October 13 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
About the book
With massive debt, a communist mother-in-law, a Shakespeare-quoting parrot, and a photojournalist boyfriend who may or may not be a spy, crafts editor Anastasia Pollack already juggles too much in her life. So she’s not thrilled when her magazine volunteers her to present workshops and judge a needlework contest at the inaugural conference of the NJ chapter of the Stitch and Bake Society, a national organization of retired professional women. At least her best friend and cooking editor Cloris McWerther has also been roped into similar duties for the culinary side of the 3-day event taking place on the grounds of the exclusive Beckwith Chateau Country Club.
Marlene Beckwith, wife of the multi-millionaire pharmaceutical magnate and country club owner, is both the chapter president and conference chairperson. The only thing greater than her ego is her sense of entitlement. She hates to lose at anything and fully expects to win both the needlework and baking competitions.
When Anastasia and Cloris arrive at the conference, they discover cash bribes in their registration packets. The Society members, few of whom are fans of Marlene, stick up for the accused and instead suggest that Marlene orchestrated the bribes to eliminate her stiffest competition.
The next morning when Marlene is found dead, Anastasia questions whether she really died peacefully in her sleep. After Marlene’s husband immediately has her cremated, Anastasia once again finds herself back in reluctant amateur sleuth mode.
With the help of Cloris, Marlene’s personal assistant Rhetta, and a laptop someone will stop at nothing to find, Anastasia soon unravels evidence of insurance scams, medical fraud, an opioid ring, long-buried family secrets, and too many possible suspects. And that’s before she not only stumbles over the body of yet another member of the Stitch and Bake Society but also finds Rhetta unconscious.
Can Anastasia piece together the various clues before she becomes the killer’s next target?
Crafting tips included.
And I thought
A fun series that I love.
I have read several of the books.
And each seems to just better as the characters are developed. And as their relationships grow and change.
Lois Winston has created some great characters and great storylines in this series.
She's even given her main character Anastasia her own real blog. Anastasia leaves Comme on the posts on the tours too.
The craft tips and ideas included in each book are a fun little extra.
If you like a good read that has some Mystery. A murder or two.
Some great characters you'll Anastasia Pollack's world.
I have enjoy of the books in this series.
I received a complimentary copy.
My review will appear on retail sites and Good Reads.
Buy the book
Kindle – Nook – Kobo – Apple Books
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The Giveaway
Thank you so much for the lovely review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway! This is one of my mom's favorite series!
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