Late last year I was asked if I would be interested in doing a review of a "cozy" murder mystery that would be published in April 2015.
Being the avid reader that I am I was more than happy to say "yes".
Since the book was not going to be published for several months I thought that I would wait to do my review until the publication date was closer. . . . . rather than doing the review in November, around the holidays, when attentions would be drawn to other things and perhaps not to reading.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation of any kind.
This book is the first in a new series called "Vineyard Quilt Mysteries".
Here is the information that I received from the publisher (Annie's Publishing):
Title: Threads of Deceit
Author: Jan Fields
Page Count: 224
Synopsis:
Starting a new life can be a real killer.
Former antiquities bounty hunter, Julie Ellis, is on the run, trying to stay one stiletto step ahead of her perilous past. She accepts a position as manager of the Quilt Haus Inn in Missouri wine country, thinking it the perfect place to keep a low profile and start on a new, less dangerous career path. It is—until Daniel Franklin walks through the front door and asks for a room. Daniel claims to be a historian overseeing the recovery operation of a famous sunken ship that he believes to be buried, of all places, in a nearby farm field. Though Julie finds the handsome historian’s story odd at best, news of the “treasure ship” spreads like wildfire through the small town of Straussberg, and Julie and her guests are soon caught up in the melee. The discovery of a dead body at the dig site makes it clear that someone else believes in Daniel’s theory too and doesn’t want the ship or its secrets unearthed. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Julie does a little digging around of her own, trying to unravel the mystery. But when frightening things start to happen at the inn, Julie can’t help but wonder … is the killer hiding right under her own roof?
The book was an easy read. . . . . most of my reading is done during my lunch hour at work and I easily covered 30 -35 pages per day. (Yes, I track the number of pages that I read. . . . it's kind of a challenge for myself.)
There are two authors, Mae Fox and Jan Fields, on the cover even though on the press release only Ms. Fields is listed.
I found the title of the series, Vineyard Quilt Mysteries, a little lacking since the "action" does not take place in a vineyard setting; quilting also is not a "main" part of the story.
The characters are interesting. . . .although it takes quite a while to get a good portion of the back story of the main characters. I found that frustrating since there was nothing to endear the characters to me for almost two-thirds of the book. Until then I was left wondering. . .ok, why is this important. . or. . why did that come up.
Once more of the details of the characters came out it made getting into the story much easier.
The ending was a bit expected. . . . . although some of the reasons for the outcome were unexpected.
There is a prologue that, in my opinion, is unnecessary. In fact, while reading the prologue I was put to mind of a completely different time period (Victorian England) instead of the modern day setting of the story. . . . .which was a bit confusing, especially in light of the missing back story for the characters.
Some of the syntax seemed a bit stilted. . . . whether that was caused by the dual authorship or some other reason I am not sure. However, where this occurred it created a section of reading where I found myself having to re-read the section in order to get back into the story.
All in all I enjoyed the book; and I would hope that more of the background of the main characters will come out in the remaining books of the series so that the characters become easier to understand.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation of any kind.
If you are interested in the book it can be pre-ordered through
Amazon and
Barnes & Noble. I am sure it is available elsewhere also. Again, I get no compensation from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, I just provide the link for your convenience.
In peace and pieces,
This content was originally posted on the quilt blog Books, Hooks, Sticks, etc. (www.bookshookssticksetc.blogspot.com). If you are reading this on any site other than the original or quilterblogs.com it is WITHOUT my permission and the content has been stolen.
