Customer Reviews

The Quick and the Thread: An Embroidery Mystery

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
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I have read many books in the "craft mystery" sub-genre and have gotten a bit jaded. But this book, bought on impulse, was far better than many of them. The dialogue was witty without being contrived, the characters were well-crafted and the plot intriguing. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series to be released.

An Embroidery Mystery
Release Date August 3, 2010
Obsidian
First in a Brand New Series

Marcy Singer packs up her life in San Francisco, including her Irish Wolfhound, Angus and moves to Tallulah Falls, Oregon, at the urging of her friend Sadie to fulfill her dream of owning a needlework shop called The Seven Year Stitch. Sadie and her husband Blake own MacKenzies' Mochas down the street from Marcy's store.

A big grand opening is planned and the whole town is invited. As the party gets going the store's former tenant, who appears to have had way to much to drink, is following Marcy around slurring that he has something very important to tell her. Other guests keep rescuing her from having any conversation with Mr. Enright. The party ends and Marcy can't wait until the next day as her business actually opens. People have signed up for all the classes she has offered and she is excited that her dream is finally coming true.

When Marcy and Angus arrive at the store, the dog runs to the storeroom door and starts pawing at it feverishly. Marcy opens the door to see why Angus is causing such a fuss, she screams as she find the former tenant, Mr. Enright on the floor. At first she thinks he had just passed out there during the party, the smell is awful he must have thrown up, she notices he scratched a message on the floor with a tapestry needle and that the storeroom is quite a mess. She finally realizes that the man needs help and calls the paramedics. They arrive and that is when she learns poor Mr. Enright was not just passed out, he was indeed dead. Her beautiful new shop has become a crime scene and she has become a murder suspect.

Before Marcy finds herself embroidered into a corner at the local jail she has to stitch together all the pieces of this darn mystery and find the real killer.

I LIKED IT !!!!

This was a fun little mystery, I had to refresh my memory about the term "straw buyers", but the plot was very interesting and a little scary as we see how easily identity theft can happen. The characters were well developed but with definitely more for us to learn as the series continues. I hope Marcy's mother is featured more in future stories, she sounds like a hoot! The next installment entitled "Stitch Me Deadly" is set for release in February 2010.


About this Author from Amazon.com:
Amanda Lee is the lady next to you in the grocery line or car pool. She has twins: one boy and one girl; she's a baseball fan, she likes to decorate cakes, she rocks at Guitar Hero... Oh, and she likes to think about murder. But it's okay! She only writes about murder...a lot!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Obsidian, a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This book is the first in a series about female-sleuth Marcy Singer.

Marcella (aka Marcy) is an accountant living in San Francisco who yearns for yarn: she really wants to own an embroidery shop. One day she gets a call from her former college roommate Sadie who lives in Oregon: the hardware store next to Sadie's coffee shop has gone out of business, and Sadie thinks it would be the perfect opportunity for Marcy to open her dream store.

Marcy decides to go for it, moves herself and her dog to Oregon, and names her shop `The Seven Year Stitch' since she is a fan of classic movies.

Soon opening day arrives and Marcy's shop is full of customers purchasing supplies and signing up for classes. That same evening she has a grand opening party, and many of the townspeople are there including former proprietor Timothy Enright of the hardware store that used to occupy Marcy's store.

He says he must speak to Marcy. But he is slurring his words so she thinks he is drunk and avoids him all evening. The next morning she finds the words "Four Square Fifth W" scratched onto a storeroom wall by a tapestry needle. The person who did that, Timothy Enright, is lying dead in her storeroom.

I found this book to be entertaining. Marcy is persistent in trying to find out both who killed Timothy Enright and what the mysterious message means. She goes by the old saying: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer".

A new series but it has started out as a disappointment. The heroine is more hapless and helpless than most -- a cross between just plain silly and simply gullible a great deal of the time. I wanted to just slap some sense into her and her dog, too! And, this is the first of the craft cozies that I have seen in ages that did not have some kind of pattern or related craft instruction included.
Maybe the next one will have her getting some of her act together...I hope so.

I love these types of books and this one was a fun and easy read. Looking forward to finding more like this!

California lass opens a yarn shop in Oregon. Within weeks the former tenant of the sales space is found dead in the storeroom and the landlord is murdered. A real estate scheme comes to light, but who is Mr. Big? Slowly paced with too many conincidences. Cast shows promise, however.

