Quilt or Innocence by Elizabeth Craig is the first in the Southern Quilting Mystery series. Beatrice Coleman has retired from her career as a folk art curator and moved to Dapple Hills, North Carolina, to be close to her daughter, Piper. Just as she is getting settled in, she is dragged by a slightly strange woman to a barn next door. The woman is Meadow Downey, wife of the local sheriff, and the Village Quilters Guild president, who decides that Beatrice is just the person they need in their guild.
One of the members of the guild is Posy, who owns a quilt shop in town. She is afraid she will have to close the shop, because Judith, the owner of the building and also a quilter, wants to raise the rent quite a bit. Judith is not a popular person in town, and this just adds to the people who don't like her. When she is found dead, murdered, there are a lot of suspects, including Posy. Beatrice becomes involved in trying to solve the murder, and finds herself in several uncomfortable situations.
Kooky characters, dogs, quilting and a murder. What else could you ask for in a cozy mystery? Really enjoyed learning about the characters, and liked the plot.
The second in the series is Knot What It Seams. Meadow Downey, president of the Village Quilters, is worried about dwindling membership, and talks Beatrice into helping her to get Jo Paxton to join their group. Jo is a quilt show judge, and wonderful quilter. It's too bad she isn't a wonderful person. She uses her job as a mail carrier to find out secrets about everyone, and causes trouble wherever she goes.
When her car crashes during a storm, it is first thought to be an accident, but then it is discovered that the brake lines were cut. Beatrice once again gets involved in trying to solve the mystery.
Quilt Trip by Elizabeth Craig is the third in the Southern Quilting Mystery series. In this story, Beatrice accompanies Meadow, Posy, and Miss Sissy to a meeting being held at a Victorian mansion in the mountains owned by Muriel Starnes. Muriel has requested several people representing various quilt guilds to come to her home because she wants to start a foundation to teach quilting to young people in the area. Unfortunately, Beatrice discovers that the Village Quilters had not received an invitation to this meeting, but Meadow is sure it was merely an oversight, and wants the Village Quilters to run the foundation.
Even though they were unexpected, Muriel welcomes them to the meeting. After the meeting, they find that the storm that had started as they arrived has turned the long, steep driveway into a sheet of ice, and it is impossible for anyone to leave. Muriel lets everyone stay over, and but during the night Muriel dies. Almost everyone is sure it was natural causes, except for Beatrice, who fears it is murder.
Beatrice is proved right, and she and the other Village Quilters try to solve the mystery while trapped in the mansion with the other quilters and Muriel's lawyer, one of whom is the murderer.
Looking forward to other books in this lighthearted series.
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