Reviews

A Patchwork of Clues by Sally Goldenbaum

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition

3.0

A Patchwork of Clues is a cute, lighthearted cozy mystery. Po Paltrow is a strong female character and I like that she is an older protagonist (60s). It provides a different perspective. The quilters are various ages and have diverse personalities (a character for every reader). They are friendly group of women who support each other. It is cute how Po, with help from the other ladies, is working to set up her goddaughter, Kate Simpson with Officer PJ Flanigan. The author took the time to establish the characters and describe the Elderberry Shops which is good since this is a character driven cozy mystery. The mystery was clear-cut and not the main focus of the book. The body is found at the beginning (in the first chapter), but the investigating does not begin until the second half of the book. While I knew who committed the crime, the why took longer to uncover. The quilters were eager to dig into the mystery which is obvious when they say, “Let’s sleuth!”. A Patchwork of Clues needed more action which would have helped the pacing. There are plenty of cozy moments with quilting, chatting, eating, and drinking wine. I enjoyed the fabric descriptions and the information on quilting. There is mild foul language in the story. I was happy to see an epilogue that tidily wrapped up everything tidily like a beautifully bound quilt. A Patchwork of Clues has eager quilters, charming shops, serious suspects, fabulous fabrics, and a sexagenarian sleuth.

bookwoman1967's review

3.0

Very similar set-up to her Seaside Knitters books, with a group of crafters from diverse family backgrounds and ages (though all white and middle class) bound by their creativity. They unite to solve a murder threatening their small town and preserve ties of love and caring among them. While the formula is the same, it was nice to be introduced to a new set of characters and the mystery was good. After you read a lot of mysteries the culprit often is obvious from early on; this one kept me guessing to the end.

cabbage_patch's review

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

julieannhummingbird's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

rosyroo's review against another edition

Not my thing

thisandthatwithkaren's review against another edition

3.0

I love a mystery that has a crafty theme, "A Patchwork of Clues" is the first book in the Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series by Sally Goldenbaum. This is my first book by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it.

The story was a little slow to get started as murder was in first chapter but wasn't till 2/3rds of the way through that they decide to sleuth. (only reason why I gave 3 stars)

But with that said the mystery is interesting and I loved the characters which are well developed. The Queen Bees are a mixed group of eight women of different ages and lives who gather together at a local quilt shop to work on quilting projects. (Made me think of my relative Barbara in Maine who quilts much like this)

There are just enough twists and turns, suspicions to keep you to keep you guessing and second-guessing on whodunnit. I feel like I would still give it a chance as I am interested to see what the future holds for the Queen Bees.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from the Lyrical Underground and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

peggyemi's review

3.0

I have been wanting to give this author a try so when I saw she had a new cozy mystery series debuting in June I thought I would give it a try. I like the author's writing style and the characters in this new series. This is a group of diverse women brought together by their love of quilting in a local quilt group. There is really a character for everyone in this book. They are all likable. The author did a good job of introducing the characters and providing their backstory and laying the ground work for the series. However, for me, she did too much of this. I was over 60% of the way through the book before the group of women decided they were going to try to solve the mystery. One of the characters discovers the body of the victim in the first chapter. I like a good character driven cozy mystery, but for me I thought this book was too light and too late with the mystery.

I'm not sure if I will continue with the series. I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.

aspygirlsmom_1995's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

randombookgrl's review

5.0

When a local business owner is found dead at their beloved quilting shop, this eclectic group of women, led by upbeat widow Po, become determined to find out whodunit. This first book in a captivating new mystery series will keep you guessing until the very end & leave you waiting impatiently for book 2!

mamabearreading's review

4.0

What a fun start to a series! I can't wait to read more of these as they come out.
This is the second cozy mystery in a row I've read that deals with a group of people working to solve a mystery, instead of a single person and I am loving the change. It's so enjoyable to read about a group of women working together to solve problems.
The story is mostly told from the perspective of Po, a sixty something year old women and a character whom I would love to have as a grandmother. Another thing I'm not used to in my stories, and having read this one, I want more older female leads! Grandmas are BA too!
It has the comforting feel that I pick these books up for, exciting murders that liven things up, and everything I want in my stories.
As a rabid quilter myself, I enjoyed hearing about the projects they worked on, and it even gave me a few ideas in my own projects.

No warning apply.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.