Running Stitches is the second book in the Quilting Cozy series by Carol Dean Jones. I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the first one so much. You can find my review of that one - Tie Died - right here. I actually began making notes for this review while I was reading the book, which is a practice I would like to continue.
In the first book the main character, Sarah Miller, a widow in her 60s, has reluctantly moved to a retirement community. She meets and makes new friends, has a budding romance, learns to quilt, and is involved with the police in solving a murder mystery.
The second book is a continuation of the same storyline, and Sarah is again involved with "helping" the police find an escaped prisoner, Andy, who happens to be a friend of hers and whose fate was determined in Tie Died. Sarah is in contact with Andy several times, and unbelievably has police approval to communicate with him! Andy has a missing daughter and ostensibly escaped to search for her. He has to go into hiding, so Sarah is intent on helping him by finding his daughter.
When she isn't involved with Andy and his problems, she is learning about and making quilt blocks and is making a special quilt for her friend Charles. He is basically the perfect man for her, but she is hesitant to let her feelings deepen because she feels loyal to her late husband (even though he died 20+ years ago!)
Throughout the story are other characters, and there had been indications that the author was going to delve more deeply into some of their lives - one in particular named Ruth. Even though this was done with an awkward jump in the middle of the story, the character is a likable one, and the detour to her backstory actually brought tears to my eyes.
I have difficulty understanding Sarah's loyalty to and affection for her friend Andy. In the first book, the storyline centered around his "death"/disappearance/and eventual conviction of a crime, with Sarah taking risks for him that made no sense to me, especially since his character was so poorly developed. Other than helping Sarah learn how to use a computer and a couple of friendly conversations, there was little to explain her loyalty to him. In this book, she again takes risks for Andy and ultimately assists him in his return to prison with basically no consequences. Yep, it's fiction!
I enjoyed several things about this series, such as the references to quilting, her adorable rescued dog Barney, the town setting with a cute quilt shop, and the camaraderie between the characters. But when I start being annoyed with characters, I can tell it is time for me to stop reading this series!
I am currently into a light read called Snow Bells Christmas by De-Ann Black.
Linking to It's Monday - What Are You Reading!
I also often find cozies have unrealistic portrayals of situations involving the police...and often have to remind myself that "it is fiction." Characters and side issues like quilting are the draw for me. Come see my week here. Happy holidays and happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI love books that have quilting in them but the characters do need to be believable and well developed. Have you read the Mary Marks series. She started writing in later life, but now in her late '70's has stopped it to do other things. I love the covers - the stories and the quilting. If you haven't tried her - give her a go. Mary is Jewish so her central character is too.
ReplyDeleteThank you , Linda for all of the hard work and dedication that you have put into the link party this past year. It has been a joy to follow your progress on your quilts and I am looking forward to seeing what the new year brings you.
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