Cathy Elliott

Generally, I gobble up cozy mysteries, the quirkier the better! However, I had a slow go of it with Cathy Elliott’s A Stitch in Crime, the final installment in Abingdon’s Quilts of Love series. Quilts are definitely front and center in this novel and the avid quilter will love all the references to quilting patterns and paraphernalia. The mystery was suitably mysterious, and I didn’t have a clue whodunit until he/she was unveiled. Characters are as colorful as the quilts. But this book show more lacked a certain something for me. I just didn’t connect with main character Thea, who is a thirty-something single woman. Thea is by turns whiny and fussy making me feel she was either much younger or much older than she actually was. The language is at times a bit too clever, bordering on the corny. I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. However, lots of other bloggers did. I recommend you check out Reviews from The Heart for a more positive review.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to LitFuse and Abingdon for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Stitch in Crime - Cathy Elliott – Quilts of Love series
5 stars ***** out of five

Small town politics. Throw in a group of avid quilters, mostly older women because they are the ones who not only make time for it, but also thrive on it, and voila! You have a suspense story. Actually it is not all that easy. And though every town has its quilters, and it's politics, not every town has its suspense stories. I have been loving the Quits of Love Stories. I have not read all 25 of them, but would show more like to.
I am not organized enough to take on the role of Thea as the planner for the Quilt Show Extravaganza. I admired how she thought on her feet to solve the problems she encountered, and if I had half of that, it might not stress me out that I have trouble saying No. Small problems do not make suspense, but when you have them every time you turn around, they escalate. I would find it difficult to show unconditional love in some of the instances, but Cathy crafts an amazing story, with twists and turns that Caught me off guard. I will be looking for the characters to show up in her next book, because some of them are just too good to fade into the woodwork (or quilts)!

Thank you to Amy Lathrop at Litfuse Publicity Group, Abingdon Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book. I was given a free book in exchange for an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions are my own. show less

When we first meet Thea, I felt so sorry for her, her lifetime friend seems to be turning on her and treating her terribly, she is also terribly busy being a co-chairman of the local quilt show extravaganza.
With the extravaganza comes a lot of unexpected excitement and unexpected calamities, and hidden dangers. What could possibly be going on here that would cause an older woman to be attacked? Diamonds to be stolen, now what does that have to do with a quilt show? Then stolen quilts? show more What?
We meet some unsavory characters that you at first feel sorry for, and then you are really going to be guess as to who or whom would be responsible for all of these crimes. Even the local quilt shop has problems!
This story will keep you on your toes, and you’ll have a hard time guessing who is responsible for all that is happening. You will also wonder whom Thea can turn to when even her cat is threatened. Ugh!
Surprises galore here, and you won’t be able to put this one down until you know everything!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Abingdon, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

There seem to be mixed feelings about this book.

Half the reviews I’ve read say they were disappointed in the book or it was just not their taste.

The other half can’t say enough good about it – comparing it to Miss Marple or Nancy Drew mysteries.

Are you beginning to see the problem? It’s really no mystery. The ones who love it are the ones who love a clean (and sometimes quirky) sort of mystery – the kind where there’s no strong violence or general ugliness.

As a Quilts of Love show more story, I’m surprised more readers didn’t expect that sort of story but then, some of the other Quilts of Love books I’ve read have much harsher content… and they weren’t even mysteries.

All in all, another great addition to the Quilts of Love series… in my humble opinion! show less