This week we’re back to another quilting fiction book with the third novel in Kathryn Mykel’s cozy mystery series: Pressing Matters. Let’s get into this week’s Fiber Arts Fiction Friday review!
Synopsis (Story Details Below, But No Major Spoilers)
Pressing Matters takes us back to Spruce Street and the adventures (and often misadventures) of now-retired lawyer Alex Bailey. Alex and the other Spruce Street neighbors have just returned from their island voyage (secretly arranged by Nona before her untimely death) and Alex is ready for some peace and quiet. She doesn’t get her wish, however, as the local quilt store is flooded and the annual charity quilt-a-thon is forced to find a new location. Alex, embracing her role as the new matriarch of Spruce Street, accepts the challenge and opens her home to the quilters.
The quilters arrive en masse, with enough fabric, notions and batting to meet their goal of making over 100 quilts for charity. Alex has even sprung for a brand new longarm, and the ladies get right to work cutting, stitching and quilting. Their quilt-a-thon is disrupted by another one of Nona’s ploys from beyond the grave; the giant crate that’s been delivered right outside of the house! When they open the box, they find a life-sized statue complete with a hidden compartment in the base.
Unexpected deliveries and a houseful of quilters aren’t the only issues Alex has to contend with. The police have also found a body in the woods on a parcel of land that’s now owned by Alex! The scandal has consumed the small town, and a paparazzi even ambushes Alex outside of her home. Will Alex ever be free from Nona’s mysterious past?
My Review
This was another fun read in this cozy mystery quilting fiction series! I loved reading about the quilt-a-thon and how everyone came together for the single cause of making quilts for charity. The story is all the sweeter as the ladies had to overcome the unexpected obstacle of the flooded quilt shop. One of my favorite characters is Betty, who is one of the bossy “biddies” of the quilters of Spruce Street. She ran the quilt-a-thon with an iron fist (I kept expecting her to pull out a whistle and start tweeting at everyone!), but was rewarded with a successful charity quilting event.
This third book read a bit differently from the first two novels where the mystery was both presented and solved within each book. In Pressing Matters, we had plenty of mystery but not as much resolution. While I wish more of Nona’s secrets had been revealed in this book, I’m also looking forward to reading book #4 (Threading Trouble) to watch Alex solve the next part of the ongoing mystery that Nona left behind!
Final Thoughts
I’m really enjoying this series so far, and can’t wait to see what future troubles from Nona’s past lie in Alex’s future. These books are a fun, fast read with plenty of quilting and friendship that are so critical in any good cozy mystery novel.
Want to grab your own copy of Pressing Matters? You can find it on Amazon here!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
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