Monday, April 13, 2015

Book Review/Giveaway: Wicked Stitch by Amanda Lee


When murder strikes the small town of Tallulah Falls, embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer isn’t afraid of getting into the knitty-gritty to clear her own name…

For most small-business owners in Tallulah Falls, the upcoming Renaissance Faire is a wonderful way to promote their specialty shops. For Marcy’s nemesis, Nellie, and her sister Clara, it’s an opportunity to finally put Marcy and her shop, the Seven-Year Stitch, out of business. Apparently the sisters like to keep their grudges all in the family and have set up a competing booth right next to Marcy’s at the Faire.

When Clara is discovered dead in her own booth—strangled by the scarf she had almost finished knitting—Marcy becomes the prime suspect. Now she has to do whatever it takes to keep her reputation from unraveling and get to the bottom of a most deadly yarn…




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REVIEW

This is my third trip to Talullah Falls.  I have also read two other books in Lee/Trent's "Embroidery Shop" series, Thread on Arrival (#5) and Thread End (#7).  Each visit further cements this fiction town as one of my favorite vicarious destinations.

The last time I was in town, thank goodness there was a vacant store between Marcy's embroidery store, "The Seven-Year Stitch" and Nellie's store.  Nellie is a bitter older woman who would like nothing better than for Marcy to leave town.  Unfortunately for Marcy, Nellie's sister, the widow Clara, has taken a lease on the vacancy and set up a shop that would be competing for Marcy's clientele.

Thank goodness there is a Renaissance Faire set to begin shortly in town and Marcy has made all sorts of Renaissance-style garments (with fancy embroidery, of course) to sell in her stall at the Faire.  Want to venture a guess on which Tallulah Falls business has the stall right next to Marcy's?  And anyone who thinks to senior ladies cannot be a passel of trouble doesn't know my husband's paternal Mamaw (whom I loved as much as my own).

Lee/Trent has created a lovely small community where the people care for each other.  When Marcy's booth is vandalized and most of her hand-embroidered, irreplaceable items are shredded and destroyed, the Faire's merchants chip in and bring her 'presents' from their stalls to replace the stock.

There are also enough secrets and skeletons in the town's closets to fuel eight books (so far), and hopefully more, as long as the author cares to work on this series.  The whodunit element in Wicked Stitch was as intricate as the patterns Marcy embroidered on the items in her stall and at her store: criss-crossed lines, intentional misdirection meant to throw the authorities (and everyone else) off the murderer's tracks.

So, if you are looking for your next good story, whether you are a cozy veteran or have never read one before, consider Wicked Stitch by Amanda Lee.  (You could also start at the beginning of the series with The Quick and the Thread.)

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AUTHOR INFORMATION



Gayle Trent (writing as Amanda Lee) writes the embroidery mystery series. The series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop. Marcy Singer left her home in San Francisco, along with the humiliation of being left at the altar, in order to move to Tallulah Falls and realize her dream of owning her own shop. She takes along her faithful companion, a one-year-old Irish wolfhound named Angus O’Ruff. She makes many new friends in Tallulah Falls, but she also makes a few enemies. Thankfully, her best friend Sadie MacKenzie and her husband Blake run the coffeehouse right down the street from Marcy’s shop, the Seven-Year Stitch; and Detective Ted Nash always has her back. Gayle/Amanda lives in Virginia when she’s not inhabiting the fictional world of Tallulah Falls.

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GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Click on the logo above to visit Wicket Stitch's tour page at Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, where you will find other reviews, as well as guest posts and interviews.  You can also apply to become a reviewer for GEVBT while you are there.

(Disclosure:  I received a print copy of this book from the author and publisher via GEBT in exchange for my honest and unbiased review).



14 comments:

  1. Great review, I can't wait to read the book.

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    1. Thanks Rita! It was a very fun, involving read to be sure!

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  2. Looking forward to reading Wicked Stitch and visiting with Marcy and Angus, again!

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  3. Embroidery shop... strangled by a knitted scarf... a very novel plot and setting! Sounds very interesting. Thanks for sharing, LuAnn :)

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    1. You are welcome, Shilpa! I have enjoyed the several books in this series that I have read, and can't wait to read the others!

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  4. I saw this one on Mason Canyon's blog. Cool there is a Renaissance Faire in the story. Perfect setting for quirky characters.

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    1. *ROFL* Ain't that the truth, Alex! Ever been to Scarborough Faire in Texas?

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  5. a must-add to my WishList!!
    thank you for the giveaway......

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  6. Great review. Added to my TBR list. servedogmom@yahoo.com

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  7. Adding to my TBR list. Sounds great.

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  8. being a knitter of scarves, I'm trying to imagine the strength needed to make it a weapon of destruction :) and imagining what a FuN read it must be ! thanks for the intro and hosting, LuAnn! Thinking you'd probably like the upcoming mystery reading challenge apr 20-26 at True BookAddict - come join us if you can ok? would luv to see what you'll read [even 1 mystery book is enough ] :)

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  9. I love this series, and I love it that it's set on the Oregon Coast, where I am right now.

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