An Ominous Death [Large Print] [Paperback]

Annette Mahon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Maggie Browne and the members of the St. Rose Quilting Bee are back, attempting to solve a mystery as they work on their quilts. Sometime Bee member Candy Breckner is at the Palo Verde Care Center to recover from an auto accident; with two broken legs, she cannot manage on her own. Maggie and the Bee decide to visit, taking her a lap quilt they've made especially for her. (Pattern included) Candy breaks down when she sees them, saying that she's afraid there's an "angel of death" at work in the facility. Dismissing her story as a side effect of medication, the women begin to have second thoughts when she dies suddenly. Especially when police questioning seems to indicate an unexpected interest in Bee member Louise Lombard, who discovered the body. Using their own unique style of investigating, Maggie and the others find the proper mix between quilting and investigative work. But will it be enough to save Louise . . . and another potential victim?

Annette Mahon is an avid reader who always wanted to write novels of her own. She is also a quilter, and enjoys including quilts and quilters in her novels. A native of Hilo, Hawaii, she now resides in Arizona.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The 'Miss Marple' of Maricopa County earns another gold star in her quest to find a ruthless and devious murderer in this atmospheric mystery set in Arizona . . . Mahon ties together motives as neatly as quilting pieces."
- Carole Nelson Douglas, author of the Midnight Louie and Irene Adler mystery series --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597222216
• ISBN-13: 978-1597222211
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,044,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Annette Mahon is a former librarian who likes to think that she's moved from tending the library shelves to filling them as both of her publishers sell primarily to the library market. Annette writes the St. Rose Quilting Bee mystery series (where a group of quilters in Scottsdale, Arizona, solve mysteries over the quilt frame), and sweet romances with Hawaiian settings.
www.annettemahon.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good light reading, April 15, 2010

By 

J. Rutherford (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Ominous Death (A St. Rose Quilting Bee Mystery) (Kindle Edition)

As a quilter, I liked the special information about the details of quilting, and could picture the ladies sitting around the quilt, trying to solve the mystery, as they took their tiny stitches. Very much surprised at the ending-the murderer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars: Maggie Browne and the St. Rose Quilting Bee investigate again, August 19, 2007

By 

D. Merrimon Crawford (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Ominous Death (Paperback)

AN OMINOUS DEATH is a light mystery read with both a lovable victim and sleuth. The various clues lead in several directions and maintain the reader's interest. Readers who loved A PHANTOM DEATH will be happy to see another Arizona mystery.

Maggie Browne and the members of the St. Rose Quilting Bee visit their friend Candy Breckner at the Palo Verde Care Center in an attempt to cheer her up after having broken both her legs in a car accident. Agitated, Candy tells them that she fears for her life. An angel of death is taking her friends at night and sending them to their death. Although most of the Quilting Bee ladies attribute Candy's stories to her medication of the accident, Maggie does love a mystery after solving a murder in A Phantom Death. When Candy dies unexpectedly, the police begin questioning their friend Louise Lombard and Maggie is drawn deeper into the case...
Although the local police probably wish she would leave the crime solving to the professionals, Maggie feels she owes her friend and must take on the case when the police do not seem quite as concerned as she is.

Maggie Browne's friends all call her the Jessica Fletcher or the Miss Marple of Scottsdale, Arizona. The label fits--just add an occasional horse ride through the less urban land to think through her cases. Many mysteries gloss over the victim but this mystery develops her character so that the reader, like Maggie, wants the culprit caught and punished. AN OMINOUS DEATH Death can definitely be read as a stand alone with very little reference to the first, or even in reverse order, except of course, Maggie Browne fans will want another read after discovering this sleuth and her quilting bee. AN OMINOUS DEATH includes some twists and surprises despite the possible hints in the beginning. A PHANTOM DEATH had a few less red herrings and the threads seemed tied together a bit more but these are minor compared to superb characterization, the great scene setting and the intriguing mystery that unfolds. This reader eagerly awaits the next Maggie Browne mystery.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun picturesque cozy, March 13, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Ominous Death (Hardcover)

In Scottsdale, Arizona part-time member of the St. Rose Quilting Bee, Candy Breckner breaks her legs in a car accident. Since no one is available or willing to care for her, Candy checks into the Palo Verde Care Center. When her quilting bee partners visit her, she hysterically tells them she fears for her life from an "angel of death" employed at the nursing facility.

Her friend write off her trepidations as drug induced until Candy is found dead by bee member Louise Lombard. The Scottsdale police believe a homicide occurred with Louise as the prime suspect. Maggie Browne and the other Bees, already horrified and feeling guilty over Candy's death, vow to find the real culprit before Louise is locked away.

Though the Quilting Bees know not to investigate after their previous homicidal escapades (see A PHANTOM DEATH), led by magnificent Maggie they cannot leave Candy's death alone especially when one of them is the suspect. Thus readers obtain a picturesque cozy as the Bees swarm all over the Arizona desert in between a stitch or two. The who-done-it is cleverly devised, but that takes a back seat to the busy Bees butting into police matters.

Harriet Klausner