Thread of Darkness by Sally Goldenbaum

Good Day!  Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns releases on July 30 along with Needled to Death by Annelise Ryan and A Family for Gracie by Amy Lillard.  A Whisker in the Dark by Leighann Dobbs comes out July 31 as well as The Cat Caper by Molly Fitz.  There are some delightful new books coming out in the upcoming months!

A Thread of Darkness by Sally Goldenbaum returns readers to Crestwood, Kansas.  Po Paltrow and the other members of the Crestwood Quilters are enjoying their evening meal at The French Quarter.  The French restaurant was opened six months prior by Jacques and Laurel St. Pierre and it has been a hit thanks to Pierre’s delectable cuisine.  The quilters were quick to embrace Jacques, but Laurel is a little more standoffish.  The next day, P.J. Flanigan stops by Po’s house and tells him about the odd domestic violence call they received from Laurel St. Pierre in the middle of the night.  It sounds fishy to Po.  Kate is in the local park taking pictures when spots Laurel in an intimate embrace with a man.  However, the encounter soon ends when Laurel delivers a hard smack to the man’s face.  On Saturday, the quilters are meeting at Parker’s Dry Good Shop to quilt when they hear that Laurel was found dead in the river and Jacques is the prime suspect in her death.  Po know that kind Frenchman would not harm the wife he clearly adored.  Po, with help from Kate and the other ladies in the quilting group, gather the clues and stitch them together to reveal the killer.

 

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. 

The first novel in A Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series is A Patchwork of Clues and the third novel is A Bias for Murder which releases August 6.  Thank you for visiting today.  I plan on reviewing And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder tomorrow.  It is the first book in A Cookie House Mystery series.  May you have a lighthearted day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader