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Murder, Plain And Simple (2013)

by Isabella Alan(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0451413636 (ISBN13: 9780451413635)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Signet

series

Amish Quilt Shop Mystery

review 1: When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she leaves behind her career and broken engagement for a fresh start in Holmes County, Ohio.With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brook, but her aunt’s quilting circle tries to make her feel welcome as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch.On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom the next morning, everything starts falling apart.With evidence mounting against her, Angie is determined to find the culp... morerit before the local sheriff can arrest her. Rolling Brook always appeared to be a simple place, but the closer Angie gets to the killer, the more she realizes that nothing in the small Amish community is as plain as it seems….Dollycas’s ThoughtsI really enjoyed this debut from Isabella Alan. One of the things I miss most since my accident is not being able to create all the quilt designs in my head. It is books like this that make things a bit easier. I quilt vicariously through the characters in the book.While our protagonist visited her Aenti often she is still an outside and an Englischer. It would take time for everyone to adjust under normal circumstances but with the question of the shop’s true ownership hanging over her head and the man questioning it dead in the store room things are far from normal. Her Aunt’s friends rally around her but there are others in the community both Amish and English that believe she really killed the man.Alan has surrounded Angie with some great supporting characters including her dog, Ollie, who happens to be deathly afraid of birds. There are also the friends she made on those summer visits who are now all grown up and these friends really add depth to the story and maybe a bit of romance in the future. Then again her mother hopes Angie will sell the store and come back to Texas and marry the man she broke up with. We just have to wait and see what happens :)The author has patched together quite a mystery too. There are several threads to follow before the real murder is caught and everything is all sewn up. She kept me guessing all the way.I am very excited to read Murder, Simply Stitched. It comes out June 3 and Isabella Allen will be her for Cozy Wednesday on June 18.
review 2: I picked this up after reading the review from Girl Lost in a Book. Angie Braddock is left the Running Stitch Quilt Shop in Rolling Brook, Ohio after her Aunt Eleanor dies. After a dispute as to the rightful owner of the quilt shop is, Amish woodworker Joseph is found murdered by rotary cutter (I loved that!). It is up to newcomer Angie to clear her name. I liked the setting and the mention of places I've visited like Millersburg and Sugarcreek, Ohio. Being a quilter, I like stories about quilting. I liked that the Amish aspects of the book were written as matter of fact and not condescending. I did feel the book was a little too long. When there were 100 pages left, I thought it should have been closer to wrapping things up. I figured out the killer from what I considered a clue that was not pointed out in the denouement. I also thought the scene with the killer admitting guilt to Angie was a little weak and forced. Over all, it was a good read and I look forward to spending time with Angie and the ladies of the quilting circle in the next installment. less

Download links for: Murder, Plain and Simple

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