Quilter Martha Rose must patch together the clues to solve the murder of a cult leader in the California mountains . . . Has Martha’s fellow quilter and dear friend Birdie Watson become unraveled? Birdie and her new husband have decided to join the Mystical Feather Society, a spiritist group living on a commune in the mountains of Ojai, California. Before her free-spirited friend makes a huge … mistake, Martha organizes a surprise visit to check out the commune. While white-robed members conduct a seancé in a glass yurt, their leader—Royal St. Germain—is nowhere to be found . . . until, that is, Martha and her friends discover him shot in their Winnebago. Now Martha must track down the killer and debunk the cult—before it’s bye bye Birdie . . . Praise for Mary Marks and her Quilting Mysteries “A pleasurable and satisfying addition to any quilting mystery fan’s reading list.”—Library Journal on Knot in My Backyard “A mystery combined with wry humor.”—Kirkus Reviews on Knot My Sister’s Keeper
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Knot of this World is the 8th book in the series and I had no problem reading the book as a stand alone novel. But I recommend reading in order as they are such good books.
Protagonist Martha Rose, is a strong, educated woman, and the side characters are realistic, slightly quirky too like her friend Birdie, Pauline the physic and of course Jazz. The characters are well rounded and enjoyable.
I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in one sitting. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises. I even learnt something about Jewish customs, a lesson in Tarot reading, interpreting aura colour and quilting tips which is always a bonus.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
A nice twist to a fun cozy. We catch back up with Martha and her friends. Birdie is back home after spending the winter in Arizona. She is happy to be back home but quickly announced her intentions to sell everything she owns and join what is pretty much a cult. Hubby is going along with it as well. Martha was skeptical from the get go but the more she learns the worse it gets. Then they plan a surprise visit to the compound only for things to go wrong once they get their. The owner is found dead in the RV they traveled in making for an interesting investigation. What follows is a quilters dream full of clues and surprise just to keep you guessing. Makes for a well written cozy full of great characters, clues, and mystery all topped off with quilting tidbits sprinkled throughout. Made for a pleasant afternoon reading adventure perfect for fans of the genre. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I received it for free and I voluntarily chose to review it. I’ve given it a 4.5* rating. This has some interesting characters in the quilting circle that meets once a week. It also has references to the Jewish faith but not overbearing as such. This was a interesting who done it and the suspects just kept coming. Martha keeps most thing in control except for her sister’s mouth. Lots of little stories mixed in to keep things stirred up. Of course food is talked about a lot but part of it is in reference to being Jewish. I’ll need to see about getting more of this author’s work.
Knot of This World by Mary Marks has Martha Rose worried about her friend, Birdie Watson and her husband. They have returned from wintering in Arizona to announce to the quilting group that they are selling their properties and joining the Mystical Feather Society in Ojai. Martha worries that this group is a cult, and her friends will be left with nothing once they turn over all their money. She suggests that they visit the Mystical Feather Society to alleviate their concerns. Martha, Birdie, Denver, and the others arrive to find the society members conducting a séance inside a yurt. They decide to head to down for lunch and return later hoping the group will be finished. They arrive at the RV to find the door open and the society’s leader, Royal St. Germain dead inside. When two of their expedition ends up under suspicion, Martha dives into the investigation. Knot of This World is the 8th A Quilting Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. Martha Rose is a middle-aged protagonist who has Fibromyalgia. The author accurately portrays how this disease affects a person even down to how the bottom of your feet hurt. There is an eclectic cast of characters in this series from Martha’s forthright sister to Jazz with his pretty pooch. Quilting and food dominate the story. Martha’s quilting group get together each week to work on their quilt projects, chat, and eat. I like hearing about the different quilt designs and how the quilts are created. Martha is creating a Sunbonnet Sue quilt for her granddaughter, Daisy. Martha and her fiancé, Crusher are Jewish so Jewish traditions are included like Friday night Shabbat dinner. The mystery had some interesting components. Martha was worried about her friends joining the Mystical Feather Society and she soon learns that she was right to be concerned. The more Martha digs, the more secrets she uncovers. Of course, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department nor the mysterious John Smith of the FBI appreciate her help. I wish this whodunit had been more challenging. The solution was obvious early in the book. I enjoyed following Martha and her friends on their quest for the truth. There was just the right amount of humor scattered throughout the tale. Knot of this World is an entertaining cozy mystery, and I look forward to Martha Rose’s next adventure. Knot of this World is a character driven cozy with a charismatic commune controller, stitching Sunbonnet Sue’s, cult controversy, missing members, furtive FBI fellow, disrobed devotees, and fretting friends.
The latest addition of Knot of This World to the “A Quilting Mystery” series is stimulating with heartfelt emotion. It is not high action, with incomprehensible twists and turns. It is filled with all things that make a cozy mystery, a cozy, an excellent mystery, an enjoyable and relatable cast, and enough energy to keep readers happy The characters, most quilters, mostly Martha and Birdie, give readers a sense of family, friendship, and camaraderie. There is a beautiful mountain location that would be awe-inspiring to see, and a mystery worth the time and effort to solve. And if readers are into quilting, they will love all the tips and talk about quilt making.
This is the first book in this series that I have had the pleasure of reading. I was entertained throughout. There are plenty of suspects and a few red herrings. There are twists but not the kind that confuse and bemuse but the type that allows the reader to understand that not everything is straight forward. I would have liked to see and learn more about the quilters group and the quilting in general but overall enjoyed learning about those who played a more prominent role.
