All of Cora Chevalier’s dreams are coming true. Since moving to Indigo Gap, North Carolina, the busy crafting maven has been blessed with a great boyfriend, a lovely home, and a booming craft retreat business. But on the eve of her first Crafty Mom’s Escape Weekend, tragedy strikes again in Indigo Gap. This time, it’s curtains for Stan Herald, the disagreeable director of the local theater group, … group, who’s murdered on the opening night of their new production. Worse, Cora’s friend Zee is accused of the crime.
Cora is determined to prove her friend’s innocence, but Zee’s mysterious past is making that difficult. And with a list of suspects longer than a double spool of satin cording, getting a bead on the real culprit won’t be easy. With her friends Jane and Ruby at her side, Cora must string together the clues and solve Stan’s murder before the killer gives an encore performance.
Includes crafting tips!
Praise for Mollie Cox Bryan’s mysteries
“A playful charmer!”
—Woman’s World on No Charm Intended
“Scrapbookers and hobby cozy fans will enjoy this delightful holiday escape.”
—Library Journal on A Crafty Christmas
“A font of ingenuity . . . superb entertainment.”
—Mystery Scene magazine on Scrapbook of Secrets
more
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We return back to Indigo Gap just in time for the Crafty Mom’s Escape Weekend. In addition to getting ready for the event, Cora is helping with scenery for the upcoming play at the local theater. But before the curtain goes up for the production, the curtain comes down on its director, Stan Herald. Cora’s friend Zee is found near his body and becomes the prime murder suspect. Cora, Jane, and Ruby know their friend is innocent. They commit to finding the real killer to free their friend all while handling the Mom’s who have escaped for a fun and crafty weekend. Hopefully, the weekend will be a beading success on both counts.
A strong group of friends shines within these pages. Cora, Ruby, Jane, Cashel, come together to help their friend Zee. Cashel handles the legal stuff. Cora and Jane do the sleuthing. Ruby does whatever is needed so the others can do their thing. In this story, that means keeping the moms entertained and she does is well. These characters are a lively group and people I would love to be friends with, tagging along crafting and sleuthing would be a blast.
It does take a group of people to handle everything happening within these pages. Mollie Cox Bryan has crafted a clever mystery to go along with the crafting theme. Twists and turns really kept me guessing. Even after a confession, the case is not solved. This was a good one that kept me guessing right up until the end.
It is stories like these that make me love cozy mysteries. Before an accident left my right side paralyzed I was quite the crafter. Books in this series have not only brought back great memories but allowed me to vicariously do some arts and crafts. In fact, I think I could make some of the beads described with one hand and just a little bit of help with the cutting.
Wonderful characters, a great mystery, and fun crafts make this story A Perfect Escape! I am ready to book my next trip to Indigo Gap!
Welcome back to Indigo Gap, NC where a new craft retreat is planned at Kildare House! This is a pleasant novel with appealing characters, a complex mystery, and various interesting crafts to learn, this time beading.
Cora, Jane, and Ruby are beginning their third retreat at Kildare House, this time for moms to celebrate their children returning to school. The “Crafty Moms’ Escape Weekend” includes at least two moms away from their child(ren) for the first time. Cora and Jane have been best friends since meeting in their former careers and are now business partners in the historic Kildare Mansion nestled in the North Carolina mountains. Ruby has lived in the gardener’s cottage for many years. She is a respected herbalist, and many crafts she teaches include artistic uses of herbs. Cora has a successful craft blog, and Jane creates and sells pottery from her studio in the carriage house.
Roni, one of the crafters, miscalculated her driving time and arrives a day early for the retreat. Lena, the guest instructor, will arrive the next morning, while most of the retreaters will come in the next afternoon or evening.
Zee, a friend of Cora and Jane, is the musical director for the community theater productions, and owner of The Blue Note, a local B & B. Maisy, one of the local gossips and a stage mom at the theater, calls Ruby shortly after Ruby’s attorney son goes to the police department to meet a new client. Unfortunately, the new client is Zee, accused of killing the obnoxious play director, Stan. He was found dead in the theater and Zee was next to him, unconscious, clutching the murder weapon.
This will not be as relaxing of a retreat as hoped for, as many demands are made on the partners’ time, especially when Zee hopes for help finding who murdered Stan. When Cora finds a valuable piece of evidence in the trash at Kildare house, she wonders if she is responsible for bringing a killer into the house. She learns more about their guests and hopes to find the bad gal before anyone gets hurt.
