Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Lover's Knot by Clare O'Donohue. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
The Lover's Knot by Clare O'Donohue
A Nell Fitzgerald Mystery
Plume (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-452-28979-3 (0452289793)
ISBN-13: 978-0-452-28979-6 (9780452289793)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $13.00
Review: Clare O'Donohue introduces Nell Fitzgerald, a New York professional woman who flees the city after her fiancé calls off their wedding, retreating to a small town in upstate New York, the site of her grandmother's quilt shop in The Lover's Knot. But it's not the peaceful place she was expecting when a handyman is murdered and her ex-fiancé turns up as the prime suspect.
Nell thought her life was perfect. She had a terrific job, found New York City an exhilirating city in which to live, and best of all, she was about to be married to the man of her dreams. But all that came to a crashing halt when her fiancé, Ryan, tells her he's not ready for marriage. Nell abruptly takes a leave of absence from her job and departs the city for the comfort of her grandmother's home in Archer's Rest. Eleanor owns Someday Quilts, a quilt shop with an active group of dedicated quilters. Nell is just getting settled in when she meets Marc Reed, the handsome, flirtatious handyman repairing her grandmother's roof. When he's found dead, stabbed with a pair of quilting scissors, the list of suspects seems endless. But most surprising is that Ryan, who had arrived in Archer's Rest to try to talk Nell into returning to the city, is at the top of the list. The local sheriff thinks the murder is open and shut, a case of a jealous man killing a potential rival. Nell doesn't believe it, deciding to pursue her own investigation. But she's also troubled with a bigger question once she proves Ryan innocent: will she go back to the city with him?
The author cleverly uses quilting as a metaphor for life in The Lover's Knot. Just as the skilled quilter charts a quilt from beginning to end, selecting a design, deciding on colors, picking fabric, and so on, so does a person chart their life by choosing a occupation, their schooling and training, their life’s mate, and the like. Sometimes, however, after working on a quilt for a long period of time, it just doesn’t achieve the desired effect the quilter had wanted. So an important question must be answered: Is what has been done worth saving? That is, should they try to stick with what has already been achieved and settle for something less than desired, or should they put it aside and start anew. Sometimes people have to ask that same question. Often it's a very difficult but necessary step to take for one’s future happiness. The Lover's Knot presents this very personal dilemma in the form of a well-written mystery, answering the question for Nell but leaving the reader pondering what they might do in a similar situation. This a strong introduction to a series that promises to be one worth watching.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Lover's Knot and to Penguin Group for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
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Synopsis (from the publisher): Twenty-six-year-old Nell Fitzgerald is thrilled when she receives a gorgeous handmade quilt in a lover’s knot pattern as an engagement gift from her grandmother Eleanor Cassidy. However, her joy is short-lived as her fiancé announces that the wedding is off. Heartbroken, Nell flees New York City for her grandmother’s home in Archers Rest. In this small town Eleanor’s life revolves around her quilt shop, Someday Quilts, and the members of her shops’ quilting circle.
When a local handyman known for his flirting is found murdered in the shop, Nell finds herself drawn into the case -- and drawn to the shy police chief. As a pattern of clues begins to emerge, one of the prime suspects is Nell’s ex-fiancé, whose arrival in Archers Rest seems suspicious, especially to Nell.
With Eleanor and the quilting circle helping out, Nell sets out to solve two mysteries. One is the murder of the local handyman and the other is deciding what future, and what man, is right for her.
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