cover image The Lover's Knot: A Someday Quilts Mystery

The Lover's Knot: A Someday Quilts Mystery

Clare O'Donohue, . . Plume, $13 (293pp) ISBN 978-0-452-28979-6

A stitch above most craft cozies, O'Donohue's sweet debut introduces Nell Fitzgerald, a Manhattan publishing professional whose broken engagement leads her to the Hudson River town of Archer's Rest, where her grandmother, Eleanor Cassidy, runs Someday Quilts. After her grandmother takes a nasty fall, Nell decides to help Eleanor recuperate and expand the store with the assistance of Marc Reed, a handsome handyman. The unexpected arrival of Ryan, Nell's ex-fiancé, during a tender moment with Marc causes a major fight. Things get worse after Marc turns up at Someday Quilts “scissored” to death. Local police chief Jesse Dewalt, an attractive widower, has a roster of suspects, including Ryan. Ryan offers to reconcile, but first Nell must clear Ryan's name by helping Jesse solve Marc's murder. O'Donohue sensitively depicts Nell's romantic quandary of Ryan vs. Jesse within a solid smalltown whodunit. (Sept.)