I love this series and the characters. A very good read! With each book you get to know the characters better and they really come alive. It also helps that the author has such a great way of writing.

I loved this cozy mystery!

A Thread of Darkness is a winner. The characters were fun and the story was easy to follow.

Synopsis:
As owners of the popular bistro The French Quarter, former New York City restauranteurs Picasso and Laurel St. Pierre are the toast of the town of Crestwood, Kansas. Chef Picasso’s culinary creations delight the women of the quilting club, who have embraced him as a friend. But Laurel’s anti-social behavior confuses Kate Simpson—until she spots Mrs. St. Pierre with another man in what appears to be a lover’s spat.

Gossip travels fast in a small town like Crestwood, and rumor has it this isn’t Laurel’s first indiscretion. She also filed a police report accusing Picasso of domestic abuse. And when Laurel’s murdered body is found Picasso is the prime suspect. To prove their friend’s innocence, Kate and the Crestwood Quilters must uncover the secrets of Laurel’s past—a patchwork history wrapped up in Kate’s own teenage years . . .

This is the 2nd book in the Queen Bee's Quilt Shop series.

Picasso and Laurel St. Pierre are the owners of The French Quarter. A bistro in Kansas. After seeing Laurel in a lover's spat with another man, Kate finds out that she has been murdered. Picasso is the prime suspect since Laurel had called the police and reported domestic abuse.

This is a fun little cozy. As with most, it's not hard to figure out but the story is so much fun that it's worth the read.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

This is the second book of the Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series. It starts off slow but speeds up to a steady pace. There are too many characters for a short read and I had a hard time choosing who to root for.

A Thread of Darkness by Sally Goldenbaum
Book #2: Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery Series
Source: NetGalley and Lyrical Underground
Rating: 3/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: I had hoped the second book in the Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series would have ironed out some of the issues I had with book one. Unfortunately, the ironing out is only marginal and it has left me wondering about my future with the series. Once again, the cast of characters is extraordinarily large with only a few playing a vital role, the scenes of quilts and quilting (which I greatly enjoy) are few and far between, and the plot is somewhat contrived. To be fair, the plot is less contrived than in the first book and I enjoyed it more, but it still felt just a bit too forced for my overall liking. What’s more, I would have thought more of the women in the quilting group would have played a more visible and active role in this book, but alas, Po is still the most prominent and that limits my ability to connect with and like other characters. At the end of it all, I realized I had to somewhat “force” myself to finish this book and that is never a good thing. For the time being, I think I am done with this series.

The quilters group investigates a murder in Crestwood, Kansas. The second in a series by Sally Goldenbaum, the plot of this book focuses on a French restaurateur suspected of murdering his wife. The group consists of several women of diverse ages and backgrounds, but the characters lack the depth of the characters in Goldenbaum's Seaside Knitters series. The setting is a small college town and again, does little to spark one's interest, unlike the seaside location of the knitters series. The plot is a bit too obvious without a lot of subplots. While it's an OK read, it wasn't extraordinary.

It was fun "returning" to this series, as I got to know a few of the characters in the first book in the A Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series. The plot and backstory was interesting and I still love the characters, especially Po, Kate and PJ.

Another awesome book in this series! I've only met these characters twice now, but I feel like they're old friends, especially Po and Kate...and PJ of course! This was an intriguing murder mystery dealing eventually with deep pockets that hid something that happened long ago. I wasn't sure who the killer was this time until Po started getting ideas. I had some thoughts, but they weren't the right guesses. I do love how all these friends work together to help each other and truly care about their other friends and community. It's nice to read a mystery that has just a little more than the mystery and solution--it lets you in on who these people are. Until next time, Crestwood KS!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher through NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 2 in the series.

Book 2 was more engaging than the first, but I am still having a little trouble connecting with the characters. I thought Po was going to be the "main" character, but really, it's coming off as though the whole quilting group is at the center. That's... different and a little confusing. I don't feel as invested in them as I do the group in Ms. Goldenbaum's other series.

I have book 3 in my queue, so I'm ready to give it another go, and wait until I've read it to decide if I'm going to continue on with the series.

"A Thread Of Darkness" is the 2nd in the "Queen Bee Quilt Shop" mystery series by favorite author Sally Goldenbaum. I have read the first in series and found it very enjoyable and a fun mystery read. I do highly recommend the series for your reading enjoyment. I enjoyed my second visit to Crestwood Kansas and the Crestwood Quilters. Mrs. Goldenbaum brings the small town in Kansas to life and creates vivid charcters that are a joy to read about. The quilts the group creates are fun to read about as they create specialty quilts.

In this 2nd in series our Protagonist Po and the Crestwood Quilters are working on a quilt for The French Quarter, the new French restaurant in town . The French chef falls under suspicion when his wife is murdered. The quilting group is convinced he is innocent and sets out to piece together the mystery and find the real killer.

This was a well crafted story with a pleasing sleuth to the conclusion. I love the charcters and the devoted friendships of the quilting group in this lovely small town. I look forward to returning to the next in series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. This is a mystery series I highly recommend for all that enjoy crafting and crafting based mysteries.

