Patchwork of Death

A Danger Cove Quilting Mystery

By: Gin Jones, Elizabeth Ashby

Narrated by: Theresa Bakken

From USA Today best-selling authors Gin Jones and Elizabeth Ashby comes a small-town murder with big consequences....

Someone has murder all sewn up.

Keely Fairchild left her previous profession as a high-powered attorney to lead a quieter life as a certified quilt appraiser. But when she's asked by the Danger Cove quilt guild's president to prove that a local dealer is selling cheap reproduction quilts as expensive antiques, Keely's "quiet" new job turns dangerous.

While Keely and the guild president are in the dealer's shop, the crooked quilt peddler is killed. Unfortunately, the local police think the guild president has the best motive, and Keely stakes her professional reputation, and possibly her life, on proving that the police have the wrong person.

Suspects abound, including the dealer's business partner, a rival dealer whose quilts were illicitly copied for the reproductions, an arts reporter who's been threatened with a libel suit, and even the director of the local museum. But which one murdered the crooked dealer? And which one has Keely squarely in his sights now....

Note: This novel was previously published under the title Four-Patch of Trouble.

Rating: This book does not contain any graphic sex, violence, or swearing. Its rating is similar to a PG-13 movie or network television show.

©2015 Gin Jones (P)2021 Gin Jones

Great Series

Danger Cove is a wonderful place to live among a cast of characters who will keep you on the edge of your seat. Keely Fairchild retired from the law practice to start over as a quilt appraiser. Hired by the local museum to appraise a possible purchase she finds her in the middle of a murder mystery. Love Danger Cove.

4 stars

Summary:
Keely Fairchild’s new career as a quilt appraiser is just getting started. Then, somebody up and gets themselves murdered and skyrockets the stress surrounding the main character.

Additional Comments:
· It’s normal for a cozy mystery, though a tad on the slow-moving side. There’s no action until the last half hour of the audiobook.
· It would have been better with a cat. Hear me out. Cozies thrive on quirky characters and pets or cookie recipes or witches. Okay, so the last is paranormal cozies. A pet would have provided enough antics to break up the frequent mentions of Keely passing out, almost passing out, or feeling her stress levels spike. (And cats are somewhat lower maintenance than dogs.)
· The main character’s syncopy makes her relatively unique among characters. That said, it did not have to be mentioned every 4th page. I heard the audiobook, but I’m pretty sure if one searched the manuscript, they’d find the times it’s mentioned tops dozens. Basically, she passes out if under stress. It’s an interesting concept and a lot revolved around it, but it also got old quick.
· Performance was good. The narrator successfully brough Keely and company to life.
· The murder victim wasn’t very likable. I get that people who get murdered often aren’t everybody’s best friend. There’s a disconnect between him being portrayed as a savvy businessman will a killer strong contacts list and the few minutes we experience of him, which present us with a highly unpleasant guy. This disconnect made it hard to feel any sympathy for him when he’s offed.
· Bad guy was 100% predictable, but it’s still a satisfying conclusion.
· Matt seemed to be there as the potential love interest. This is my first experience with the series, so I don’t know if he returns in a future book. If yes, okay. If no, there are some random loose ends surrounding his character.
· Fred the cupcake-scarfing cop was a darling. (Somebody you could genuinely feel sorry for.)
· Wolfe was needlessly annoying. I guess that makes him realistic, but his devotion to doing his job poorly seemed over-the-top.
· Gil was interesting, especially the singing part. I find it interesting that Keely would recognize every song Gil sings part of.
· The solution to Lindsey’s work troubles didn’t strike me as particularly believable. I can’t say more without spoilers, but the problem itself would tend to make people more careful not less.
· The thread with the lighthouse keeper’s descendant sort of fizzled.
· The biggest mystery was why the series has a fictious author. I guess it’s so the publisher can then tie them together with multiple authors as the “co-author.” Still, it’s just odd, unless it was them angling to have an A last name to get the books filed first on shelves.
· What the series has going for it is a heroine you can like and a charming small town. The quilting aspect was new to me and handled well.

Conclusion:
If you adore cozies, this tends to hit most of the genre expectations.

*I received a free copy of the audiobook. I have chosen to review it. All thoughts are my own.