A culinary/craft mystery with a touch of romance
After a fiasco at her new job, Abby Chandler returns to a place of safety, her Aunt Sarah’s. With her head spinning, she is trying to figure out her next move. Sarah welcomes her and wants her to stay, but her self esteem is destroyed and she doesn’t know what to do.
Deciding to stay and help, she becomes embroiled in a murder/not murder investigation and is drawn into the rhythm of the townspeople. Ms. Howell weaves a fast moving believable tale with family, intrigue and a bit of romance.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion freely. I highly recommend to any cozy lover.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington books for this ARC.

5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the 1st book in a new series by Dorothy Howel. I loved meeting Abbey and the people in Hideaway Grove. Abbey flees to Hideaway to stay with her Aunt Sarah after an incident with her job and other personal issues jas her life in chaos. How many of us just want to be able to jump in our cars and "run away" when life gets out of control! I admired the fact that Abbey didn't just climb into bed and eat all the goodies that her Aunt Sarah bakes in her shop once she arrived in Hideaway. Granted she didn't have a chance since a murder occured right outside her Aunt's bakery soon after her arrival. What a welcome back?! One of the things that I truly enjoyed was that Abbey would just spend her summers there when she was young so it wasn't her "hometown" so I felt like as I was meeting the characters, she was also meeting them. I really felt like that I was next to Abbey as she tried to solve the murder, get reacquainted/meet new people, assist with the town's fair, and relearn to sew. I really don't want to say much since I don't want to give away much, I will say that one of Abbey's new friends is a good looking deputy, need I say more? . I can't wait to visit Abbey and Hideaway Grove again. Yes that is a hint for another book in this series!!

I enjoyed this book. It doesn’t have a lot of investigating going on but it gets there in the end. The characters are great. It’s a fast read. #SeamsLikeMurder #NetGalley

Seems Like Murder is the first book in a new cozy series, and I’m absolutely looking forward to reading more!

Abby’s had a bit of a streak of bad luck so she leaves LA to go to visit her aunt in quiet Hideaway Grove. When the local librarian is killed, Abby gets the blame for that along with a string of other incidents that have occurred in the past few days since Abby’s arrival in town. In the meantime, Abby starts looking into who the killer really is and she manages to get roped into a charity project invoking.,,you guessed it, sewing, something that Abby has no idea what she’s doing.

As usual with book one in a cozy series, it’s not super fast paced but it gives nice details to flesh out these characters and the setting. I really liked Abby and I thought the mystery was well written with a few surprises. Hideaway Grove is a cute town and we get a look at who Abby’s future romance probably will be. I’m looking forward to continuing this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book! I loved the idea of the sewing room in the bakery, and I found all the characters to be quite charming.
Poor Abbey is having a run of bad luck, and it seems her luck may have run out! The police chief puts her at the top of his suspect list when the local librarian is deliberately run down, and Abbey knows she has to find the truth.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this fun, new series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#SeamsLikeMurder #NetGalley

Twenty-four-year-old Abbey Chandler is on admin leave from her marketing job after her controlling, take credit for everything, supervisor publicly humiliates her. She is also about to get evicted and decides to go visit her Aunt Sarah, a bakery owner, in Hideaway Grove, California. Abbey has fond memories of her aunt and Sarah welcomes her with open arms. Unfortunately, Abbeys streak of bad luck continues when the local librarian is killed or accidentally killed in a hit and run witnessed by someone considered unreliable. When the rather dense, single minded Sheriff Grumman decides Abbey is the cause of the accident and the break ins and vandalism within a few days of her arrival, Abbey decides she must clear her name herself. Zach McKenna, the handsome but almost obnoxious deputy, warns her off, but as she reacquaints herself with the residents she knew and liked as a child, she cannot help herself. Meanwhile, back in LA her coworker and friend lets her know her supervisor is being investigated by HR for creating a hostile work environment and her admin leave may end soon. Trying to be useful she takes on a sewing project for a friend of her aunts who has been away taking care of her sick daughter and also accepts a fundraising chair position for the upcoming very financially important arts and crafts fair. This is the first in a new series and many of the characters are worth a sequel, but I knew who the killer was pretty quickly, which I am embarrassed to say, doesn't happen often. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

small-business, small-town, charity, sewing, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, romantic, relatives, new-series, new-skills, cozy-mystery, murder, murder-investigation, friendship****

Abbey's job in LA tanks suddenly and she abruptly moves to the small town where she visited her aunt as a child. On the first day, they find the body of the new librarian after a hit and run. Abbey's car is impounded as suspect, she meets the hunky deputy, and the sleuthing begins. Looks like a good start to a new series!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books/Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you

I absolutely love cozy mysteries and "Seams Like Murder" was a wonderful addition to the genre. Great read!

Abbey's life in LA appears to have gone up in smoke, so she retreats to her aunts house, hoping for hoped for peace and quiet. Unfortunately she has nearly arrived when a local librarian is run down. A cute beginning to a new series.

Seams Like Murder by Dorothy Howell is a great cozy mystery that is the first in a new series: A Sewing Studio Mystery. I am definitely excited about this series.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I really enjoyed it. Cozy mysteries are one of my all-time favorite genres, and I especially like it when I find a new series. I really enjoyed this first installment and am very excited to see where this one will go and how it will develop in the future.

The theme for this one is, you guessed it, sewing. It is cute, engaging, and addictive with the wonderful cast of characters, cute backdrop of Hideaway Grove, and a murder/mystery to go along with it. I also like Abbey (the MC), and I can’t wait to see what she gets roped into next.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/27/22.

Seams Like Murder by Dorothy Howell (A Sewing Studio Mystery #1) 3.5 stars

Dorothy Howell, the author of the Haley Randolph Mysteries has started a new cozy mystery series. Abbey Chandler is looking for a new start from her LA job implosion. She goes to find refuge with her Aunt Sarah in Hideaway Grove. There is a commotion near her aunt’s shop and the new head librarian is on the ground, the victim of a hit-and-run. Even though she has an alibi for the hit and run, the local sheriff impounds her car because of a dent on her fender. Abbey decides the fastest way to get her car back is to solve the hit and run. Abbey has to dig into the past of the librarian to find who had a motive to flatten her.

This is the first book in an ongoing series, so there will have to be the initial setup of characters and circumstances. I found the book interesting, but not riveting. I think this series will improve since the foundation has been built. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

Cozy mysteries are my comfort reads and I'm always on the lookout for new authors to try! Well, I think I found a new favorite because Dorothy Howell has written a fantastic mystery here! Seams Like Murder is perfect for those who enjoy cozy mysteries that center around hobbies (sewing in this case)!

Abbey has moved back to stay with her grandmother after losing her job. Good small town cozy mystery. Detective work by snooping, sexy cop, fun read. Would recommend.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Kensington Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Engaging tale I found delightful to read. The characters were enjoyable, story was entertaining and believable. A perfect cozy mystery.