This is a fairly typical cozy set in a small Georgia town. My problem with this book is that I just didn’t like the main character, Lydia. She never took initiative to do anything and basically zoned out whenever she had to deal with a problem. I did like the scenes with her rescue cat, Baby Lobster.

This is a wonderful fun debut mystery in the new cozy series "A Measure Twice" by cozy author Maggie Bailey. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

Our protagnist is Lydia a talented seamtress who has moved to a small town in Georgia. She takes a job at a sewing shop and schedlues a date with a new man. The date does not go well and goes from bad to worse when Lydia finds his dead body. As primary suspect Lydia engages her friends to investigate the murder to save herself and her reputation in this small town. After another body is found in her store she is under further suspicion and must step up her investigating as the police do not believe her.

I like Lydia as a smart savvy protaganist who does not settle until she finds answers. She has a adorable smart cat that enjoyed reading about . I look forward to the next in series. Well done to the author ! A successful perfect first cozy debut.

Okay, this wasn’t the start I had expected, it was dull, and Lydia was too naive. Now, she has become the main suspect in the murder of her new neighbor, and with the mounting evidence against her, things were not looking good. Lydia couldn’t fathom why her new friends were trying to frame her. Putting Lydia’s naivete character aside, it was an entertaining puzzler.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Lydia is new to Peridot, Georgia, and is looking forward to a fresh start. She’s been hired at the local fabric store, has a place to live, is making friends and has even been set up on a blind date. When she stumbles upon the body of the man she had dinner with, the police put her name at the top of their list. To clear her name and save her reputation, she decides to figure out whodunnit – and why.

This is the first book in a new series by a new-to-me author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I used to sew occasionally, and I’ve enjoyed a couple of other cozies with a sewing theme, so I thought I’d take a chance on this book. All the talk about sewing patterns, and Lydia’s insistence on being called a ‘sewist’ were irritating. Apparently, I’m not serious enough about sewing to comprehend – or even care about – this level of detail.

I’m not very familiar with the geography of Georgia, but I’ve visited the Atlanta area a few times and remember the heat and humidity all too well, and I felt the stickiness as I read this book. It’s hard to imagine a town as small as this one being able to sustain the many shops and businesses mentioned here, but having a variety of shops allows the author to introduce characters with a variety of backgrounds and skillsets.

I liked most of the characters here, although some of them set my teeth on edge. Even Lydia, the MC, made me roll my eyes more than once, especially when her insecurities came through, but I hope the way this book ended will help her grow before the next book. I liked her willingness to adopt pets from a rescue, and loved the way Baby Lobster took to her immediately – although that is a *ridiculous name for a cat, even more so for one who shares a home with a dog named Charlie.

There didn’t seem to be many serious suspects for the murders in this story, but I was suspicious of one character and their backstory almost right away. I was right about the killer, but I would not have figured out the motive at all.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series, and getting better acquainted with Lydia, Fran, Heather and the rest.

Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey has newcomer Lydia Barnes trying to start anew in this small mountain town.

Can Lydia Barnes catch the real killer?

Lydia Barnes
Lydia Barnes finds herself at a time in her life when she needs a new start. See, Lydia is forty years old, a recent divorcee, and moving from a big city to a small town. Lydia has also made a career change from being a middle school English teacher to working at Measure Twice. She is also living above the shop. Lydia isn't quite ready to return to the dating scene and thought it was just a friendly get-together to make a new friend.
I feel like Lydia focused too much on her ex-husband and how he left her and that she went into her head a lot. I don't know if I would be friends with Lydia if I met her on the streets.

The Mystery
After walking her dog, Charlie, Lydia decided to head to Brandon's apartment to give him some brownies to help with his writing. She walks in and finds him murdered. Lydia is now trying to find out who the actual murderer is while trying to continue with her life. Well, it being Labor Day weekend doesn't help much. Lydia is searching for Brandon to see if anything in his life could have caused this. I have to say that I figured out who did it, but not the motive until all the clues line up. I thought the police officer's made-up motive for Lydia being the culprit was unreasonable and slightly ridiculous.

