For most small-business owners in Tallulah Falls, the upcoming Renaissance Faire is a wonderful way to promote their specialty shops. For Marcy’s nemesis, Nellie, and her sister Clara, it’s an opportunity to finally put Marcy and her shop, the Seven-Year Stitch, out of business. Apparently the sisters like to keep their grudges all in the family and have set up a competing booth right next to Marcy’s at the Faire.
When Clara is discovered dead in her own booth—strangled by the scarf she had almost finished knitting—Marcy becomes the prime suspect. Now she has to do whatever it takes to keep her reputation from unraveling and get to the bottom of a most deadly yarn.
Have you ever been to a Renaissance Faire
or a living history museum? I’ve been to both, and I find them fascinating. At
the Renaissance Faire I attended with my family many years ago, my son was
knighted Sir Scooby of Doo (because he was wearing a Scooby Doo shirt) by the
queen. In lieu of a sword, she used a plunger. Minstrels played unusual
instruments—one even played crystal water glasses. I talked plays with William
Shakespeare, watched a chess match in which the playing pieces were human, and
wandered through booth after booth of wares. The costumes were beautiful, fun,
or both.
The living history museum we visited was a
working farm set in 1791. We learned about eighteenth century cooking tools and
techniques in the log cabin’s kitchen. A costumed tour guide spoke of President
Washington and asked what we thought of that upstart Andrew Jackson. I said I
believed he’d become President one day, and the woman scoffed. We attended
demonstrations of weaving, learned about the dye, medicinal, and culinary
plants grown in the garden, and saw the Cotswold sheep.
In WICKED STITCH (an RT Top Pick!),
embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is thrilled to be taking part in a two-week
Renaissance Faire. Tallulah Falls residents will be able to reside in the time
of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The
RenFaire’s attractions are centered around the play, even down to Hecate and
the three witches who are on hand to divine the future for faire-goers.
Clara, a petty woman
who has opened a competing shop next door to Marcy’s shop, the Seven-Year
Stitch, has been assigned the booth next to Marcy’s. When Marcy comes to set up
her booth, she peeps into Clara’s spot and realizes that something isn’t right.
Clara is lying on her side in an overturned rocking chair. She has been
strangled to death with the scarf she’d been knitting. Now Marcy has to get to
the bottom of this most deadly yarn.
Amanda Lee (also writing as Gayle Trent)
writes the Embroidery Mystery series which features a heroine who recently
moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop. Marcy Singer
left her home in San Francisco, along with the humiliation of being left at the
altar, in order to move to Tallulah Falls and realize her dream of owning her
own shop. She takes along her faithful companion, a one-year-old Irish
wolfhound named Angus O’Ruff. She makes many new friends in Tallulah Falls, but
she also makes a few enemies. Thankfully, her best friend Sadie MacKenzie and
her husband Blake run the coffeehouse right down the street from Marcy’s shop,
the Seven-Year Stitch; and Detective Ted Nash always has her back.
Ren Faires are one of my favorite things in the whole world! So when I found out that Wicked Stitch was set at one... holy cow, I was sold! Marcy and her entire town of Tallulah Falls are at the heart of the latest Ren Faire (which lasts two weeks... how cool?!). And when Marcy's competition at the faire is found strangled to death, she knows she has to find out who's to blame.
It's a fun, unique and fantastic story that had me thinking I knew who the murderer was, only to completely throw me for a loop. It made me laugh, smile and had me scratching my head. And of course, there was all of the charm and romanticism of the Renaissance Faire :)
After Wicked Stitch, I can't wait to see what Marcy will get herself into next!
Rating: 4.5 Stars
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions are my own.
Readers please comment below on your
experiences in “stepping back in time” for a chance to win a signed copy of
WICKED STITCH. International readers will have the chance to win an ebook copy
of WICKED STITCH gifted from their retailer of choice.
2 comments:
I love books about stitchery. I buy old patterns
debby236 at gmail dot com
It looks very interesting and creativity at its peak . Great Post
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