Victoria (Tori) Sinclair has moved from Chicago to Sweet
Briar, South Carolina, joined the local sewing circle, and
recently become the head librarian. She has become a part
of the community and quickly made friends with many of the
local sewers. She has also formed a relationship with a
local teacher, Milo.
Tori has a generous heart, so when she hears that Melissa
needs a venue and theme for her daughter's birthday party,
Tori springs into action. She volunteers the library as a
venue and has the idea for the children to act out their
favorite stories during the party. Although Ashley, the
Alpha Mom of the town, is decidedly and universally
disliked, Melissa is desperate to please her and keep her
daughter off the children's version of the blacklist.
Although some in the sewing circle come to the party because
they can't believe Ashley can be as bad as advertised, it's
only a matter of time before each person in the group has
uttered some version of the "I'd like to strangle her"
threat. And within 24 hours, Ashley's body is found in her
car, strangled with the very rope used to hang a tire swing
at the birthday party.
With no shortage of suspects, the police chief systemically
begins questioning each of the sewing circle members, and
some of the sewing circle meetings turn tense as fingers
begin to point in an effort to deflect attention from either
themselves or their closest friends. Tori begins her own
investigation as she realizes that the only way to keep the
friendships together is to figure out who the culprit is -
and she's convinced it wasn't any of her friends. In the
meantime, however, Milo's former college sweetheart has
shown up and is determined to win him back.
I don't normally like to read a book that is part of a
series if it isn't the first book in the series, but this
book was too tempting. DEADLY NOTIONS, is the fourth book
in the Southern Sewing Circle cosy mystery series by
Elizabeth Lynn Casey. I was tempted by it for several
reasons: I love a good cosy, I've spent a great deal of time
in the South, my mother is a seamstress, and, therefore, I
also sew. This book absolutely did not disappoint.
I found the sewing references perfect - they weren't too
simplistic for someone who is experienced, but neither were
they too professional for a beginner. The Southernisms were
charming, but not laid on too thick. The mystery moved at a
great pace - it had great suspects, and I put the pieces
together at the same as Tori. The only thing I have trouble
with is her relationship with Milo; he seems just a little
too perfect and smooth. Even in a romance, I like the guys
to have their flaws.
Overall, though, this was a great book, and I'm eager to go
back and pick up the first three books in the series!
Librarian Tori Sinclair would do anything for her new circle
of friends-including throw a birthday bash for a fellow
sewer's daughter. While the party is a hit, self-important
pageant mom Ashley Lawson leaves the ladies wanting to
permanently shut her high maintenance mouth. But when Ashley
turns up dead, Tori and the girls need to figure out who
really murdered the monster mom, before the finger-pointing
causes their friendship to unravel.