Craig uses here. I found myself pondering... Was it Miss White in the kitchen with the candlestick? a few times and I liked that part as well.
Beatrice and Meadow have heard about an eccentric ladies wish to create a foundation that would supply quilting scholarships. Muriel has invited several quilting guilds to her home in order to choose which guild will administer the foundation. Unfortunately, the Village Quilter's were not asked to join the group, but they decide to crash the party. The weather turns gruesome and everyone must stay for the night. When Muriel is found dead in the morning... the mystery is on! I thought Craig came up with a creative idea for her third book in the series and I could see something like this taking place, which gave it a ring of truth that readers will enjoy.
Beatrice is once again a very methodical investigator. She asks all the right questions and puts two and two together in a somewhat clinical sort of way. It is Meadow who brings a bit of the unpredictable into the equation. She is more free spirited and asks those questions that others might not think of, together they make a great team of amateur sleuths. I think Craig paired them well and adds an element of humor in their relationship and how they view the world.
Though Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum were not among the suspects, there were plenty to choose from and enough motives to keep even the most avid mystery reader scratching their heads. This one was a hard one to put my finger on, but in the end my guess was correct. The clues logically pointed to a certain character as the main suspect, but things are certainly not what they appear in most mysteries and this one is no exception. Craig keeps the reader off balance by adding in clues that aren't necessarily a part of the mystery at hand. It was interesting to see how it all came together in the end.
The quilting aspect of the book was definitely in the forefront, and Craig brings a bit of nostalgia to readers who enjoy the craft of quilting. I enjoyed all of the references to different styles of quilting and specific quilt patterns. There was something for both quilters and mystery enthusiasts in this book and I thought Craig did a great job of balancing the overall theme of quilting with the underlying aspect of the mystery. A good addition to the series to be sure!
Quilt Trip is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Quilt Trip by Elizabeth Craig.
~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, December 18th.
1. Please leave a comment describing a quilt you have made or would like to have.
2. Please fill out the FORM.
20 comments:
I would love a quilt made out of the t-shirts of each of the units my husband served in when he was in the Army.
My neighbor made a quilt for my son with hot air balloons and tucked into one of them was a little kitten. You have to search to find the kitten. It is a full size quilt so it is useful for a lifetime (he is an adult now). They share a love of hot air balloons and cats. It is a beautiful quilt and what a wonderful gift.
While I haven't made an entire quilt, I have made several quilting squares for my grandmother.
I would love to have a quilt made from the quilting squares which I have collected over the years. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
I have only made 2 quilts. One was a quilt of different warm materials. I used one square near the top and embroidered the names of my son and his bride with date of wedding on it. Also two intertwined wedding rings. It was a Queen size, but was a tied quilt. Later made one for my first grandchild. Every other square was white, where I drew animal pictures from looking at a coloring book. Then embroidered them.
I actually started a quilt 21 year ago but never finished nor do I know what happened to the squares. My daughter is making one in school now and I can't wait to see it.
I have never made a quilt but would love to make one.
I've never made a quilt. I think having one that is made with material from my grandchildrens baby blankets or clothes would be nice.
Needles and I don't get along, no quilt making for me. Would love to own one. Do have a wall hanging and pillow made by mother-in-love. She did not want to make one for a king sized bed.
I love to make scrap quilts out of recycled clothes.
lag110 at mchsi dot com
I have a quilt top my Grandmother finished before she passed away. I would love to have it finished. I'm a horrible seamstress, so when I have the money, I want to pay someone to finish the quilt. My Grandmother and I was close, so it's a precious memory.
Barbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
Also, I'm an email subscriber.
I used a kit to embrioder a lap quilt. I made 16 blocks of different birds that live in the United States. The kit also give information about how much batting to buy and how to do the quilt by hand. But I haven't had the money to buy the batting yet!
I'm not good at anything to do with sewing so I've never even thought of making a quilt.
I have a quit I wanted. My cousin made a quit with cats on it. She sent it to me without telling e first. I was so surprised! I didn't even know she quilted!!
Don't have one; not sure if I want one
One of my best friends that I've been friends with since high school made a baby quilt for my daughter. It is gorgeous and I just loved covering her up with it when she was first born. She still loves it as a toddler!
I have a quilt that my grandmother made many years ago. While it is not the "show quality" that you find in the craft shows, I will never part with it.
tcuevas@iccable.com
The Anon comment above that starts out, "I have only made 2 quilts. I see I forgot to put my name or email. Sorry. It is Maxie mac262(at)me(dot)com
I am a follower.
My first quilt was a simple nine square and I cheated and tied it instead of hand quilting it. I then donated it to a club I belonged to so they could use it for an auction to raise money.
wfnren(at)aol(dot)com
I made one quilt about 40 years ago and I used a sewing machine to sew the pieces to gether. I had no patience for it all by hand.
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