It’s time for the annual Lobster fest in Blueberry Cove and Iris’s shop Ruffles&Bows is busier than ever with tourists. Her friends have roped her into festival activities like judging the lobster bib contest and participating in the box boat race, but how is she going to find time to hang out with her boyfriend, Ian?
Looking to replenish her stash of antique aprons and linens she accepts an invitation to Stonehaven, an old majestic mansion, owned by a wealthy, elderly lady named Eleanor. To Iris’ great joy there are trunks filled with beautiful aprons and European linens in pristine condition. Eleanor shares that they had belonged to her mother who brought them with her when she emigrated from Belgium in the 1930’s. While purchasing the linens Iris runs into one of Eleanor’s paying houseguests for summer. A visiting marine biology professor from Belgium. He is there with his group to study and source seaweed and make it the next renewable energy source.
Alas, tragedy strikes in the form of Iris discovering the young research assistant murdered. So she and her friends have two mysteries to solve. Who wanted the assistant dead and was it really over seaweed? And how did Eleanor’s mother, who started out as a nursemaid before marrying her father, have trunks full of expensive linens and couture?
This book was a great second for the series. I loved getting to know the characters better and the Eleanor plot line was my favorite. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed getting lost in this story. I found myself feeling the emotions of the characters. I love how the friends support each other and look out for their neighbors, like Eleanor. I am looking forward to see what is next for this crew.

Even though I figured out the killer pretty early on I still enjoyed this quick read. Learning about the different uses for seaweed was very interesting. I enjoy it in my sushi but I'm not sure I would just go in to the store and pick up a protein bar made with it.

I really enjoyed the second mystery with Eleanor. Could you imagine finding a trunk in the attic filled with such treasure and being able to learn about your ancestry? I hope Eleanor makes a camo in the next book so we know how she is doing.

This is perfect for fans of non-culinary cozy mysteries.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

The Maine setting and Lobster Festival are what captured my attention right away. I love that Iris' shop is busy with tourists that love aprons too! Iris is always on the lookout for new inventory, so when elderly Eleanor calls, she heads to her estate to take a look and is drawn into a mystery right away.

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the 2nd book in the Apron Shop series. I found this cozy mystery just ok. It was slow moving, and I found myself bored reading the first part of this book. It was a short read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first apron shop book and this one was just as good I just wish they were longer can't wait for the next one

The second of Penney’s “Apron Shop” cozy mystery series finds Iris Buckley preparing for Blueberry Cove’s annual Lobster Festival. Her inventory for her shop, “Ruffles and Bows,” is running low, so Iris is excited to get a call from Eleanor Brady, a local resident who has several trunks of old linens and vintage fashions.
While at Eleanor’s, Iris meets Dr. Lukas De Wilde, an environmentalist, who has rented her place to him and his students. When Lukas’ teaching assistant is found dead, Iris, along with her significant other Ian Stewart, charge into helping solve the case.
As in other cozy mysteries, I enjoyed the antics of many of the secondary characters. It’s always nice to “catch up” with them.

There are all kinds of cozies involving small businesses, but this is the first series I’ve read where the small business in question sells vintage aprons and other types of vintage linens – sheets, dishtowels, etc. As described by Penney, the shop sounds not only mouthwatering but fairly realistic. Iris and her Grammie, who brought her up, run the apron store in Blueberry Cove, Maine (maybe it’s near the more famous Cabot Cove?) and she’s surrounded with a great mix of friends and a great setting.

Blueberry Cove is both a resort town and a fishing village, so lobster figures prominently in many of the scenes. The book opens as Iris heads to one of the more well-known mansions in town, now slightly decayed, to look over some vintage linens. She gets much more than she bargained for.

The owner of the house – and the linens – is one Eleanor Brady, who greets Iris and leads her to the attic and linen closet where Iris finds a mouthwatering array of vintage European sheets. She also opens a trunk and removes an astonishing array of couture clothing, manufactured by none other than Chanel. She begs Iris to try and sell the clothes for her and, liking Eleanor, Iris agrees.

Eleanor has rented some of her bedrooms to some visiting academics who are cultivating seaweed in the cove, and everyone’s path intersects later at a function where the seaweed, used in various kinds of food (even sliders) is featured. The Professor in charge of the operation turns out to know one of Iris’ besties, Sophie, from college and grad school and the two are delighted to meet again, especially as Sophie appears to be on the rocks with her boyfriend.

One of the students turns up dead the next morning, drawing Iris into the mystery as she was the one to discover the body. Eleanor’s mystery turns out to be the Chanel garments, owned by her mother, who worked as a nursemaid for Eleanor’s family. The mystery is how a nursemaid ended up with a trunk full of Chanel.
Penney skillfully blends the rhythms of small town life into her novel – there’s a lobster festival going on, and as a business owner she’s involved in some of the promotions and some of the events, most notably, a lobster bib contest. While Iris is drawn into the mystery, it’s pretty believable – she knows a lot of the people and there’s no silly going into a dark house alone with no backup. It’s mostly solving relationship puzzles.