The Quick and the Thread is the first book of An Embroidery Mystery series. Marcy Singer leaves San Francisco for Tallulah Falls, Oregon to pursue her dream of owning her own embroidery shop The Seven Year-Stitch. Her best friend and former college roommate, Sadie and her husband Blake, also reside there. The couple owns MacKenzies' Mochas, which is conveniently located next door to Marcy's shop.

The night of her open house, former tenant Tim Enright crashes the party and is determined to speak with Marcy privately. Turned off by his odd behavior (and assumption he's intoxicated), Marcy keeps herself at arm's length. Later after everyone has left for the evening, Marcy, Sadie, Blake and Todd (the man that Sadie is trying to fix her up with) are cleaning up when they hear a strange noise in the back. Blake and Todd make light of it and joke that it's only a bear. The next morning Marcy discovers Enright's body.

Before his death, Enright scratches a message on the wall that's a clue to his murder. Marcy is suddenly being looked at as a suspect and decides she needs learn the meaning behind the message to clear her name. She begins speaking to the local residents and as a result another person is killed.

"I was feeling good as Angus and I unlocked the door and entered the shop the next morning. I had my lists in hand and was eager to start calling people about the first embroidery classes. About seven people had signed up for the cross-stitch tote bag project. Twice as many had signed up for beginner's crewel and candlewick classes. Besides that, many of the women at the party had indicated an interest in stopping by for 'Sit and Stitch' sessions between eleven a.m. and one p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Suddenly, Angus run to the storeroom and began pawing the door." -- From The Quick and the Thread

Having been a fan of the author's cake decorating series (written under her real name, Gayle Trent), I eagerly anticipated her newest series--this time, centered on the embroidery world.

Not having a crafty bone in my body, I wondered if I would like The Quick and the Thread.

Let's just say that I devoured it as soon as I got it!

Much to my surprise, The Quick and the Thread is even BETTER than Murder Takes The Cake and Dead Pan (and believe me, I really like those books...and so does my Mom!)

With a likable, spunky heroine named Marcy Singer and her lovable Irish Wolfhound Angus (not to mention the mannequin she frequently talks to!)--as well as interesting "friends next door" (who happen to own a coffee shop!), The Quick and the Thread features great plotting, believable characters and interesting twists.

In short, I loved it!

I think embroiderers would LOVE this book, but even if you've never attempted a scrap of handicrafts, The Quick and the Thread delivers a satisfying read. In short, it belongs on the shelf of every cozy mystery lover!

Highly recommended. Can't wait until book 2 in the series, Stitch Me Deadly: An Embroidery Mystery.

-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot

Marcy Singer is an accountant (just like Kelly Flynn in Maggie Sefton's knitting mysteries, I might add.) turned needle arts shop owner in a small Oregon town. She has an Irish wolfhound, Angus. Marcy says she named him "Angus" because he is Irish. (I thought "Angus" was more of a Scottish name. Whatever.) I kind of wondered where this young thing (I don't recall seeing her age in print, however) got the money to buy, decorate, and supply a shop, as well as buy a house. Rich Mom? Dad's insurance? More fleshing out of Marcy's background would be helpful.

I won't go into detail about the plot, as other reviewers have already done so.

The story is gripping, and the narrative is fast-paced. The characters are well-developed and interesting people, and the dialogue is genuine.

I thought the murder tie-in with the TV crime show Marcy was watching to be a bit far-fetched, but all-in-all, it worked.

I've read most -if not all- of the current needle arts (crochet, knit, needlework, etc.) mysteries, and found this one to be a refreshing change from some of them (which seem to drag on and on). A very quick read!

Since this is an "Embroidery Mystery," I hope there will be continued reference (and perhaps more elaboration on)embroidery, and perhaps types of embroidery. (Cross-stitch is not embroidery.) I also wondered about knitting needles in a needlework shop, but perhaps they're just a side-line item.

I do look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Marcy was looking forward to a great grand-opening of her embroidery shop. She had customers, food, beverage and good chatter but the one thing she didn't count on, was a dead body who left a cryptic message scrawled on the wall. Sparking Marcy's curiosity and the fact that she is a suspect, Marcy with help from her friends start asking questions and someone in this small town does not like where the answers may lead. I love the town, the friendly characters (except the killer) as well as the dialogue which felt very comfortable. The prospect of a romantic triangle and knotting the thread on the killer will keep your eyes glued to the pages until the final the end. This was a delightful and crafty tale.