When a cantankerous Sweet Briar resident ends up six feet under, the ladies of the sewing circle have to deal with a town full of suspects…
With the library’s budget dwindling, Tori Sinclair is forced to let go of her predecessor, and fellow sewing circle member, Dixie Dunn. After losing her job a second time, Dixie decides to volunteer for Home Fare, delivering meals to the homebound.
Less than a week after Dixie starts, her client Clyde Montgomery is found dead. The police think he died of old age, but with most of the town badgering Clyde to sell his picturesque land, his passing seems a little too convenient.
Determined to prove that Clyde was murdered, Dixie asks Tori for some sleuthing assistance. But with so many Sweet Briar residents in possession of a compelling motive, the sewing circle ladies will have to needle out the truth to find the killer…
Tori Sinclair has had to work hard to win over the residents of Sweet Briar, South Carolina; once a Yankee, always a Yankee – or so it seems. And nobody has proved harder to charm than the woman Tori was hired to replace: former head librarian Dixie Dunn. The fact that Tori’s managed to keep Dixie on staff part time has done a lot to improve their relationship, but when budget woes force Tori to cut Dixie from the library payroll altogether, she's worried she’ll find herself back at square one with the woman. To Tori's great surprise, though, Dixie doesn’t blow up at Tori, nor does she seem to blame her for the lay-off; she simply picks herself up and signs on as a volunteer with an organization that delivers meals to the elderly.
Dixie seems happy in her new role – that is, until her favorite client, the curmudgeonly Clyde Montgomery, drops dead. Clyde was old – 91 to be precise – but Dixie is convinced that the man was murdered, so when the police decline to investigate, she turns to Tori, Sweet Briar’s very own amateur sleuth, for help. Tori’s pretty sure Clyde died of natural causes, but rather than risk upsetting Dixie, she agrees to do some digging. Can Tori and Dixie work together to determine the true circumstances surrounding Clyde’s death? Or will their shaky new friendship prove the killer’s next victim?
When I first picked up one of Elizabeth Lynn Casey’s Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I rather assumed I wasn’t Casey’s target audience; I’m not Southern, I can’t sew, and to be honest, I tend to prefer traditional mysteries that fall on the less cozy end of the spectrum. Much to my surprise and delight, though, I found myself completely and totally charmed by the residents of Casey’s fictional world. Since then, I’ve read every new installment in the series, and become more invested in the characters and their lives with every passing book. At number eight, Remnants of Murder is the newest of Casey’s Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries, and I’m happy to report that it’s her best addition to date. Casey introduces conflict on page one and just keeps adding to the fire as the story progresses, helping to establish a quick pace and a strong narrative drive. The mystery is creative, complex, and chock full of twists, turns, and viable suspects. And Casey does a marvelous job of tying each of her numerous B-stories to the central plot, which means there’s not a single wasted scene in the entire book.
What really makes this book great, though, is the cast. Remnants of Murder is populated with larger-than-life characters that are so well drawn they practically leap off the page, and their vibrancy is only enhanced by the realistic, nuanced relationships that tie them together. Tori’s a winsome heroine – caring, brave, and loyal to a fault. Man-eating senior citizen Leona is fabulous comic relief. Leona’s twin Margaret Louise is the Platonic form of a grandmother figure. Dixie has transitioned nicely over the course of the series from flat-out antagonist to wary ally. And while I used to find Tori’s fiancé Milo needy, passive aggressive, and just generally annoying, I actually grew rather fond of him by the end of this book.
Elizabeth Lynn Casey writes books that not only entertain – they restore. Spending time with the ladies of the Southern Sewing Circle is good for the soul. So pour yourself a glass of iced tea, buy yourself a copy of Remnants of Murder, and take a load off; I think you deserve it, don’t you?
Reviewed by Kat