Penney also includes some pretty interesting details about seaweed cultivation (sounds like we may all be eating it in the future) and vintage sheets (valuable, who knew?) and the emigration path of Eleanor’s mother. What I love about cozies is that all of these elements – including here a strong group of women friends, the downtown business culture, various romances and the mysterious plot itself – are all blended together in a way that pulls a reader through the story, teaches you a bit, illuminates some characters and the setting, all in a brisk 288 pages.

Iris and her Grammie are great tent-pole characters, and the apron shop, and Maine, are a wonderful background. I totally enjoyed the fairly deep dive into the vintage linens and the seaweed. The specifics made the book stand out. This was a completely enjoyable read.

This is a fun installment in this series! Penney did a great job of incorporating the craft into her mystery. The characters were relatable, and the atmosphere was fun.

This was another enjoyable read. The character development is great. Iris and her grandmother are down to earth and loyal to one another and their friends. I like that there are strong females characters, both young and old. The mystery was well paced with several red herrings to keep the reader guessing. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

Iris is running low on inventory for Ruffles & Bows, her apron and linen shop When a reclusive spinster calls about trunks full of vintage linens, Iris feels she has hit the lottery. She gets sidetracked by the murder of an environmentalist. The mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading. The book was a nice escape from everything going on in the world, which is exactly what a good book should be.

This is a great crafty cozy. With enjoyable characters and setting. It was a quick read and I look forward to reading more in this series

A fun cozy mystery. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Well written with fun characters. Thanks for the advanced copy from
The publisher and netgalley.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Iris meets a lovely older lady at her historic but rundown home. It needs TLC and she hopes to revitalize it back to its former glory with money earned from selling some of the beautiful linen sitting unused in the home. Ivy is taken with both the owner and the linen, It seems however, things are conspiring to thwart her plans. She has opened the house as a B & B and one of her guest falls off cliff the very first morning.. Ivy finds her battered body on a ledge.

That should have been the worst but it is not. Several of her guests are suspected of being involved, including the former boyfriend of Ivy’s friend, Sophie. Lukas is helping Ivy and her friend discover the distant past of her late mother after they find some intriguing but baffling belongings amongst the linens. There is a lot more than just that going on. Lukas and his associates are involved in aquafarming, something with the potential to revitalize the areas hit by shortages in fish and crustaceans. It is a cutting edge business and the rivalries are beyond cutting. Is it possible that competition has led to murder.

There are also three love stories in various stages that play out amidst the murder and mayhem and a rather fun Lobster Festival. And then there is Quincy. I love when a kitty moves front and centre and leaps to the rescue of the heroine. Quincy does that with great aplomb. He just makes a good read even better.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Thread and Dead by Elizabeth Penney

Tragedy strikes in town and now everybody in Blueberry Cove, Maine, is on pins and needless.
Iris Buckley is busier than ever with the town’s Lobster Festival and shed gets a call from Eleanor Brady to come look at some trunks filled with vintage fabric, but what Iris finds is Dr. Luke de Wilde’s young teaching Assistant dead.

I liked this cozy mystery. The plot was well-written with many likeable characters. There also were many suspects. We didn’t find out who was the murderer until the very end for vthe book. I recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for review.

A sweet mystery with a Maine setting. Maine is always a draw for me when it comes to mysteries and if you like fabric, this is a good series for you. Great characters and a nice diversity of age.

If you are looking for a unique twist on the cozy mystery genre, "Thread and Dead" might be for you. Iris and her Grammie own and operate a shop in which they sell antique and vintage linens, aprons, and other similar items. When Iris gets the chance to acquire beautiful linens for their shop, she jumps at the chance. Iris heads out to Shorehaven to meet with its quirky owner to view the linens. She also makes some new friends and becomes involved in researching vintage clothing. However, the clothing also yields a surprise and engages Iris and friends in a mystery. The death of a local student under suspicious circumstances also catches her attention.

This book includes several mysteries to solve, as well as a unique background, likeable characters, and a twisty plot line. I gathered new information about the vintage linens trade, and also found new characters to like. Readers who seek a clean read with an interesting plot will enjoy this novel.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Thread and Dead takes place during Blueberry Cove's annual Lobster Festival so there is lots of small town charm taking place. Add in a suspicious death, an unexpected vintage find, matters of the heart, and a group of girlfriends who will stop at nothing to solve the case and you've got a solid cozy mystery. This is shaping up to be a fun series!

Title: Thread and Dead

Author: Elizabeth Penney

Ch: 27

Pg: 288

Series: Apron Shop 2

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press



This is second book in the Apron Shop mystery series. Iris and her grandma have gotten their apron ship up and running in their Maine hometown when Iris finds herself involved in another murder mystery.


This is as a quick read. And I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series. I think it’s because the characters have been established and so has the characters and unlike the first book in series I didn’t guess the murderer so that was nice. I loved the small town Maine setting. It gave me all the small town feels. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. And anything else by the author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

A fun book to read with quirky characters. Enjoyed!
I received a free copy from the the publisher and Netgalley.