The national bestselling author of the Seaside Knitters mysteries returns to find the Crestwood Quilters on pins and needles when a killer strikes. . . As owners of the popular bistro The French Quarter, former New York City restauranteurs Picasso and Laurel St. Pierre are the toast of the town of Crestwood, Kansas. Chef Picasso’s culinary creations delight the women of the quilting club, who … of the quilting club, who have embraced him as a friend. But Laurel’s anti-social behavior confuses Kate Simpson—until she spots Mrs. St. Pierre with another man in what appears to be a lover’s spat.
Gossip travels fast in a small town like Crestwood, and rumor has it this isn’t Laurel’s first indiscretion. She also filed a police report accusing Picasso of domestic abuse. And when Laurel’s murdered body is found Picasso is the prime suspect. To prove their friend’s innocence, Kate and the Crestwood Quilters must uncover the secrets of Laurel’s past—a patchwork history wrapped up in Kate’s own teenage years . . .
Previously titled A Murder of Taste
Praise for Sally Goldenbaum’s Mysteries
“Goldenbaum’s Queen Bee quilters charm and delight. I hope these intriguing women will continue to quilt—and solve crimes!”
—Carolyn Hart
“A perfect cozy mystery.”
—Nancy Pickard
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A Thread of Darkness is the second novel in A Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series. A Thread of Darkness is easy to read and progresses at a nice pace. There is a good flow as the story moves from scene to scene. While A Thread of Darkness can be read alone, I recommend reading the series in order. It will help you to learn the characters and keep them straight. Po Paltrow, Kate Simpson, P.J. Flanigan, Maggie Helmers, Eleanor Canterbury, Phoebe Mellon, Max Elliott, and Selma Parker are in this charming cozy mystery. Po is the main protagonist. Po is an active woman in her 60s who is happy that her goddaughter, Kate has returned to Crestwood. Kate is settling into town and working as a substitute teacher. She has discovered a passion for photography and Kate is very talented. Kate is also dating P.J. Flanigan, a local police officer. The Crestwood Quilters are working on a quilt for The French Quarter, the new French restaurant in town that offers a mouthwatering bouillabaisse. The author continues to develop the characters. They are a friendly bunch who reach out to newcomers in town. The characters are relatable and the dialogue realistic. Crestwood is like other small towns with cozy shops and gossip runs faster than butter on a hot stack of pancakes. I like the authors vivid descriptions especially of the quilts. There are many cozy moments with quilting, cooking, coffee drinking, and eating. The mystery had a couple of suspects, good clues and misdirection. I like that there were various incidents after the initial murder. This action made the story more intriguing. However, I knew the identity of the victim, killer and patsy before the murder took place. A Thread of Darkness is a pleasing cozy mystery with an affable French chef, a fishy murder, rampant rumors, an applique quilt, and a group of curious quilters.
As I have said many a time I love a mystery that has a crafty theme! “A Thread of Darkness ” is the second instalment in the Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series by Sally Goldenbaum. This Is the 2nd book by this author I have read and I enjoyed it more than the first.
As owners of the popular bistro The French Quarter, former New York City restauranteurs Picasso and Laurel St. Pierre are the toast of the town of Crestwood, Kansas. Chef Picasso’s culinary creations delight the women of the quilting club, who have embraced him as a friend. But Laurel’s anti-social behavior confuses Kate Simpson—until she spots Mrs. St. Pierre with another man in what appears to be a lover’s spat.
Gossip travels fast in a small town like Crestwood, and rumor has it this isn’t Laurel’s first indiscretion. She also filed a police report accusing Picasso of domestic abuse. And when Laurel’s murdered body is found Picasso is the prime suspect. To prove their friend’s innocence, Kate and the Crestwood Quilters must uncover the secrets of Laurel’s past—a patchwork history wrapped up in Kate’s own teenage years . . .
The mystery is interesting and I loved the characters which are well developed. The Queen Bees are a mixed group of eight women of different ages and lives who gather together at a local quilt shop to work on quilting projects.
The plot and story were good and seemed to flow at a good pace. There are just enough twists and turns, to keep you guessing and second-guessing on whodunnit.
I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from the Lyrical Underground and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a new series from this author. I have enjoyed Goldenbaum’s other books and this one did not disappoint. The story has lots of action. It kept me turning the page. It is easy to read, but kept me guessing. In fact, I didn’t have a clue who the murderer was until it was revealed. I liked the characters. Each woman in the quilting group is unique and they all sound like wonderful friends.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and offer my honest review of the book.
This is the second book of this series but can be read as a standalone. The Quilters try to help a friend accused of murdering his cheating wife in this one. A good cozy mystery kept you guessing to the end Loved the different characters and how they all come together to help one another. Well thought out book looking forward to reading more from these characters. Great to loose yourself in for a while.
“A Thread of Darkness” earns 5/5 Salacious Secrets…Entertaining Fun!
The Quilters have their work “cut out” for them…again, and I totally enjoyed it! Sally Goldenbaum has given us a group of women varying in age, experience, and crafting skill, but they share a passion for quilting and investigating murder. Although not my favorite literary vehicle because a third-person narrative puts readers on the “outside looking in,” however, there are several important characters and it would be hard to choose only one around which to revolve the story. Although Po Paltrow seems to hold everyone together. The story was well paced, clever, and entertaining with vivid descriptions, small town antics, and dialogue that did well to illustrate tone and the various personalities. Quilting, amateur detectives, and lots of fun!
Smaller Town Midwestern Cozy Mystery
This cozy mystery takes place in a smaller Kansas college town. It centers around quilters and quilts, with a touch of French cooking. The story is full of twists and sadness. I enjoyed this novel and will enjoy the entire series. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
Poe and her quilting crew are at it again. Someone has killed the wife of one of their good friends and the ladies just can’t help but get involved.
A fun, interesting, and well-written cozy mystery. I’m really enjoying this series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or remuneration.
A Thread of Darkness by Sally Goldenbaum was another success in my opinion. Ms. Goldenbaum’s writing style makes each of the quilting ladies come to life in this small Kansas town.
The plot was well-crafted and smoothly paced with just enough twists to keep me guessing. Although I had a tiny suspicion of who might have been behind the murder, I kept doubting my self with each new twist. Po, Kate, Maggie, Selma, Susan, Phoebe and Eleanor are each distinctive characters who blend well together as they quilt and determine who has brought murder to their small town. I don’t quilt but would love to sit with them during one of their quilting sessions just to spend time with all of them. I had to keep turning the pages till the end. I am already looking forward to Ms. Goldenbaum’s next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.