{I've Been Reading} Thread and Dead

Thread and Dead by Elizabeth Penney

The second book in the Apron Shop series has everything I love about cozy mysteries. When Iris is invited to visit a reclusive spinster to purchase some antique linens, she immediately adores the older woman and so did I. Eleanor Brady is adorable, and seemingly vulnerable to her nasty nephew. She's also got questions about how her mother, a housemaid, left behind a trunk filled with vintage Chanel. Iris is happy to help her research the family history and she's also pulled into a murder investigation when one of the environmentalists who was renting rooms from Iris for the summer is found dead on nearby cliffs.

Between the murder mystery, the antique linens, and a very entertaining cardboard boat race, I raced through this one.



Crewel  and Unusual by Molly MacRae

Here's another cozy mystery that will make you fall in love with antique linens. I've never seen needlework like the rare antique table cloth that Belinda has for sale in her shop, but I definitely want to...and Molly MacRae's vivid descriptions make me feel almost like I have seen it. Textile expert Kath Rutledge falls in love with the exquisitely stitched piece, but she barely gets a chance to examine it because accusations are flying between rival shop owners. Nervie and Belinda are both calling the other's merchandise fakes and copies and worse. Then Belinda is found dead in her shop, stabbed with a pair of scissors from the shop that Kath owns. With needlework and knitting and a helpful ghost, this one is all kinds of fun.

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. This post contains affiliate links.