A Crafter Quilts a Crime: A Handcrafted Mystery

A Crafter Quilts a Crime by Holly Quinn is the third A Handcrafted Mystery. Sammy Kane has Community Craft ready for the town's annual Fire and Ice event. Sammy dreamed up a live mannequin contest that will take place in her front display window. Sammy goes to check on Wanda's progress and notices her lips are blue. Wanda is dead and her husband is MIA. When Ellie's husband, Randy becomes a suspect, the S.H.E. team convenes. Sammy, Heidi and Ellie work to stitch together the clues that will reveal Wanda's killer. A Crafter Quilts a Crime can be read as a standalone for those new to A Handcrafted Mystery series. I like the close, heartwarming relationship between Sammy, Ellie and Heidi. They get along well together and make a formidable team. I admit that I prefer Ellie and Heidi to Sammy. Sammy is nervy and lacks understanding of Liam's position. She does not understand when the police cannot share information with civilians. Holly Quinn captured the feeling of winter with her word imagery. I could feel the cold tingling my ears and nose from her descriptions. I remember what that bitter cold feels like. I enjoyed the images of Community Craft with its beautiful handmade items inside. I wish my town had such a place where people can learn a craft and sell their handmade wares. The live mannequin contest was a unique event that had an unfortunate end. The investigation progressed slowly for Detective Liam Nash because he had limited clues. He is searching for Wanda's husband as well as a reason why someone would want to harm Wanda. Sammy feels Liam is moving too slow. When her brother-in-law is brought in for questioning, Sammy quickly calls Ellie and Heidi. The three of them (S.H.E.) will do what it takes to prove Randy is innocent. Sammy's sleuthing methods could use some fine tuning. She is a little reckless and is quick to break the law as well as obstruct justice. I like how quilts tied into the mystery. There were some interesting clues to help readers solve this whodunit. A Crafter Quilts a Crime is a cute cozy mystery that interweaves Sammy's daily activities with the mystery of Wanda's death. A Crafter Quilts a Crime has a big bonfire, wintry weather, quilt clues, a spouse gone astray, and the snoopy S.H.E. squad.