Holly Quinn

I enjoyed this read, my mind kept jumping as to whom the guilty party was, and then I would come to another conclusion.
Now this is my first book in this series that I have read, and no I wasn’t lost, and the author did a great job of keeping everything updated without being redundant.
Now I’m a quilter and also have a farm and barn, so right away my interest was piqued, and I loved the barn blocks, and the trail, and a wonderful job was done to make it part of the story. Even to putting show more the binding on the quilt, it all added to the mystery.
Yes, surprises abound here, and I loved the ending, wow!!

I received this book through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. and was not required to give a positive review. show less

Samantha Kane owns the craft shop, Community Craft. She bought it after the previous owner, her friend Kate, died in an accident. She's doing well and helping the community by displaying their items for sale. She's also excited to be having a famous author of craft books come to her shop to sign copies of her newest book. Jane Johnson is devoting a chapter in her book to Sammy's store, and she's pleased that the author is going to interview her. But she's surprised, not unpleasantly so, when show more Jane shows up early and unannounced. Jane looks around the store until she's noticed by others in the town and is soon feeling cornered.

Sammy shows her the back way out, but before she leaves she tells Sammy that she has information on Kate, and wants to talk to her. Sammy, stunned, tells her she will meet Jane down by the river. When Sammy arrives, she finds a book on Jane's lap, with a chilling message "THE END" scratched in pencil; and a very dead Jane. After calling the police, she begins to wonder who killed the woman and why.

When Detective Liam Nash arrives, he naturally tells her to stay out of the investigation. But Sammy has a personal reason for wanting to be involved - Kate. She wants to know what Jane wanted to tell her, and if the two deaths might be related. So she decides to get together with her sister Ellie and cousin Heidi and between the three of them - the S.H.E. team - she's hoping she'll be able to find the truth before a killer finds her...

This is the second book in the series and I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit with Sammy and her family and friends. This time out, she's found her place in Heartsford, and is looking forward to hosting a famous author. But unfortunately things don't go as planned and she's left with more questions than the ones Jane was going to ask her.

She's also got other things which are hindering her - her parents are in town for a week and want to spend time with her, and an old crush named Bradley has come back to visit his mother and he, too, wants to spend time with her. So now she's trying to keep her mother from finding out what she's doing (the woman would not be pleased) and trying to pump Bradley for information on Kate's death, since he was living in Heartsford while she was elsewhere.

But along with this she has to deal with Detective Nash. He's not pleased that she's involving herself, telling her she's too impatient and too impulsive. Stung with the truth, Sammy still goes on with her investigation and hopes to find out the truth about Kate. If she unmasks a killer in the process, so be it.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. Ms. Quinn has written characters that have a life of their own. Sammy has a fierce loyalty to her family and friends, and when she does something she knows she shouldn't, she has an immediate sense of remorse (although it doesn't stop her from doing something else next time). Detective Nash is closed off and stoic, but in this book we are given a bit more insight as to why, and it might be a break in whether these two can ever find the grounds to venture toward a future relationship.

The plot is taut and woven through with a few red herrings and plenty of clues; it was intriguing and written well. Watching Sammy sift through the information she received and try to puzzle the pieces together was a pleasure indeed, as I also was doing the same.

When the ending came and the murderer was revealed, while it wasn't a surprise to me, it was done well and the reasons why were plausible; everything meshed together nicely and it was an enjoyable venture into Heartsford and its people. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended. show less

When I saw this one available on NetGalley, I had to give it a go, being from Wisconsin. And Holly Quinn did not disappoint with the composition of her scenes, making me feel like I was in one of the various small towns in Wisconsin. She was also spot on with how good the cheese is here, compared to most other states!

Quinn had excellent dialogue between the characters, keeping it to how real people talk, and adding in some of the states colloquialisms. Her characters were also well show more developed. Even if you haven’t read the first book in the Handcrafted Mystery series, A Crafter Knits a Clue, she had all the characters fleshed out enough that you weren’t questioning what had happened in the first book.

Sammy’s relationship with the detective was a bit more love/hate than love/love, which is
common in other cozy mysteries. At times it was a bit much for me, how quickly she became mad with the detective. But whenever I have strong emotions towards a character, I feel as if the author is doing an excellent job writing them. It’s just if this was real life, perhaps Sammy would not be someone I would hang out with all the time.

The mystery itself was well written, with lots of clues and some misdirects. I was convinced it was one character until close to the end of the book. And with all of the cozies I’ve read, this doesn’t happen too often anymore.

I would definitely recommend this book, and am excited to see where Quinn takes this series. show less

A Crafter Quilts a Crime by Holly Quinn is the third A Handcrafted Mystery. Sammy Kane has Community Craft ready for the town’s annual Fire and Ice event. Sammy dreamed up a live mannequin contest that will take place in her front display window. Sammy goes to check on Wanda’s progress and notices her lips are blue. Wanda is dead and her husband is MIA. When Ellie’s husband, Randy becomes a suspect, the S.H.E. team convenes. Sammy, Heidi and Ellie work to stitch together the clues that show more will reveal Wanda’s killer. A Crafter Quilts a Crime can be read as a standalone for those new to A Handcrafted Mystery series. I like the close, heartwarming relationship between Sammy, Ellie and Heidi. They get along well together and make a formidable team. I admit that I prefer Ellie and Heidi to Sammy. Sammy is nervy and lacks understanding of Liam’s position. She does not understand when the police cannot share information with civilians. Holly Quinn captured the feeling of winter with her word imagery. I could feel the cold tingling my ears and nose from her descriptions. I remember what that bitter cold feels like. I enjoyed the images of Community Craft with its beautiful handmade items inside. I wish my town had such a place where people can learn a craft and sell their handmade wares. The live mannequin contest was a unique event that had an unfortunate end. The investigation progressed slowly for Detective Liam Nash because he had limited clues. He is searching for Wanda’s husband as well as a reason why someone would want to harm Wanda. Sammy feels Liam is moving too slow. When her brother-in-law is brought in for questioning, Sammy quickly calls Ellie and Heidi. The three of them (S.H.E.) will do what it takes to prove Randy is innocent. Sammy’s sleuthing methods could use some fine tuning. She is a little reckless and is quick to break the law as well as obstruct justice. I like how quilts tied into the mystery. There were some interesting clues to help readers solve this whodunit. A Crafter Quilts a Crime is a cute cozy mystery that interweaves Sammy’s daily activities with the mystery of Wanda’s death. A Crafter Quilts a Crime has a big bonfire, wintry weather, quilt clues, a spouse gone astray, and the snoopy S.H.E. squad. show less