Four Stars
I am giving Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey four stars and a recommendation to anyone that likes to read cozy crafts and hobbies mysteries. Ms. Bailey does a good job of pointing the clues to the real murderer. I just caught who the killer was before the sleuth and had a hunch about why that person was doing it. Lydia, Charlie, and Baby Lobster are an interesting little family, that is for sure.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

Lydia Barnes is a sewist and comfort cook. She loves to make her own clothes and wants everyone to know what a wonderful hobby it is. Her home is now in the mountain town of Peridot, but until recently, she had lived with her ex-husband in Atlanta. A re-start is what she needs, and with her new friend, Fran, providing a job and place to live, what could possibly go wrong?

After a less than successful date with her new next-door neighbour, Lydia heads out to deliver some chocolate brownies and is horrified to find a dead body! Even worse, the murder weapon leads back to her, and the Sheriff sees Lydia as his chief suspect, especially after she discovers a second body with even stronger ties to her new life. Seeing killers around every corner, Lydia has no idea where to turn; Fran is distracted, and everyone seems to have their own theories about what happened. Needing to clear her name, Lydia begins her own investigation, but is she putting herself in danger of becoming Peridot's briefest resident?

The new Measure Twice Sewing mystery series gets off to a good start with a storyline which provides an interesting investigation alongside the introduction of a group of varied characters who promise much. Lydia isn't your usual main protagonist, instead she’s a mix of confidence, naivety, and overthinking, making her both endearing and annoying.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Crooked Lane Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this, and there is scope for some interesting mysteries in future books, which I will definitely be on the lookout for.

This story is jammed with all the for a brand new series. This takes place in a charming small town and has fun unique characters. The auther has a great attention for details and it great because it helps keeps the reader wanting more. Look forward to what is in store if they write more for this series

A very good first book in the series. Lydia Barnes is starting over when she moves to Peridot, Georgia after her failed marriage in Atlanta. Her friend Fran sets her up with Brandon Ivey who ends up being the murder victim. Fran also gives Lydia a job at Measure Twice, a fabric store, She also is considered a prime suspect in Brandon's murder since they had their disaster of a date on the evening he was killed.

This was a fun book to read. I love the pets and think all cozies need to have a cat or dog. I liked that I was able to understand the sewing terms even though I'm not a sewist. I'll definitely be reading the next in the series. .

Setting the Scene: When Lydia Barnes discovers her husband and her teaching assistant in her bed, she flees to Peridot, Georgia, where her new friend, Fran, offers her a job at her sewing shop, Twice Measured, and an apartment. Fran also sets her up on a date with Lydia's neighbor, Branden. The date is a dud, but when Lydia decides to take brownies to Branden as a friendly gesture, she discovers his body with a pair of the sewing shop's dress shears in his neck. Lydia becomes the prime suspect, and she sets out to try to clear her name.

What I Thought: Lydia is likeable enough, though dull and insecure, except when it comes to sewing. The other characters have potential, but except for Fran and Cynde, none are particularly likeable. I considered giving up on the book several times, but I persevered. Perhaps I wanted to discover whodunit; although, I figured that out fairly quickly. Perhaps the characters and the town very (very) slowly grew on me. It is true that they were all a bit more likeable, by the end, and there was a growing sense of camaraderie. Even so, I doubt that I will continue this series.

The story is great. I enjoyed the classic mystery elements and the setting of the story. Lots of twists and turns that held my attention throughout the book. There were some elements to it that could use some fine-tuning, mainly centered around character development. The main character was great and likable, but I feel they are missing something that will put this book over the bar. Overall, it was a good book to read, and I recommend it for long travels or relaxing days.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for the ARC.

I love the cover of this book. The storyline was fun! I liked the characters too. Maggie Bailey has a real winner in this book.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

For a first book in this new series, it was rather pleasant. It's a fast, easy read. I enjoyed it overall, especially all the references to the sowing, arts and craft. I'll be happy to continue reading it.
The one thing that felt off with this first plot was how the culprit was revealed. It was done completely out of the blue, with no real build up to it. To be fair, the main character didn't really investigate like what you see in other cozy mystery books. But, it sounded as though the writer wanted to finish it off quicker than anticipated. On the plus side, the motive for the murders was quite unusual.

The main character's life is my dream retirement plan (move to the mountains, run a fabric store, spend all my free time with my dog and cat and sewing), minus all the murders. The writing was not my favorite (a bit choppy, weird pacing) but it definitely hit the mark for maximum cozy murder mystery vibes and I flew through it because I enjoyed the descriptions of life in Peridot and all its characters so much!

