Quilts, quiet, and delicious food. That’s exactly what Bernie and Libby expect as they build the menu for the Longely Sip and Sew Quilting Circle’s first-ever exhibition hosted at the local library. The eclectic ladies of the group couldn’t appear more harmlessly wholesome if they tried, especially mild-mannered kindergarten teacher Cecilia Larson, who hired A Little of Taste of Heaven to cater the event. So it’s a complete shock when disturbing news drops about member Ellen Fisher, found hanging from a plant hook in her otherwise pristine sewing room . . .
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All are very quick to deem the tragic death a suicide. All except for Cecilia. She believes something else happened to her best friend—who was busy adding the finishing stitches on her greatest work yet in hopes of displaying it at the exhibition—and looks to Bernie and Libby to expose the truth . . . and the killer. As Ellen’s patchy past comes into focus along with a mysterious connection to a missing seven-hundred-year-old quilt fragment, can the sisters unravel the victim’s final thread before another turns up dead?
Release Date: Feb 20, 2024
Series:Â A Mystery With Recipes
Book: 18
Publisher: KensingtonÂ
Imprint: Kensington CoziesÂ
Price: $13.99
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Bernie and Libby Simmons are sisters, and together they own A Little Taste of Heaven catering company. They’re really excited about their latest job and think it should be fun. They’ve been hired by teacher Cecelia Larson to cater an exhibition for the Longely Sip and Sew Quilting Circle at the local library. One of the members, Ellen Fisher, was putting the finishing touches on her entry for the show, but was found dead in her sewing room. It’s ruled a suicide, but Ceclia tells Bernie and Libby that she doesn’t think that’s true. The Simmons sisters agree to look into Ellen’s death, with some help from their dad, who is a retired police officer. They find out there was more to Ellen’s life than it first appeared and hope it will help them prevent a killer from striking again.
This book is a fun mixture of mystery, food, and quilting. I enjoyed the characters of Bernie, Libby, and their father Sean, but would have liked to know more about their backstory. The three of them make a fun sleuthing team. The author’s writing style and the frequent humor makes this a quick, light read. The clues were there, but I was still very surprised when everything was revealed. The solution was much more complicated than I had expected and some parts are far-fetched. However, I was happy that the story is wrapped up nicely at the end. This is a culinary cozy, so as expected, it includes recipes and they all sound tasty.
A Catered Quilting Bee is the eighteenth book of the series, but I’ve only read a couple of the prior books. It’s been a long time since I had read them, so it was like starting a brand new series. It took me a while to get to know all the regular characters and didn’t connect with all of them. The book was entertaining, but I think readers who follow the series more closely will enjoy it more.
~ Christine
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