Knot In My Backyard (A Quilting Mystery Book 2)
By: Mary Marks
Rating: 5 of 5
I enjoyed reading “Knot In My Backyard” by Mary Marks. It is the second book in her Quilting Mystery series and, in my opinion, is even better than the first book. Thankfully, the author did not include the political remarks that made her first book a little hard for some readers to get through. I prefer not to be badgered by the left or the right when I am reading a cozy mystery – I want to get away from all of that and just simply enjoy myself.
In this book, our sleuth, Martha Rose, is back and is better than every. Martha has a passion for quilting, and while it is not the focus of this book as it was in the first in the series, there are lots of references to quilting in the story. It is really obvious to anyone who has quilted that the author is also a quilter. I made my first quilt 35 years ago when my first child was born. I still consider myself an advanced beginner because I have not progressed that far in my abilities. There were some clues for hand-quilting in this book that will be of help to me.
Martha once again gets involved in solving a murder. This time, she is helping her neighbor when suspicion falls on him (unfairly according to Martha.) We get to know more about some of her neighbors and a couple of them are turning out to be real characters. She is able to once again solve an interesting crime – this time while putting her personal life into a tailspin.
I was able to solve the whodunnit and even the whydunnit but only a bit before it was revealed. I liked the story and the plot actually made sense. The characters are fun and interesting and are individuals I would like to get to know better. One of the fun things about this series of books is seeing how the “quilty” ladies can be so different but become great friends because of their shared interest in quilting. What was also fun for me was reading about Los Angeles by some who pretty obviously had lived there. I lived in the area for most of my life (though not now) and reading the book was a little like spending my weekend back in my hometown – right down to the reference to the addictive See’s candies.
I really enjoyed reading the book and look forward to more in the series. I’m very glad that the author is focusing on plot and character related issues and not using the book to push any other agendas.
I enjoyed reading “Knot In My Backyard” by Mary Marks. It is the second book in her Quilting Mystery series and, in my opinion, is even better than the first book. Thankfully, the author did not include the political remarks that made her first book a little hard for some readers to get through. I prefer not to be badgered by the left or the right when I am reading a cozy mystery – I want to get away from all of that and just simply enjoy myself.