Welcome to another Fiber Arts Fiction Friday! This week we’re returning to Foggy Point, Washington, where Harriet Truman and the Loose Thread quilters have gotten mixed up in trouble again. The Quilt Before The Storm is the fifth book in this series from Arlene Sachitano.
Synopsis (Story Details Below, But No Major Spoilers)
The weather event of the century is headed towards Foggy Point and everyone in town is busy preparing for heavy rain, strong winds, and the inevitable power outages. Harriet Truman, along with the Loose Threads, are all working to take care of their own and ensure that none of their quilting circle members are left to fend for themselves during the storm.
This group of women is always thinking about the less fortunate residents of Foggy Point and they are especially concerned about how the homeless population will seek shelter from the rain and wind. Quilts are the solution, of course, and they dive into transforming plastic grocery bags into plastic tarps as well as making warm flannel quilts. They take the quilts and tarps to the homeless encampment that’s been permitted to set up in one of the wooded park areas. The residents are grateful for the supplies, but the Loose Threads remain concerned about their safety during the bad weather.
The storm finally arrives in Foggy Point and all of the warnings prove to be true. There are downed trees and power lines causing many of the roads to be impassable. During a break in the storm, Harriet and one of her admirers (Tom) set out in an off-road vehicle to check on the homeless encampment. They have to literally cut their way through trees to travel on many of the roads but finally arrive at the camp. While most of the residents made it through the storm unscathed, they discovered one of them dead in the communal bathroom! A quick investigation of the body shows it was not a natural death, and Harriet knows it’s time to contact law enforcement.
Unfortunately, when she and Tom make it to downtown Foggy Point they discover that almost all of Foggy Point’s police officers were out of town for a conference and that a landslide has cut off Foggy Point from the rest of the world. A few days later a second body is found, causing everyone to start pointing their fingers at someone else.
Harriet and the Loose Threads again take on amateur detective roles as they try to help Detective Morse figure out who killed the two victims before the killer strikes again. Can they solve the mystery without putting themselves in more danger?
My Review
This was another great read from Arlene Sachitano. While I’ve never experienced a storm like this on the West Coast, I’ve been through enough blizzards and ice storms in my childhood in Omaha that I appreciated the forethought and effort that goes into preparing for a big storm.
I loved how many of the quilters ended up bunking at Harriet’s house as it made for some fun domestic scenes as they cooked on the gas stove and tried to keep the house warm. The Loose Threads kept quilting and sewing through it all, switching to hand projects when the power went out. A quilter always finds a way to sew, even in the most trying of circumstances!
Final Thoughts
If you’ve enjoyed the first four books in the Loose Threads mystery series you’ll enjoy The Quilt Before The Storm. It’s a fun read that continues to grow the characters with Harriet and the Loose Threads always at the forefront.
Ready to grab your copy of The Quilt Before The Storm? Pick it up 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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