Each of the ladies has valuable experience, sharing their crafting talents to teach or learn how to make beads for use in jewelry, fiber, or metal arts. Some retreaters arrive in pairs, having been friends for a long time, and a few come alone. Cora is adept at drawing some of the ladies out and learning more about them, including their families and what crafts they enjoy. They are well defined as evidenced by actions and realistic conversations.
The mystery is what really makes this novel. While there are elements included that, to me, are a departure from a traditional cozy and discouraging for me to find, the murder and limited evidence make for an intriguing puzzle. It seemed as if there were many pieces, none of which fit together with the others. I was impressed with how Cora works it out, to the chagrin of Detective Brodsky, even though it is a bit unrealistic that she is the only one tripping over important clues. I had several potential suspects on my list, but at the end of the story, I was surprised by the final twist of events showing the real killer, and why. If one enjoys mysteries that include crafts, small towns, and challenging murders, I recommend it. Instructions for some of the beads are included.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, and this is my honest review.
4.5 stars for this creative mystery full of friendship and twists.
Running craft retreats is a dream come true for Cora Chevalier and her friend, Jane Starr. They have even developed a good relationship with their inherited co-conspirator, Ruby.
This retreat is a bit different from the first two, as its aim is to provide mothers a break from their routines, time to relax, make new friends and perhaps learn a new craft. The main focus is to be a vacation of sorts, to recharge their spiritual batteries.
The women who signed up are a mixed lot, but all seem to be decent, caring women.
Along with the retreat, Jane and Cora have reluctantly volunteered to assist with a local theatre production. They find it difficult to say no to their friend Zee, but do their best to remain in the background, working on scenery. Unfortunately, their involvement consumes more time when the play’s director is murdered and Zee takes the spotlight as prime suspect.
The only thing that kept this from being a full 5 star read for me is repetition amongst the dialogue. Certain things that did not bear repeating as frequently or as soon as they were.
I love learning about the crafts. The interactions between the main characters is something I look forward to in each book. The actual murder mystery was not too simple to solve. While there is a romantic element to the series, it does not overshadow other aspects of the story.
If I can’t borrow this idea and create my own crafty get-away, I want to go to one on an annual basis! This is a series you’ll want to become part of.
ASSAULT AND BEADERY by Mollie Cox Bryan
The Fourth Cora Crafts Mystery
Cora Chevalier and her business partner Jane are thrilled that their time at IndigoArts is almost over. Corralled to help design and paint the scenery by their friend Zee, the duo have had enough of the egotistical director and the stage mothers. Plus, a new retreat is about to start. This time they decided to create a retreat for moms featuring a big name beader. When one guest shows up early, Cora is thrown a tad off schedule, but she’s thrown even more when she receives a phone call from Zee. Zee won’t be bringing the floral arrangements she promised-she’s in jail, suspected of murdering the IndigoArts director!
Mothers are the thread that bind this crafting mystery. We see mothers taking time for themselves, mothers putting their children first, mothers on the warpath, mothers desperately missing their children, and more. For someone who has no desire to be a mother, some of it was a bit much, but I’m sure anyone with kids will love this theme and commiserate with several of the mothers found in these pages.
The mystery itself was quite interesting, most people disliked the egotistical director, but who would actually want to kill him? Cora deals with trying to shelter her retreat participants from the murder, only to discover one of them could be the killer!
Mollie Cox Bryan creates a wonderful atmosphere for her retreats. It’s an insulated world of creativity and acceptance…and in this case some mothers gone wild! Cora better watch her liquor cabinet more carefully. I love the variety of crafts that are showcased and enjoy learning more about them. I actually make Artist Trading Cards, so it was fun reading about that.
ASSAULT AND BEADERY is an engaging mystery that empowers women while comforting them.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
Cora is settling into her life in Indigo Gap, North Carolina. She is a incredibly talented crafter, and she has used those skills and talents to build a craft retreat business. She has has a wonderful, caring boyfriend, Adrian. Things are going wonderfully until murder enters the picture…again. This time it’s Stan Herald, the director of the local theater group. What makes it worse is her friend, Zee is the prime suspect. Cora can’t resist…she has to save her friend!
