Mostly, I love British police procedurals -- but last night I was up late reading something a bit more lighthearted: what they call a "cozy" mystery. You know, the kind that usually takes place in a small (charming) village with a cast of (mostly likable) village characters and is usually a series. Yes, somebody ends up dead but the victim was somebody you were not emotionally attached to anyway and the fun is in seeing the detective figure out who the culprit was.
Cozy Quilting Mysteries have been around for a while; you're probably familiar with the books by Earlene Fowler and Jennifer Chaverini. Well, they need to move over and make room for Mary Marks, whose book, Forget Me Knot, is the first in a new series that just hit the shelves a couple of days ago. I thought it was not only charming, but funny. And when it comes to funny, I am a tough audience.
It's different from typical quilting mysteries because it takes place in Los Angeles (hardly a village) and the quilters who solve the mystery are not necessarily charming and cutsey-pie. The narrator, Martha Rose, is overweight and a bit acerbic (meow,meow)and I found myself chuckling frequently at her "tell it like it is" descriptions of her Quilty Tuesday cohorts, life, husbands, and other quilters.
There are references we can relate to: Houston, Best of Show Awards we don't think were deserved, and other familiar things. Honestly, the characters are engaging, the dialogue can be hilarious. and it's just a fun read. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series!
3 comments:
Just ordered it for my Kindle. Sounds perfect for an evening after sewing all day at quilt camp the end of the month. thanks..
Well thank you very much...she says disdainfully! As if I don't already have a pile of books on my to read list...oh well, there goes another one just like the other ones!
I bought it and read it. Just finished it this evening. I enjoyed it. Thanks.
My favorite cozy series is by Monica Ferris. Start with Crewel World and meet Betsy, over 55 and on the plump side. Not quilting, but fiber fondlers -- yarn. Be sure to start with the first in the series and go on from there.
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