Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780451413642
Berkley Obsidian Mystery
347 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
June 3, 2014
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Angie is finding her niche as the new owner of her late aunt's quilt shop, Running Stitch. But as the summer is winding down, so is business. To bolster support for the shop, Angie decides to sell her quilts, including some of her aunt's most prized works, in the Rolling Brook Amish Auction.
The quilts promise to be a hit - but the gavel comes down on the lively event when Angie stumbles upon the body of township trustee Wanda Hunt behind a canning shed. The cause of death: a poisoned blueberry fry pie from Rachel Miller's bakery table. Now Angie's closest friend is a murder suspect. With Angie taking the lead, she and the other women of her aunt's quilting circle set out to patch together the clues and stop a killer set on shredding the simple peace of Rolling Brook.
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Angie owns an Amish quilt shop, Running Stitch, even though she's not Amish. It was left to her by her Amish aunt, and she's coming to be a part of the community, and making friends among the Amish. She's excited to be having a few of her aunt's quilts up for auction in the Rolling Brook Amish Auction. Her friend and business neighbor, Rachel Miller, is also selling baked goods from her bakery. Rachel's husband Aaron is planning to open a factory for the pies, but not everyone is happy about it.
When Wanda Hunt, a town trustee, comes to Rachel's table she tells her that there's no way the factory will be approved and Aaron should have looked at the rules before he bought the land. Rachel is upset, but refuses to involve herself in her husband's business, instead offering one of her fry pies to Wanda. Later, while chasing her dog Oliver, Angie chases him through the auction grounds where she finds Wanda dead -- holding what's left of a blueberry fry pie. Now, with Rachel in the hot seat, Angie vows to do whatever it takes to keep her friend from being unfairly accused of a crime -- even if she winds up in the sights of a killer...
This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I did like it better than the first. Although it still bothers me that Angie's snooping is too overt - by that I mean she just walks up to people and asks them questions without even trying to be subtle about it. It's invasive and just a tad uncomfortable to read. I find myself skimming over most of it, when I shouldn't have to do that, because I want to see what peoples' answers would be. I would like to see Angie tone it down a bit when it comes to trying to get information out of people. In real life, her actions would more than likely get her physically attacked by someone.
Other than that, it was nice to see the connections she's making in the community, and one especially that will bring her closer to the Amish. I do like that her relationship with Sheriff Mitchell might be moving forward, as it's obvious they're both attracted to each other; although I do think that his ex-wife, while protective of her son, might be using him as a weapon against her husband to get him to do what she wants, and I really don't like that.
I also don't care much for Angie's mother. She's deluded in her daughter's life and refuses to allow Angie to grow up and do what she feels as right. Even from Dallas she's trying to run her life. Angie just hasn't moved far enough away to get away from this woman. I don't know how she dealt with her. I wouldn't be able to - at least not for long.
The mystery itself was interesting, and there were plenty of characters who could have killed Wanda, even though there never seemed to be a motive strong enough until later in the book. Once we had the motive, we pretty much knew how to narrow it down. So, although not many clues, it was still done nicely. All in all, even though it was an easy read and can be read in one night, I have to say that I really dislike it when the author leaves cliffhangers at the end. However, I will read the next in the series, but if it follows the same formula for the ending, I won't pursue this any further.
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Simply-Stitched-Amish-Mystery/dp/0451413644/ref=
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3266088651
More on Isabella Alan's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/isabella-alan/
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