Book 40, 2018

Plagued By Quilt by Molly MacRae

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I finished reading Plagued by Quilt last night. It's the fourth book in Molly MacRae's "Haunted Yarn Shop" mystery series, featuring textile expert and reluctant witch, Kath Rutledge.

Kath and her knitting, needleworking group of friends are excited to host a workshop at a local historical site, in which they will teach students about crazy quilts. While touring the site, they visit the scene of a recent archaeological dig, and a student uncovers some human remains. Kath is convinced the bones are somehow connected to Geneva, the ghost she met at the site. As police and forensics work to uncover the mystery, someone else is murdered at the site. Now it's up to Kath and her friends to piece the clues together to catch a killer.

While conducting the investigation, Kath once again runs afoul of Deputy Dunbar, whom she loathes, and she is forced to accept the assistance of her eccentric relatives, the Spivey twins. The twins want to be involved with the workshop, and they dangle a lure--they will allow Kath to examine a glorious crazy quilt made by their great-grandmother in exchange for being allowed to participate. Kath reluctantly agrees, and she is stunned to learn that Shirley and Mercy make very good teachers. It's the beginning of a new understanding between them. In the meantime, Geneva wants to learn more about the bones that were discovered, and her participation in the investigation has strengthened her and rendered her more solid. Even Kath's right-hand woman at the shop, Ardis, seems to be able to sense the ghost.

Kath soon finds herself with two murders to solve, a deputy to dodge, a shop to run, a ghost to placate, and her own budding romance to juggle. All in a day's work!

This story was delightful. The author wove the two, separate crimes together seamlessly, and it was exciting to finally learn Geneva's story. Kath's interactions with Deputy Cole ("Clod") Dunbar were a hoot, and I enjoyed reading about her interactions with the other characters.

Favorite lines:
♦ "I've got books to read and places to go. Like my bed."
♦ Granny used to say the old adage about a thing worth doing being a thing worth doing well was nothing but a crock of codswallop. Everything is worth doing well, she'd said, even if what you're doing is making a crock of codswallop.
♦ "...although nothing can change the fundamental truth of our individual situations, home and the love of a warm cat can do wonders."
♦ "Now I'm going to walk into the hospital, talking to you, ready to scream and throw a bag of baby hats at a murderer."
♦ "I have a home, a cat, friends, and a family."

Wonderful story! Five stars:

*****