A Thread of Darkness is the second novel in A Queen Bees Quilt Shop Mystery series. A Thread of Darkness is easy to read and progresses at a nice pace. There is a good flow as the story moves from scene to scene. While A Thread of Darkness can be read alone, I recommend reading the series in order. It will help you to learn the characters and keep them straight. Po Paltrow, Kate Simpson, P.J. Flanigan, Maggie Helmers, Eleanor Canterbury, Phoebe Mellon, Max Elliott, and Selma Parker are in this charming cozy mystery. Po is the main protagonist. Po is an active woman in her 60s who is happy that her goddaughter, Kate has returned to Crestwood. Kate is settling into town and working as a substitute teacher. She has discovered a passion for photography and Kate is very talented. Kate is also dating P.J. Flanigan, a local police officer. The Crestwood Quilters are working on a quilt for The French Quarter, the new French restaurant in town that offers a mouthwatering bouillabaisse. The author continues to develop the characters. They are a friendly bunch who reach out to newcomers in town. The characters are relatable and the dialogue realistic. Crestwood is like other small towns with cozy shops and gossip runs faster than butter on a hot stack of pancakes. I like the authors vivid descriptions especially of the quilts. There are many cozy moments with quilting, cooking, coffee drinking, and eating. The mystery had a couple of suspects, good clues and misdirection. I like that there were various incidents after the initial murder. This action made the story more intriguing. However, I knew the identity of the victim, killer and patsy before the murder took place. A Thread of Darkness is a pleasing cozy mystery with an affable French chef, a fishy murder, rampant rumors, an applique quilt, and a group of curious quilters.

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