Seams Deadly is the first book in the Measure Twice Sewing Mystery series. I really enjoyed the book and was rooting for the main character, Lydia. She’s starting over in a new town, apartment, and job. Based on why she moved and her recent bad experiences with her ex-husband, she’s got some confidence issues. To me, that just made her seem very real.

Her next-door neighbor is murdered (she just went on a sort-of date with him) and she is a suspect. While she is trying to learn anything she can to help clear her name, she is also trying to make new friends. She has a cute dog and she kindly decides to adopt a cat at the local shelter. She has some unique neighbors that bring a lot of funny situations. She’s working at a fabric store and there is lots of talk about patterns and sewing, which I enjoyed reading about. I thought it was a really good book and I liked Lydia a lot. She seems so kind hearted and is trying to get her life back on track – the way she wants it to be. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this wonderful ARC. I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I will post this review to my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, & Amazon accounts on the publication date, 9/5/23.

Lydia is set up by her friend Fran with the intriguing Brandon Ivey. Lydia is hopeful and excited to begin dating him until the date ends up a disaster... But it was bad enough without having to find Brandon's body hours later.....

Now of course. Lydia is the main suspect and she has to figure out who killed Brandon while also trying to prove her own innocence...

A cosy mystery that is sure to be a page turner!

This book is fine. I read the whole thing. I thought it could use a better editor. The Christian parts are really weirdly sprinkled in? The characterization is really uneven. The main character is a constant victim and I don’t think she actually has any friends. I just thought it was really weak.

A very cute first book in this series. I felt so bad for Fran and Lydia especially. She's new to town, fresh from personal trauma and now this?

I wish she was a little more confident in herself but I understand that, if I was in her shoes, I'd probably be feeling the same way.

I absolutely love Charlie and Baby Lobster, although let's hope the author let's Lydia change her name to something else lol. Something warrior related.

Anyway, I liked the town of Peridot, seams like a lot of nice people. I was happy to know that so many of them loved Lydia. I just wish Lydia could've seen it sooner.

Sometimes it's more about what people than what they say. I think the next book in the series is going to be very interesting with how the ending turned out.

I absolutely recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers, and Maggie Bailey for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and completely honest.

I gave Seams Deadly by Maggie Bailey 3 stars

Lydia Barnes is excited for a fresh start when she moves to the quaint mountain town of Peridot, Georgia. Her friend, Fran, offers her a job at the Measure Twice fabric store and even sets her up on a date with the handsome Brandon Ivey, who also happens to be Lydia’s new next-door neighbor. Finally, things are looking up. But after a disaster first date that ends with a fist bump instead of a kiss, Lydia doesn’t think her night can get any worse. She’s soon proven wrong when she later stumbles upon Brandon’s dead body.

Considered the prime suspect by the police, Lydia calls on her friends to help her hunt for the truth and prove her innocence. But when another body is soon found inside the Measure Twice store, Lydia knows that the killer must be close by, and that this town has more than its fair share of secrets.

-------- REVIEW --------
The first in a new series. I could tell that the author really knew a lot about sewing. Even if I don't do it myself, it was fun to read about. There were also some fun characters in this book, and I loved the cat companion.

However, I could not give this book higher than a weak three-star score because the mystery didn't really involve any sleuthing. It felt like Lydia just walked around and different people gave her some information without her even asking for it. The ending was also very boring, because it came out of nowhere, and then it was finished just like that. I also didn't really like the main character, she felt too scared and naive to be a sleuth.

There was also some repetition of words and sentences that made me focus less on the story and more on how the book was written. For example, on the first page, the word "nice" is written 6 times in the first 8 sentences.

This book comes out Sept 5.

Thank you, Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsqwR20r1bP/

First book in the series A Measure Twice Sewing mystery series. When seamstress Lydia Barnes finds a dead body soon after moving to a new town, she will need more than shear luck to find the killer.

Deadly first dates are never easy. I feel as if I read another book like this or watched a movie but it seemed so familiar and I can’t pin point it at all. But this was a great mystery and a great first book in a series. Can’t wait to read the books that will follow.

Thank you NetGalley, Maggie Bailey , and Cooked Lane Books for allowing me to read the ARC of Seams Deadly due to be published September 5th 2023.

I received this book for free for an honest review from Netgalley.

Such a cute cozy mystery with an awesome setting and really interesting characters and personalities.