A Crafter Quilts a Crime: A Handcrafted Mystery

by Holly Quinn

Overview

Perfect for fans of Betty Hechtman and Maggie Sefton, Holly Quinn's third Handcrafted mystery aspires to wrap you in its warmth.

Community Craft proprietor Sammy Kane must piece together a patchwork of clues when a "live" mannequin ends up stone-cold dead.

Snowcapped pines and glittery dusted sidewalks adorn tranquil Heartsford, Wisconsin, while residents cuddle beneath heirloom quilts in front of cozy wood fires. But come the next day, the below-zero temperatures won't keep the locals away from Heartsford's annual Fire & Ice event. To boost customer traffic at Community Craft's one-night-only sale, Samantha "Sammy" Kane persuades a few of the craftspeople who sell their wares at the store to participate in a live mannequin window display contest.

Local quilter Wanda Wadsworth emerges as a favorite to win the contest, as she manages to not move a muscle for an unusual amount of time. Onlookers outside the window try everything to get her to crack—tapping on the glass and making funny faces—but nothing disrupts Wanda's stillness. When the eagle-eyed spectators realize Wanda isn't breathing, a blanket of grief and fear descends upon the wintry town.

Detective Liam Nash can't seem to piece the clues together. Fortunately, Sammy's cousin, Heidi, and her sister, Ellie, are on hand to reconvene their detective team, S.H.E. They set out to solve Wanda's untimely death before the case grows as icy as a sub-zero Wisconsin winter. But they are all too aware that the killer is too close for comfort.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643852904
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Series:	A Handcrafted Mystery , #3
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	702,651
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Holly Quinn has published two stand-alone fiction novels in another persona. She graduated from Carroll University in Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in business and a minor in marketing. This is her third Handcrafted mystery.

Editorial Reviews

12/02/2019

Quinn’s energetic third Handcrafted mystery (after 2019’s A Crafter Hooks a Killer) opens on a January night in Heartsford, Wis., during the annual Fire and Ice event, when all the stores stay open until midnight. This year, Samantha “Sammy” Kane, owner of Community Craft, is holding a live mannequin contest in her shop window, but her plans go seriously awry when her first “mannequin,” Wanda Wadsworth, quietly dies in the display window, holding a quilt in her lap. Det. Liam Nash, the aloof widower whom Sammy really wants to know better, is on the case. But when Sammy, her cousin Heidi, and sister, Ellie, pay a condolence call on Wanda’s brother, Jackson, and notice that the design painted on his barn matches one of the blocks on Wanda’s quilt, they decide this is a case for S.H.E., the detective agency the three women formed in childhood. With a charming small-town setting, recipes, a crosswise romance, plucky amateur sleuths who can’t resist getting involved, and a lovable pooch, this book is just the ticket for lovers of crafting cozies. Agent: Sandy Harding, Spencerhill Assoc. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for A Crafter Quilts a Crime:
"The elusive means and motive do keep you guessing."
—Kirkus Reviews 

"With a charming small-town setting, recipes, a crosswise romance, plucky amateur sleuths who can’t resist getting involved, and a lovable pooch, this book is just the ticket for lovers of crafting cozies."  
—Publishers Weekly

"The beautifully described small-town Wisconsin setting and the affecting portraits of friendship and family relationships add up to a satisfying cozy, especially for crafters."
—Booklist

“Quinn’s solution is clever and well researched...A good cozy read.”
—New York Journal of Books

“Another fun story involving the fun characters of S.H.E and the small town setting in Wisconsin.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“A good read for cozy mystery aficionados.”
—MyShelf

Praise for A Crafter Hooks a Killer:
"[A] nicely rendered sequel...[with a] strong cast, especially Sammy, who displays a depth of feeling that’s too often lacking in cozy heroines." 
—Publishers Weekly 

“A recipe and crochet pattern completes this appealing cozy, which will attract not only the crafter crowd but also those who enjoy small-town settings.”
—Booklist

