The annual Fire & Ice event in Heartsford, Wisconsin, is a highly anticipated event. In fact, it’s the only time the snow and frigid temperatures outside encourage customers to venture out into the community after Christmas. Sammy Kane is excited about her novel idea for the event, as she intends to have live mannequins in the windowfront of her Community Craft store. Unfortunately, one of Sammy’s live mannequins turns up dead – right there in her store window! Can Sammy and the other two members of S.H.E. uncover the real culprit before someone close to them is arrested?
A CRAFTER QUILTS A CRIME is the third book in the Handcrafted Mystery series. While the story can be read as a standalone, I suspect readers will better appreciate it if they are at least somewhat familiar with the characters already. In particular, there are some relationship struggles as well as a few questionable decisions by Sammy that are better understood if a reader knows a bit more about the characters.
I love visiting the Community Craft store! In fact, I love the whole concept of it, as a local store dedicated to crafting events and supplies of all kinds sounds like a dream come true. The live mannequin idea is quirky, but brilliant, and I only wish we could see what other participants had in store for their time in Sammy’s window.
A CRAFTER QUILTS A CRIME is another fun and engaging cozy mystery from Holly Quinn. Readers who enjoy crafting cozies will appreciate A CRAFTER QUILTS A CRIME for the Community Craft store concept alone, but Holly Quinn’s entertaining mixture of characters will hook readers regardless of their favorite theme in cozy mysteries. I look forward to what trouble S.H.E. will get into next!
Perfect for fans of Betty Hechtman and Maggie Sefton, Holly Quinn's third Handcrafted mystery aspires to wrap you in its warmth.
Community Craft proprietor Sammy Kane must piece together a patchwork of clues when a "live" mannequin ends up stone-cold dead.
Snowcapped pines and glittery dusted sidewalks adorn tranquil Heartsford, Wisconsin, while residents cuddle beneath heirloom quilts in front of cozy wood fires. But come the next day, the below-zero temperatures won't keep the locals away from Heartsford's annual Fire & Ice event. To boost customer traffic at Community Craft's one-night-only sale, Samantha "Sammy" Kane persuades a few of the craftspeople who sell their wares at the store to participate in a live mannequin window display contest.
Local quilter Wanda Wadsworth emerges as a favorite to win the contest, as she manages to not move a muscle for an unusual amount of time. Onlookers outside the window try everything to get her to crack--tapping on the glass and making funny faces--but nothing disrupts Wanda's stillness. When the eagle-eyed spectators realize Wanda isn't breathing, a blanket of grief and fear descends upon the wintry town.
Detective Liam Nash can't seem to piece the clues together. Fortunately, Sammy's cousin, Heidi, and her sister, Ellie, are on hand to reconvene their detective team, S.H.E. They set out to solve Wanda's untimely death before the case grows as icy as a sub-zero Wisconsin winter. But they are all too aware that the killer is too close for comfort.