Customer Reviews

Paper-Thin Alibi: A Craft Corner Mystery

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

 

 

Summary

Seeking to expand her customer base, Jo McAllister enters the Michicomi Craft Fair. To her dismay, she finds her booth is immediately across the aisle from Linda Weeks, her former rival in the jewlery design business.

After a very public argument between Jo and Linda, Linda has a fatal allergic reaction to candies Jo delivered to Linda's booth. Soon, Jo is suspected of murder and must discover the identity of the true killer to clear her name and save Jo's Craft Store.

Kudos & Criticisms

Hughes does a nice job of moving the main action of this series from Jo's Craft Store to the Michicomi Craft Fair. It allows her to provide some variety in the series by using a set of interesting temporary characters. (I hope Gabe appears in the series again.)

Hughes' main focus is on the mystery. She introduces the murder within the first 20 pages and gives the reader spikes of suspense at just the right intervals with a just light twist of romance. The book is a fast read and moves along at a good pace.

My only minor criticism is that I knew "whodunit" within the first 70 pages--and I'm not usually good at guessing. So, either I'm getting better at reading clues or the mystery is obvious. Still, the book was so enjoyable, I read it from cover to cover.

I look forward to the next book in this series.

"Paper-Thin Alibi" is the third cozy in this series, and it is the richest of the three. Ms. Hughes' characters never disappoint, including Jo McAllister who finds herself in trouble at the Michicomi Craft Festival. In real life, I've never been to a craft festival, but Ms. Hughes graciously took me behind-the-scene where visitors rarely go. This is another winner. I hope they'll be more. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

A fan...

I loved Mary Ellen Hughes' latest mystery! I love how the characters are so realistic - I really learn to care about them. As I was reading the book, I was reluctant to put it down! I found myself thinking about the next twist in the plot. The humor is laced throughout the story and lightens serious moments at just the right time. I can't wait to see what happens in the next mystery Ms. Hughes writes!

The third in a cozy series, it can stand alone (I am now going back for 1 & 2 simply to enjoy the character development). A friend who used to exhibit in craft shows praised this book for its true characterizations of vendors.

I found it utterly charming. I laughed a bit and even shed a tear or two. I also did not solve the mystery--a true A+ of a quick, cozy read.

Reading Mary Ellen Hughes' books are like getting a two for one deal. First you get to enjoy a good mystery with the very likeable Jo then you get a how to lesson on a different craft in each book. How fun! Thanks Ms. Hughes waiting for the next book. Mary S. in Maryland

Received my order in very short time. Have read both books and really enjoyed them. Will be looking for more byt this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this traditional "whodunit" The characters are likeable (except for the victim who everyone had cause to hate) The setting of a craft shop and craft festivals was interesting and formed a good background to the plot. I did pick the murderer about half the way through, but this in no way negated my enjoyment of the read. The heroine is a normal, everyday woman, very likeable but with normal faults. Her love interest is highly believeable and I hope we see these two in another book by this author.

I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for excellent writing, pleasant characters and small American town background.

Mary Hughes is getting more compexity into her stories with this novel. She keeps it interesting and generally fast moving which kept my interest. The story also gets more complex, which is also of interest to me. I think it was fun and interesting to read. Good job!