Not only is there the mystery of Stan’s death, but Zee, herself, is a mystery. Cora isn’t sure about Zee’s past. For instance, she isn’t even certain how old Zee really is. She has her work cut out for her, but that is the thing about Cora….she doesn’t give up very easily. It’s one of the things I love most about her. I think everyone needs a Cora in their lives. She is completely loyal to those she loves.
The writing was fantastic as well as the cast of secondary characters, such as Adrian, Ruby, and Jane. They each added a great deal to the storyline. Heck, even the town of Indigo Gap is a character. She wrote the setting so well that I felt like I was a part of it myself.
As much as this is a cozy mystery, it is so much more! Underneath the storyline is the theme of overcoming obstacles and how you move forward…basically reinventing yourself. That really struck a chord for me and sets this book somewhat apart from other books in the genre.
I love when the author includes little extras, and Bryan not only gave her readers one thing but several, from crafts to recipes, and some I might even be brave enough to try. Looking forward to returning to quaint Indigo Gap in the future
Assault and Beadery by Mollie Cox Bryan is the fourth book in A Cora Crafts Mystery series. Cora Chevalier and Jane Starr are touching up the sets for IndigoArts production of Fiddler on the Roof which begins that evening. They then hurry home to make sure all preparations are complete for their Crafty Mom’s Escape Weekend which begins the next day. Cora is surprised when she gets a call from Zee Mancini, musical director for IndigoArts, later that evening. Stan Herald, the play’s director, was found murdered on the stage with an unconscious Zee beside him. Cora knows that Zee did not commit the crime. She teams up with Jane and Cora to dig into Stan’s life looking for alternate suspects. The ladies need to string together the clues to get a bead on the killer. It would help if Zee was not so mysterious about her past. In between talking with their suspects, the ladies need to teach their classes and make sure their guests have a pleasant crafting weekend. Can they wrap up the case before the killer strikes again?
Assault and Beadery may be the fourth book in the series, but it can be read alone. The author provides the background on the main characters and how the retreat came to exist. The current crafting retreat, Mom’s Escape Weekend, is for mother’s whose children just went back to school. It is a chance for them to get away, relax and learn some new skills. Beading is the focus of the weekend. French beading, making rose beads, polymer clay beads, wet felting, knotting and artist trading cards are a few of the crafts described in the book. Instructions for different crafts are included at the end of the book. I like that crafting is featured in this series (many cozy mysteries used to feature crafts). The crafty fun is described with delightful details. If not for the pesky murder, I would love to be a guest at this retreat. I still do not understand why they do not employ a cook for their retreats instead of using a caterer. The retreaters could bound over delectable dinners. Indigo Gap sounds like a charming town. There are a variety of shops that I would enjoy browsing. I like how the shops and streets have blue themed names. I have still not taken a liking to Cora. This series would have benefited from a different main character. Cora with her anxiety issues and panic attacks make her unappealing. It is mentioned frequently throughout the story with it becoming an issue near the end for Cora. Panic attacks are a serious issue and the author has shown how Cora tries to cope without resorting to medication. However, reading is supposed to be relaxing and Cora gives me anxious and uncomfortable. Cora is not the right person to be the main character who investigates crime which puts in her situations that exacerbate her condition. The whodunit has a variety of suspects and misdirection to confuse the reader. Readers will have no problem untangling the clues and identifying the killer. It was fun to have the characters from A Cumberland Creek Mystery series visit Indigo Gap. The pace is a little slower in Assault and Beadery and there is mild foul language along with copious amounts of alcohol (these ladies let loose while Cora was out of the house). Join Cora, Jane and Ruby in Indigo Gap for crafts, creativity and killing.
Cora and Jane are at it again! Just prior to their Beading Retreat, the director of their local theater is murdered. Their friend Zee who does the music is the number one suspect. Not intending to investigate, Cora and Jane both know that Zee is innocent. What can it hurt to just ask a few questions?
This was fun. I enjoy reading about different crafts. This time it was different types of techniques to make beads. The characters are fun. Cora, Jane, Ruby and the rest are likeable. Even the retreat attendees added some quirkiness. There were a couple of not so likeable characters, but that is to be expected. Especially when one was the murder victim. The writing style is easy to read and the plot kept me turning the pages.
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. I will read more in this series.
I learned a lot about beads which was interesting. Good, fun mystery. Great read.