Quilt store owner Dewey Pellicano is desperately trying to save the store she inherited from her mother last year. Once a thriving business, Quilter Paradiso hasn't changed with the times and business is down. The twentieth anniversary sale is coming up and Dewey plans to launch a special line of exclusive quilting patterns and an online store. If the anniversary sale doesn't go well it could be the end of Quilter Paradiso.

When a man is murdered in the alley behind her store, Dewey is afraid negative publicity will doom the sale less than a week away. She assists the San Jose PD as best she can, all the while prepping for the big event. She's not helped by her stubborn and backstabbing sister-in-law Kym, who resents the fact Dewey inherited the store instead of her. Kym seems to delight in throwing a wrench in all of Dewey's plans, even as she professes to only be trying to help. But Dewey can't fire family, right?

The police seem to be stumped for clues in the murder, so Dewey does her own investigating. With the help of the Stitch 'n' Bitchers and the store staff, she eventually figures out the victim's identity. A rift between two of the quilt club members distracts Dewey from both the murder and the sale. Will she be able to mend the rift, find the killer and come to an understanding with Kym before the sale? And before the killer strikes again?

The murder takes a back seat much of the time to the quilt store business. OLD MAID'S PUZZLE is a light cozy mystery. Fans of the recent trend of craft cozies should enjoy Ms. Thayer's second quilting mystery. Some may find the continuing antagonism of Kym to be annoying after a while, just as I did. Readers will eagerly await the next book in the series to see how things go after the surprising conclusion of this book.