"Holly Quinn has created a delightful cozy series that readers will want to visit over and over again."
—Fresh Fiction

"Another fun book from author Holly Quinn. The characters are well-written and the story is very easy to read."
—Red Carpet Crash

"This book ticks all the boxes of a cozy mystery...As a special treat, you'll find both a yummy looking recipe and a crochet pattern at the back of the book."
—MyShelf

"A Crafter Hooks a Killer is a superbly crafted 'whodunnit' style mystery that will hold the reader's rapt attention from cover to cover."
—Midwest Book Reviews 

Praise for A Crafter Knits a Clue:
“Cozy fans will look forward to future installments.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“A fun and enjoyable read. For me it's a Top Pick for the month of October.”
—Night Owl Reviews, Reviewer Top Pick
 
“Readers of craft mysteries will love meeting Sammy Kane and following her around the small Wisconsin town as she cleverly tracks down the killer of a rival shop owner in this charming new mystery.”
—Sally Goldenbaum, USA Today bestselling author of the Seaside Knitters Society Mystery Series
 
“How nice to escape to Heartsford, Wisconsin and join Samantha Kane and her friends as they unravel the clues when a local yarn store owner is killed. The small town setting feels authentic and the characters are all likeable. In this well plotted mystery Samantha manages to weave together the evidence and bring it  to a satisfying conclusion. The yarn info and the sock patterns are an extra bonus.” 
—Betty Hechtman, national bestselling author of On the Hook
 
“A Crafter Knits a Clue by Holly Quinn features community, friendship, and the search for justice— just as all the best cozies do! The endearing heroine and her intrepid cohorts will draw you in, and the clever, fast-paced plot will keep you turning pages. With characters I want as friends, A Crafter Knits a Clue shines, and I'll be in line for the next book, too!”
—Nancy Haddock, national bestselling author of the Silver Six Crafting mysteries
 
“Quirky characters, crafts, a small town full of secrets ...The perfect cozy! I couldn’t put it down!”
—Lea Wait, USA Today bestselling author of the Mainely Needlepoint mysteries

From the Publisher

2019-11-10
Years after forming S.H.E., a detective club dating back to their high school days, two sisters and a cousin try to solve a very adult murder.

Sammy Kane, her married sister, Ellie, and their beautiful cousin, Heidi, succeeded in solving an earlier murder (A Crafter Knits a Clue, 2018). When yoga instructor Wanda Wadsworth dies in the window of Sammy's shop, Community Craft, they decide to revive S.H.E. over the strenuous objections of Heidi's boyfriend, Tim, and Sammy's love interest, Detective Liam Nash. Wanda was a contestant in Sammy's live-mannequin contest when she died while holding a lap quilt she'd made. The death looks suspicious to the coroner, and Wanda's husband, Marty, has disappeared. Ellie's husband, Randy, who'd co-listed Marty and Wanda's house, now finds himself a suspect. During a visit to Wanda's brother, Jackson, on the family farm, the sleuths notice that the quilt block painted on the barn has the same pattern as a quilt in a painting that had been hanging in Wanda's house, which they'd seen in the real estate listing. The quilt blocks painted on many area barns, part of a quilt trail project aiming to attract tourists to the area, may hold further clues to the murder. After the police find Marty's car near the farm, Jackson receives a note demanding $100,000 for his safe return. He begs club members not to inform the police and tells them that a large amount of cash may be hidden in a gun safe at Wanda's house, which the police have sealed. So Sammy suggests that they use the key in the lockbox Randy's left outside the house. They reluctantly go along with Sammy's plan but are caught by Tim. He's furious enough to put his relationship with Heidi on hold, and Liam loses all trust in Sammy. Even though the police now know about the kidnapping, Sammy can't stop sleuthing and dragging her reluctant relatives along with her.

More romance than mystery but the elusive means and motive do keep you guessing.

Kirkus Reviews