The Long Stitch Good Night
Embroidery Mystery # 4
Amanda Lee

Obsidian
April 2012/ 978-0-451-23646-3
Mystery/Cozy
Amazon

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

Marcy Singer lives and works in Tallulah Falls, Oregon. She owns the Seven-Year Itch shop which specializes in unusual embroidery patterns and techniques. When she's not at the shop, she is often found out walking or at the beach with her dog, Angus. Marcy didn't leave her heart in San Francisco, but it was broken there and she's still recovering.

Part of the recovery is dating again, and she has two suitors, Ted, a policeman, and Todd, who owns the local pub, the Brew Crew. Either relationship has the potential for becoming serious as well as the potential for ending on a sour note.

On St. Patrick's Day, there is a party at Brew Crew. Several of Todd's fraternity brothers are partying together, and the joint is jumping and loud. Marcy stopped by to pick up her friend Sadie, and they went to Marcy's place to watch a movie while the guys are drinking at the pub. Later, Sadie's husband, Blake, calls with the news that he and Todd are in jail. They've been charged with murdering another frat member, Graham Stott.

Neither man will explain what happened, but both proclaim their innocence, despite being found in the room with the victim and a gun that has both of their handprints on it. Marcy, having had some experience in dealing with murders since she moved to town, sets her cap to find the truth. She may need some of the luck of the Irish to solve the case and prove her friends innocence.

This is a series that has credible plot lines and characters, and I found The Long Stitch Good Night to be a well-paced, even read. Marcy is a logical woman, and her emotional fluctuations about the men in her life will be familiar to many readers. The embroidery shop oozes small town coziness, yet the goings on in town are lively and interesting. Dialogue is smart, and Lee never deviates from showing that Marcy is true to herself while also being a faithful friend.

Mystery aficionados may be familiar with Amanda Lee's other books, written as Gayle Trent.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Thread Reckoning #3
The Long Stitch Good Night #4
Thread on Arrival #5
Cross-Stich Before Dying #6  
Better Off Thread #10