Threads of Truth

Patchwork #7

by Kristin Eckhardt

"Sewing up loose threads is her specialty..."

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

281 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Kristin Eckhardt
aka
Kristin Gabriel

Kristin Eckhardt is the author of more than thirty-five books, including fourteen for Guideposts. She's won two national awards for her writing, and her first book was made into a TV movie. She and her husband have three children and live in central Nebraska. Kristin enjoys baking, reading and spending time with her family.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting ‘locked room’ mystery. Sarah and her two granddaughters travel to a country inn while she attends. Quilting workshop. A big snowstorm makes it impossible for anyone to leave the inn. The first morning they wake up their is a big mess and blood, plus the owner is missing. With everyone suspecting each other they try to find out where the owner went and who did it.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished 2/12/14
4 1/2 stars
Sarah and her twin granddaughters travel to an inn for a weekend quilt convention. Due to a bad winter storm, they're trapped inside for the weekend, along with several other guest. When the owner of the inn goes missing, and a huge blood stain is found on the floor of the library, everyone is a suspect. Can Sarah piece together the clues of what's going on before the storm lets up and everyone leaves?

This book was an interesting mystery, sort of a who done it reminding me of Clue.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I love these mysteries. Seems as if everyone in the story has a motive. This makes it harder to settle on the real murder. But as always, Sarah seems to pick out little weird things about most of them. Just another quick enjoyable read.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half stars rounded up to three to be nice because I like the series.

This #7 in the Patchwork Series is definitely not my favorite so far. The plot is a tired old trope -- a group of people snowed in with no phone and one of them goes missing under suspicious circumstances. Everyone suspects everyone else, excepting the three children. Although the twins, if they ever stopped squabbling and worked as a team, might have pulled it off.

The little that there was about quilts was interesting but it was very little and there was no actual quilting.

Baby Bella is described as 6 months old (page 209) but has been sitting at the table and eating the same breakfast as the adults (page 157). None of the children I know were that precocious. She also has colic. Well, no wonder.

page 214 Aluminum doesn't rust. Rust happens to iron and steel. Aluminum is prone to corrosion, which is aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide is a very hard material that actually coats the aluminum and can protect it from further corrosion for quite a long time. It might come off as flakes or white dust but it is odorless.

[Jacquie Stricklind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah and her granddaughters, Audrey and Amy are going to a quilting workshop, they decide to stay at a country inn. When they get there there is a blizzard. The next morning the inn keeper, Patrick is missing and there is blood on a rug in the main room. Because of the blizzard, Sarah and the other guests can not leave, and there is no cell or landline phone service. Sarah suspects everyone and decides to find Patrick. Along the way, she finds out that one of the guests, is Patrick's long lost daughter. There are some twists and turns and the reader will be surprised to find out what happened to Patrick.

[Darlene Torday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this modern but old-fashioned mystery. Sarah and her twin granddaughters arrive at the inn only to be snowed in and the owner missing the next morning. Which of the guests are guilty and of what? You'll have to read the book to find the answer.

[Millie Dearden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series but this is probably my least favorite so far.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy, enjoyable read that is part of a series by different authors, but same amateur sleuth who also restores old quilts.

[Sharyl Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good plot twist- I like how the writer weaves the quilt themes into the mystery. Very good book.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!

[Stevie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read while on the train . Story takes place with Hartford Ct. So close to home

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 7 in the Patchwork mystery series definitely takes a different approach from the previous books. Sarah Hart, professional quilt restorer, and her twin granddaughters, Amy and Aundrey, have headed out of town for a Quilt Conference and are staying at the Red Clover Inn out in the country. Each room in the inn is decorated to coordinate with a particular quilt made by the owner's grandmother. They mystery begins the morning after they arrive when the owner is missing, the parlor rug is drenched in blood, and the parlor has been tossed. As if that isn't enough, a blizzard strikes and those staying at the end can't get out and the police can't be contacted or get in. Eckardht throws enough clues around that every single person staying at the inn including Sarah and excepting her granddaughters is a suspect. Lots of twists and turns with a cast of unique characters puts Sarah and her granddaughters through their paces before a last minute solution falls in place.

I really liked this particular book from the Patchwork mystery series as it was very different from the previous books I had read in this series. Each can be read as a standalone. Even though the main character and several minor characters remain the same, the books are written by a variety of Christian authors so designed to be read by themselves.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie story where a bunch of guests at a mansion , hotel etc all wake to find someone murdered and realize the killer is one of them. The difference here is this is a book rated for "everyone" so instead of a murder the innkeeper is missing and hurt. Sarah and her grand daughters go on a trip to CT and stay at a historic Inn. In the morning they wake to a scream and discover the parlor had been ransacked and there is blood on the floor. The Inn Keeper is also missing and a snow storm has trapped them all in. They quickly realize that the guilty party has to be one of them. -- Kristin Eckhardt is also the author of the first book, Family Patterns, which I really enjoyed. This book was full of action and I read it really fast.

I have to admit, when I first read the summary I was annoyed because I have seen so many tv shows and movies and read books like this and it gets old. I actually had to make myself read the first chapter just to see how this was going to be different. I ended up not being able to put the book down and finished it in one sitting. This book was so full of action and I found it so much more interesting than book 6 which I had just finished. Unlike that book I didn't figure everything out well before the end. I had some ideas but I was still surprised. I will most likely be looking up other books by this author.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Patchwork Mystery #7 featuring widowed 60-ish Sarah Hart, who is an expert at restoring heirloom quilts. This was my favorite one so far.

This book contained the classic mystery with a twist- Sarah and her twin granddaughters are stranded at a country inn in a raging blizzard. When the innkeeper goes missing Sarah put on her thinking cap to investigate the other people at the Inn with her. With phone service out, electricity out, and a generator that only allows enough fuel to keep it on several hours a day, creepy things keep happening. Who is the perpetrator? Everyone there has an agenda and a motive. Then Sarah becomes the target for the attacks before she finally figures it all out. And yes, old quilts do play a big part in this story, as usual.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is number 7 in Guideposts Patchwork Mysteries. This one really doesn't have much quilting information (not like the others). I'm not a quilter so I don't read them for that but if you do you may be disappointed. Also, this is the first one that really has some violence in it. A bit of a departure for the series. However, it did keep me reading until the wee hours of the morning.

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was Guidepost's Patchwork Mysteries #7(?) that I've read & this was my least favorite. Sarah & her granddaughters get snowed into a quaint inn & sure enough, a mystery ensues when the guests find a blood-stained rug in a disheveled parlor and that the innkeeper is missing. If I had wanted to play the game of Clue, I would have.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery was good, but the quilts played a minor part. This is a big disappointment for me. The first four books in this series were mysteries based on a quilt. The last two have not been that way. This mystery was cover-up, hidden agendas, and deception.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my favorite of the series so far. Very suspenseful. I enjoy how light these books are as they are quick and fun to read. They keep me wanting more as well letting me really enjoy the characters.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a murder mystery? A bit like an Agatha Christie, this one has just Sarah and her two granddaughters, Amy & Audrey, visiting an Inn for the weekend. Unfortunately, they get snowed in.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different tone of book than the other in the patchwork series. Still and enjoyable read!