Sammy Kane is all set-up for the live mannequin contest at her crafting store – Community Craft. Things go wrong when one of the participants ends up dead. The victim is Wanda – a local yoga instructor. It is hard to believe that someone as health-conscious as Wanda would die of heart failure. But the cops aren’t ruling out murder.
Wanda’s husband is missing. Is he a murderer? Sammy is a part of S.H.E – a detective group she formed with her sister and cousin when they were young. Sammy, Heidi and Ellie – the trio go to Wanda’s brother’s farm to pay their respects. They learn of something sinister. S.H.E is curious – curious to solve the case, and their curiosity puts them into trouble.
A Crafter Quilts a Crime is the third book in A Handcrafted Mystery but can be read as a standalone.
Plot to Story
Winter and Snow in a rural Wisconsin setting is the best part of this story. Since this is a craft-themed cozy, I expected to see more of crafty details. The quilting group do make their presence felt. The victim, Wanda, was holding a quilt in her lap when she passed away – and yet, I didn’t find the story inclined towards crafts.
The mystery is good. The suspense is well-maintained throughout the story. The story is well-written too. Having said that, halfway through the story, I had my doubts about this one character who ended up being the killer. Their motive for murder, however, was both shocking and unexpected.
The slight touch of romance brings charm to the story. Bara, Sammy’s dog is a cutie pie! The kidnapping part of the story was, in my opinion, not necessary. Although it did make the moment tense, I somehow didn’t like it much – things ended abruptly here.
Characters
I have mixed opinions about S.H.E. Sammy was portrayed well. I liked her as the story began. Halfway through, I thought she was over-doing it, and then finally, she’s good again. Putting her relatives’ life in jeopardy was a big no for me. Heidi’s boyfriend broke up with her, thanks to S.H.E.’s midnight ‘adventure’.
S.H.E. – a sisters + cousin detective group. There were references to their previous brush with solving cases – some dating back to the time when they first started the group. S.H.E. Marty, Wanda’s husband plays quite a role in the story – confusing fella, but at the same time, mysterious.
Ending
I had an idea as to who the killer might be but that didn’t stop me from liking the ending. Sammy plays a major role here. This story has a different kind of ending and I liked it. Like I said before, the reason for the murder was shocking and unexpected.
RATING
Plot/Story: 3.5/5
Character Development: 3/5
Ending: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
BOOK DETAILS
Title: A Crafter Quilts a Crime (A Handcrafted Mystery #3)
Author: Holly Quinn
Published on: 11th Feb 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
There’s a giveaway for this blog tour. If you like to win a print copy of A Crafter Quilts a Crime, details are here. (US only)
Many thanks to Lori Caswell for the blog tour invite.
The Book Decoder 
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