A Thread of Darkness is the second novel in A Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series. A Thread of Darkness is easy to read and progresses at a nice pace. There is a good flow as the story moves from scene to scene. While A Thread of Darkness can be read alone, I recommend reading the series in order. It will help you to learn the characters and keep them straight. Po Paltrow, Kate Simpson, P.J. Flanigan, Maggie Helmers, Eleanor Canterbury, Phoebe Mellon, Max Elliott, and Selma Parker are in this charming cozy mystery. Po is the main protagonist. Po is an active woman in her 60s who is happy that her goddaughter, Kate has returned to Crestwood. Kate is settling into town and working as a substitute teacher. She has discovered a passion for photography and Kate is very talented. Kate is also dating P.J. Flanigan, a local police officer. The Crestwood Quilters are working on a quilt for The French Quarter, the new French restaurant in town that offers a mouthwatering bouillabaisse. The author continues to develop the characters. They are a friendly bunch who reach out to newcomers in town. The characters are relatable and the dialogue realistic. Crestwood is like other small towns with cozy shops and gossip runs faster than butter on a hot stack of pancakes. I like the authors vivid descriptions especially of the quilts. There are many cozy moments with quilting, cooking, coffee drinking, and eating. The mystery had a couple of suspects, good clues and misdirection. I like that there were various incidents after the initial murder. This action made the story more intriguing. However, I knew the identity of the victim, killer and patsy before the murder took place. A Thread of Darkness is a pleasing cozy mystery with an affable French chef, a fishy murder, rampant rumors, an applique quilt, and a group of curious quilters.

I loved the first one, so I was thrilled when I got the chance to read the second one. Once again, Ms. Goldenbaum has delivered!
Part of what I love so much (and there are so many things to love!) is that the main character, Po, is an older woman. So many cozy mysteries follow young women in their 20s-30s. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But I so enjoy seeing through the eyes of a woman who is much more mature. She's seen a lot, lived a lot, and isn't going to get fooled easily!
But the whole cast of quilters is a pretty wonderful bunch and I love all of them.

The mystery itself was exciting as well, it had me wondering up till the very end! I was so sure I knew who was going to get murdered, wrong about that! Then I thought I knew who did it, and I was wrong about that too! The twists and turns made this book so good and I probably read this one faster than I'd read any cozy before!
Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was just as great as the first one, and I can't wait to read the third one!

Warnings:
Cozy Mystery standard murder, mentions of spouse abuse and teen pregnancy.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review!

"A Thread of Darkness" earns 5/5 Salacious Secrets...Entertaining Fun!

The Quilters have their work "cut out" for them...again, and I totally enjoyed it! Sally Goldenbaum has given us a group of women varying in age, experience, and crafting skill, but they share a passion for quilting and investigating murder. Although not my favorite literary vehicle because a third-person narrative puts readers on the “outside looking in,” however, there are several important characters and it would be hard to choose only one around which to revolve the story. Although Po Paltrow seems to hold everyone together. The story was well paced, clever, and entertaining with vivid descriptions, small town antics, and dialogue that did well to illustrate tone and the various personalities. Quilting, amateur detectives, and lots of fun!

As I have said many a time I love a mystery that has a crafty theme! "A Thread of Darkness " is the second instalment in the Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series by Sally Goldenbaum. This Is the 2nd book by this author I have read and I enjoyed it more than the first.

As owners of the popular bistro The French Quarter, former New York City restauranteurs Picasso and Laurel St. Pierre are the toast of the town of Crestwood, Kansas. Chef Picasso’s culinary creations delight the women of the quilting club, who have embraced him as a friend. But Laurel’s anti-social behavior confuses Kate Simpson—until she spots Mrs. St. Pierre with another man in what appears to be a lover’s spat.

Gossip travels fast in a small town like Crestwood, and rumor has it this isn’t Laurel’s first indiscretion. She also filed a police report accusing Picasso of domestic abuse. And when Laurel’s murdered body is found Picasso is the prime suspect. To prove their friend’s innocence, Kate and the Crestwood Quilters must uncover the secrets of Laurel’s past—a patchwork history wrapped up in Kate’s own teenage years . . .

The mystery is interesting and I loved the characters which are well developed. The Queen Bees are a mixed group of eight women of different ages and lives who gather together at a local quilt shop to work on quilting projects.

The plot and story were good and seemed to flow at a good pace. There are just enough twists and turns, to keep you guessing and second-guessing on whodunnit.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from the Lyrical Underground and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Thread of Darkness by Sally Goldenbaum is the 2nd book in the Queen Bee Quilting Shop mystery series, and my first book in this series. I found this book to have a well developed plot and characters. I look forward to reading the next and 1st book in the series. This book makes me feel that I was a part of the quilting club. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, and you don't have to be a quilter to enjoy it.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

A new French bistro has opened in Crestwood, Kansas and the quilting circle is thrilled. The owner Jacques St. Pierre and his beautiful wife Laurel are hard at work making the bistro the place to dine in town. Jacques commissions the quilters to make a colorful food-related quilt for his restaurant, but before it is finished someone is killed. Jacques is arrested and Po and the quilters work to clear him.

The Crestwwod Quilters are at it again. When their friend and restuarant owner Picasso St. Pierre is accused of murdering his wife Laurel, the quilting group take it upon themselves to prove him innocent. It may seem like Picasso did the dirty deed, but his wife had many secrets and the possible suspects end up being numerous.

I love, love love spending time with the Crestwood Quilters! They have such a comraderie and work well together to sniff out clues and solve this murder mystery. This has easlily become my favorite new cozy mystery series. I cannot wait to see what the group is up to next!

My thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

i love this series and loved this last installment.
It was engrossing, fun to read and entertaining as usual.
It was great to meet again the well written cast of characters and visit places you like.
The mystery is great and keeps you guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Smaller Town Midwestern Cozy Mystery
This cozy mystery takes place in a smaller Kansas college town. It centers around quilters and quilts, with a touch of French cooking. The story is full of twists and sadness. I enjoyed this novel and will enjoy the entire series. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.