Amanda Lee

Series: Embroidery Mystery, #4
Publisher: Signet
Released: April 3, 2012
Source: Review copy from publisher

Although she’s taken an interest in Irish embroidery, Marcy Singer can’t help but abandon her needlecraft when handsome local brewer Todd finds himself accused of murder. Both Todd and his friend Blake’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and neither is talking about what happened. Marcy is determined to stitch together some luck from more than a few four-leaf clovers and prove that the culprit was someone else…

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Marcy Singer, owner of the Seven-Year Stitch embroidery shop, finds herself wrapped up in another murder mystery when two of her closest friends are accused of killing their fellow fraternity brother. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, and the green beer is flowing at Todd Calloway’s pub, the Brew Crew. Alpha Sigma Phi’s reunion turns deadly when Graham Stott is shot to death in the pub’s back room, and Todd and friend Blake MacKenzie are found with the victim AND a gun. Well, neither man can tell the police exactly what happened, and with the evidence against them, they are placed at the top of the suspects list. Marcy isn’t going to sit by and let a man she’s sort of dating (Todd) and her best friend’s husband (Blake) go to jail for murder when she simply KNOWS they’re innocent…aren’t they?

THE LONG STITCH GOOD NIGHT is an enjoyable continuation of the An Embroidery Mystery series. While this book could probably be read stand-alone, I’m glad I had read the previous book, THREAD RECKONING, so I knew some of the backstory. I would describe THE LONG STITCH GOOD NIGHT as more focused on the relationships between the characters than the mystery itself, but for me, that worked in this book. The love triangle continues between Marcy and her two men, Detective Ted Nash and Todd Calloway. Marcy also uncovers a very tangled web between the victim, other members of the fraternity, and a mystery woman from their past who may hold clues to uncovering the murderer.

Marcy sewing “shoptalk” was a fun addition to the story, and I was intrigued by her Saint Patrick’s Day themed project of Mountmellick embroidery. I’d recommend this one to mystery readers who enjoy craft cozies and don’t mind them being heavy on the romance. I’m looking forward to finding out what comes next for Marcy.

Review: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

10773286
Series: Embroidery Mystery, #3
Publisher: Signet
Released: September 6, 2011
Source: Review copy from publisher

Cupid’s arrow is making its way to Tallulah Falls, Oregon, bringing lots of business to Marcy Singer’s embroidery specialty shop-like the bride who wants her mother’s dress embellished with jewels. But someone wants to squash all the romance-and in this case they’ll go as far as murder…

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Marcy Singer is the proud owner of The Seven-Year Stitch, an embroidery shop in the quaint town of Tallulah Falls, Oregon. Marcy has been hired by Cassandra Wainwright to embellish a wedding gown with jewels given to her by her future mother-in-law, Francesca Ortega. Not long after taking the job, Francesca is found stabbed to death outside of Marcy’s shop. To complicate Marcy’s life even more, her ex-fiance David, the one who stood her up at the alter, comes to town asking for a second chance.

THREAD RECKONING is the third book in Amanda Lee’s An Embroidery Mystery series. I have not read the first two books, but the author made it very easy to jump right into the story without feeling lost. Marcy was a very likable character surrounded by several friends willing to help her solve the mystery. Marcy was also involved in a love triangle, in addition to her ex-fiance trying to get back into her life. I’m a big fan of romance, so I enjoyed those scenes being woven into the story. If you’re crafty and into embroidery, you’ll enjoy Marcy’s shop talk as well.

Ratings: 3¾ Stars

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.