Scraps of Evidence by Barbara Cameron (Quilts of Love Series) Litfuse Blog Tour

Scraps of Evidence : Tess has taken some ribbing from her fellow officer, Logan,for her quilting hobby. He finds it hard to align the brisk professional officer he patrols with during the day with the one who quilts in her off-time. Besides, he's been trying to get to know her better and he'd like to be seeing her during those couple nights a week she spends with her quilting guild.

Then one afternoon Tess and Logan visit her aunt in the nursing home and she acts agitated when Tess covers her with the story quilt. Aunt Kathy seems to be communicating a message to them about Tess's uncle. There's a story behind this quilt, they realize, one that may lead them to a serial killer. Will they have a chance to have a future together or will the killer choose Tess for his next victim before they find him?

 

Barbara Cameron is the CBD, CBA, and  ECPA bestselling author of 24 books including the new Stitches in Times series for Abingdon Press. Barbara has written fiction and non-fiction books for  Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Harlequin, and other publishers. She sold three films to HBO/Cinemax and is the first winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Barbara's first two novellas won the 2nd and 3rd place in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest from the Faith, Love, and Hope chapter of  RWA. Both were finalists for the novella category of the Carol Award of the American Christian Writers Award (ACFW).

Learn more at: http://barbaracameron.com

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http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/scraps-of-evidence-barbara-cameron

 

 

My thoughts:  I really enjoy the books in this series.  It is nice how they show that quilters as women who also have tough and challenging jobs.  Tess has just made detective and has been paired with a veteran detective from Chicago.  Logan has moved to sunny Florida to attempt to start living again after the death of his best friend from cancer.  The two try to avoid their attraction to each other in a desire to stay professional, but it is there nonetheless.

 

I liked the mystery aspect, though I have to admit that I figured out very early on who the murderer was.  Even being ninety percent sure I had the killer figured out, I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story.  The evidence the duo gathers and digs up about the connected murders and the spark that draws them together.

 

I feel like some of this book must have been edited out, perhaps to fit within page constraints, and some of the evidence and ideas were  not fully followed through on.  Tess gets sick after a picnic one day from what seems like some sort of drug or poison and she worries about the Tupperware it was in and returning it to the owner and then it is just forgotten.  I think if it had been returned some clues would have been raised about how the food was tainted.  The first victim in St. Augustine is Tess's best friend Sam.  On the night of their prom Sam and Tess first start out with dates who are twin brothers with the last name Johnson, but then two chapters later  Sam's date is Wendell Hendricksons, her high school boyfriend.   They know the possible killer who was in one woman's home was scratched by a cat, but no one acts suspusious when one of the characters has scratches on his hand.

 

That said, it was an enjoyable read that had me turning pages to see how the two were going to find the serial killer.  It also had me thinking of the TV show Dexter because it is also set in Florida and had serial killers.




About Quilts of Love: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family histories. A new book releases each month and features contemporary and historical romances as well as women's fiction and the occasional light mystery. You will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.