The plot was lively and easy to follow. The writing was top-notch. The story was captivating without being over the top. The killer was uncovered, but not without a few anxious moments for the characters. Justice prevailed, and the murder was solved. Knot of This World made me want to try my hand at quilting once again, the quilters group sounded amazing, but the talk of the food for the Shabbat had me wanting to cook for my family. All-in-all a delightful read that I highly recommend to readers who love quilting, food, and good storytelling.
There’s nothing I can say about author Mary Marks that her legions of fan don’t already know. She’s a suburb writer, and each new book she writes serves as proof.
In, KNOT OF THIS WORLD, Ms. Marks touches on a subject I don’t recall ever seeing in a cozy mystery. Cults. Having just watched a couple documentaries on that very subject, I was curious to see how the author handled it. I was pleased to see the story didn’t dig too deep into the subject, making it interesting, but still within the confines of the cozy format.
This was a mystery up to the standards of which I have come to expect from this author. Extremely well executed, there were twists and turns that led down wrong ways and dead ends, all of which served to make KNOT OF THIS WORLD a hard one for me to solve.
With delightful characters, mystery, mayhem, and plain old great storytelling, KNOT OF THIS WORLD is an out of this world read!
Birdy is back in the quilter’s group after returning to California from wintering in Arizona with her husband, Denver. She brings with her shocking news. They are selling all of their homes and possessions and retire to the Mystical Feather Commune. All of the money from the sales will be submitted to the Commune’s trust for its sole and exclusive use. Smelling something fishy, Martha convinces Birdy and Denny, and a small group of friends, to take an impromptu trip to visit the Commune and meet its fearless leader, Royal St. Germain. Only, the surprise is on them. It seems Royal has disappeared and their trip was in vain. As the group decides to pack back up and head out, they find Royal dead in the vehicle they used to make the trip – Birdy and Denny’s Winnebago.
In an effort to help expose Mystical Feather Society as a fraud, Martha finds herself eyeball deep in another murder. This one happens while she are in the same area but the clues to the murderer aren’t as clear. Two of the “friends” on this journey of Operation Debunk aren’t who they say they are and land themselves on the suspect list. Meanwhile, additional suspects present themselves or Martha speculates their involvement and potential reasons. I had an idea who may have been involved but the author did such a great job presenting several contenders that I wasn’t sure until the very end.
I love all the characters in the Quilting Mysteries by Mary Marks. The relationship between Martha and Crusher is sweet and I’m honestly glad she is with him. He is so devoted to Martha and her to Crusher. The quilting group is a riot and totally has Martha’s back. I really feel like they are all my friends since we’ve now been together for eight books.
Mary Marks does another wonderful job building up the mystery and keeping the reader on their toes. The truth of the situation is revealed at the perfect time and I was not disappointed. The writing flows well and is concise. The author’s writing style is fluid and smooth and so easy to get lost in. The romantic elements in the series are subtle and don’t overshadow the mystery. The entire novel is engaging; never a dull moment.
I was provided an ecopy of this book to read.
This is a delightful addition to the Quilting Mystery series! While I am not a quilter, I enjoy reading about quilting and the designs, especially when part of a cozy mystery! This mystery is as finely plotted and executed as the quilts that Martha and her friends make, and a real challenge to solve! The characters are an eclectic group made up of various backgrounds and ages, most middle-aged or older. They are defined well through their conversations and actions. The story, which could be read as a standalone, drew me in from the start and held my attention throughout.
Martha and Birdie are two of the original Tuesday quilting group. Birdie has just returned from the winter trip she and hubby Denver make every year. They had an amazing experience in Sedona, where they met Royal St. Germain, son of Madame Natasha St. Germain, a well-known psychic and author. She began the Mystical Feather retreat many years ago in California. She died suddenly in 1975, leaving it to Royal. A playboy who enjoyed young women and spending money, Royal turned it into a commune where people donate cash from the sale of all their assets in exchange for being taken care of the rest of their lives.
Birdie, always interested in the world of spirits and spiritists, is very familiar with Madame Natasha St. Germain. When Birdie and Denver met Royal, he told them they were chosen by Madame herself, who had appeared to Royal and told him they would be perfect to join Mystical Feather. When he invited them, they were more than happy to plan to sell the ranch and their homes and move to the retreat/ commune in Ojai, sight unseen.
Martha, her sister Giselle, and her best friend Lucy smell a rat, and try to learn more about the group. Afraid for Birdie and Denver, in their 70’s, they tried to learn what they could. Yossi, Martha’s fiancé, works for the ATF, and learned from FBI friends that the place is on their radar due to people who disappeared and were never heard from again. Denver adores Birdie and is more concerned with doing what Birdie wants than what feds might take exception with. They talked the couple into going to see the place before they sell everything. Martha’s psychic friend Paulina, and her friend, Michael, who are very knowledgeable about Natasha, will join them.
When arriving there, everyone except Royal is in a séance that can’t be interrupted. When they couldn’t find Royal, they decided to head into town and return later. They didn’t count on finding Royal, murdered, in Denver and Birdie’s motorhome. Or that they would be considered suspects simply for being there.
Martha’s experience in recent years of helping police solve several murders leads her to help herself and her friends once again, despite the sheriff’s office not wanting their help. Plot twists make the suspect list grow. It was interesting to see how Martha thought through aspects of the murder as she worked on her quilt design and piecing. I didn’t figure out whodunit, regarding the murder of Royal or the disappearance of various members, although I did have an idea who might be involved. The end held surprises and was satisfying, with all loose ends tied up. The author includes the right amount of humor. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate well-written cozy mysteries, are fans of the series, and enjoy quilting and middle-aged sleuths.
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel; a review was not required.