Review and Giveaway: Tapestry of Lies

Tapestry of Lies (Weaving Mystery - Book 2) by Carol Ann Martin

Publication Date: 01/07/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Obsidian Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 336
ISBN-10: 045141361X
ISBN-13: 978-0451413611

(Received for an honest review from Obsidian Mystery)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Carol Ann Martin (aka. Monique Domovitch) on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Looming Murder (2013), Tapestry of Lies (2014)

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Tapestry of Lies, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

SHEAR MURDER
 
Della Wright can’t believe her luck when celebrity designer Bunny Boyd walks into her weaving studio in small-town Briar’s Hollow, North Carolina, with a large custom fabric order. Bunny needs materials for her latest design project: Bernard Whitby’s mansion. Bernard is Briar Hollow’s resident millionaire, and Della soon discovers that Bunny has designs on the man as well as his house. And he’s happy to have a celebrity at his side when he announces his candidacy for governor.
 
But the buzz surrounding Bernard’s announcement is quickly overshadowed by the murder of a local coffee shop owner. When her good friend Jenny becomes one of the suspects, Della decides to unravel the mystery. But she’ll have to work fast—before she gets tangled in a killer’s clutches.

Thoughts:

Weavers and cozy mystery enthusiasts alike will enjoy Carol Ann Martin's second book in her Weaving Mystery series, Tapestry of Lies. Readers who know something about the loom will enjoy the interesting details about weaving and tapestries, and cozy fans will be on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who did McDermott in. With plenty of suspects and some compromising photos popping up, Della and the Dream Weaver gang will get to the bottom of whodunit or else!

What I liked:

I enjoyed the first book in this series, Looming Murder and was looking forward to reading Tapestry of Lies. In the first book there was a huge amount of interesting facts and terms related to weaving that were a bit daunting for a reader who had no previous knowledge of anything to do with this hobby. In Tapestry of Lies, there is still information on the subject but it comes in a lot more easily digested morsels. It was bit less overkill, which made the book even more entertaining and fun to read.

The real focus on this one was the mystery itself, which is so important in this genre. The amateur sleuths career and background is important as well, but should not be the main emphasis of the story. When someone picks up a cozy, they want the mystery and Carol Ann Martin delivers with this one. Della gets her purse switched with Mrs. McDermott who owns the coffee shop with her husband Mr. McDermott. When Della goes to switch them back she finds Mr. McDermott dead and Jenny is soon a suspect. So Della is on the case. 

Martin does a wonderful job of getting Della involved in the case. I liked the fact that she took a simple misunderstanding like two women having the same purse and turns it into an opportunity to find a murder victim. The simplest things turn into a mystery where this author is concerned and that is extremely entertaining. I wasn't exactly sure how Bunny Boyd and the tapestry she ordered for the Whitby house was going to take a turn for the worst but Martin certainly pulled it off.

It seems that Mr. McDermott had a penchant for photography. The problem was his subject matter. I liked the fact that there were several suspects, including Jenny, which gave Della a good reason to investigate. I thought I had it pinned down a time or two but thanks to some twists and turns and few red herrings Martin had me stumped until close to the end.

I also enjoyed learning more about Della's relationship with Matthew. A friendship that is slowly, slowly starting to become more. I'm glad Martin wasn't too quick on the draw with them. I think the slow pace is endearing and will make their relationship all the more satisfying when it does happen. I have to admit I love Winston, Matthew's dog. He really adds a bit of comic relief and a reason for Matthew to continue to see Della. He is a great plot device and fun to read about.

What I didn't like:

There were a few moments in this book where the pacing was a bit off. It was like things slowed down to crawl and then sped back up really quickly. I prefer a steady pace or at least a building momentum and a I felt like Tapestry of Lies suffered a bit from the ups and downs. 

Bottom Line:

I enjoyed the tidbits about weaving much better in this book than the first in the series. Tapestry of Lies has a few pacing issues but nothing to strongly dissuade reading it. All in all there is a lot of potential in the series and I liked this one a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing where Martin goes with the series next. P.S... I hope she adds more of Winston!

Tapestry of Lies is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Carol Ann Martin is an author and former television personality who divides her time between San Diego and the Canadian coast. She lives with her husband and an ever-expanding collection of dogs. When she is not writing, Carol Ann enjoys baking and beekeeping.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Tapestry of Lies by Carol Ann Martin.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, February 10th.

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