Customer Reviews

Dog-Gone Murder: A Queen Bees Quilt Mystery

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think the earlier reviews were a bit unfair. Yes, there were some mistakes, but certainly nothing that would prevent me from purchasing the next book in the series.

There is plenty of quilting in the book, and I liked the vet clinic twist. The flow was still there, and it was still a great afternoon read, with a group of women that are friends, that work on their quilt projects together, and band together to help each other out if one has a problem.

It is much more productive to e-mail the author about the mistakes, and get a reply that they will be corrected than to publicly blast someone on their first book in this series. I don't mean to attack anyone, just think I personally decided to be constructive, not destructive.

She did a very good job taking over a series initially written by someone else. I still felt I was in the same town, with the same surroundings, and the same sense of family the first books had.

I'll be waiting for the next one!

If you are looking for a cozy set in a veterinary clinic, this may be the book for you. However, if you are a fan of the earlier Queen Bees books, it may well not be what you are looking to find. There are a number of factual errors, little things that won't bother someone who has not read the earlier books. For example, Sam Paltrow's Sunday night supper tradition has become Po Paltrow's Friday night get togethers. Also, the twins are now identical boys, rather than the earlier fraternal girl and boy. Things like this are small, and perhaps forgiveable, but the flow just is not there. I raced through the first three books, not wanting to put them down. I had to force myself through this one. While three of the Queen Bees are prominent figures in this plot, Selma, Susan, Leah, Eleanor, and Phoebe are barely present. There is hardly any quilting going on. The charming Elderberry shopowners are missing. It just wasn't a fun read. Perhaps, if I had read this first and had done so because of a desire to read a story centered on a dog and his owner, I might feel differently. My personal wish is that the series will return to its previous form.

I was a little concerned when I discovered the change in authors. I have found in the past when someone else takes over writing from the original author that the stories and style of writing change considerable. NOT TRUE in this case. I found this book to be just as enjoyable as the previous books and will continue reading them. I put off buy this book because of the author change after finally breaking down and purchasing the book I was a bit upset I hadn't done it sooner. It was well done.

It's an okay book, but her writing isn't anything like the first ones. I agree with CQuilter and Puzzler. The earlier books didn't have the drag or redundancy that this one has. But, she does keep true to the characters and story line, and while it will take longer to finish, it is still good.

While the voice used by Falley is similar to Goldenbaum's, the general errors Falley makes in this story are unforgivable. Po's car is different, Maggie doesn't have a new car, the Sunday night dinners have moved to Friday, and Phoebe has twins but a boy and a girl. While there's not as much quilting as in the previous books, there is enough to justify the series name. The editor of this book has promised to make sure the errors are corrected before the next publication of the book. With that said, the story is as homey as in the previous books. Po continues to solve the mystery with the help, albeit not as much, of the Elderberry quilt group.