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Knot In My Backyard
(A Quilting Mystery #2)
by
A diamond brocade patter is more quilter Martha Rose's style than a baseball diamond - especially when it comes to the new eyesore of a stadium ruining her lovely San Fernando Valley neighbourhood. Martha doesn't know a bunt from a bundt cake, but when she stumbles upon the battered body of baseball coach Dax Martin, she doesn't need a scorecard to know it's foul play. LAP
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Start your review of Knot In My Backyard (A Quilting Mystery, #2)
Martha Rose’s neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California used to be peaceful and quiet until a local private school built a baseball stadium in the open space that used to boarder her street. She and her neighbors have tried to fight it, even after it was built, but no one is willing to listen to them. While out for a walk one morning, Martha finds the dead body of Dax Martin, the school’s baseball couch. The police begin to quickly focus on her neighbor Ed Pappas, who had a
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
I liked Martha Rose the minute I met her in Forget Me Knot, the first book in this series. I can relate because I am 50ish, overweight, love food, hate to cook and a horrible failure when it comes to dieting. This time she gets herself in trouble just by taking a walk. She knows she needs to be more active but finding a dead body just a few minutes from her house may make her reconsider the whole exercise thing.
The police of course determine that Martha’s neighbor is the kille ...more
I loved the first book in this series, and for that reason am giving this one 3-stars rather than the lower rating it probably deserves. The mystery was a good one, but Martha's actions too often were just unbelievable. Without giving too much away, she does one thing that is SO stupid and ends up getting a favorite character gravely injured that I nearly threw the book across the room! She pulls some other stunts, but this one is the worst. Then there is the "triangle" that has developed. Don't
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Mar 04, 2018
Meg
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2018,
on-kindle-read
As with the first in this series I found this one well written and an easy read. More of the Jewish aspects of the main character came out in this one, and I enjoyed reading about them and learning a few expressions and words. There are a couple things that did bother me, though. One, jumping to conclusions in the midst of being smart and organized. Two, the tendency to ignore the "it ain't over 'til it's over" directive; comes off as naive and foolish. Note that my take is that this series does
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Any fan of FORGET ME KNOT, the first book by author Mary Marks, in this Quilters Mystery series, is sure to be a fan of
KNOT IN MY BACK YARD.
Ms. Marks pens this story with the same enthusiasm as the first title.
Protagonist Martha is back, as are her quilting buddies, Lucy and Birdie. These characters continue to be fleshed out as the author spends more time with them.
The mystery aspect of the story is well done and will keep most guessing until the “whodunit” it revealed.
Mixed with the mystery i ...more
KNOT IN MY BACK YARD.
Ms. Marks pens this story with the same enthusiasm as the first title.
Protagonist Martha is back, as are her quilting buddies, Lucy and Birdie. These characters continue to be fleshed out as the author spends more time with them.
The mystery aspect of the story is well done and will keep most guessing until the “whodunit” it revealed.
Mixed with the mystery i ...more
The second book in the Quilting Mysteries series. New characters have been added. Crusher aka Yosyi, Valley Eagles, Sonia and others. Martha finds the bloody body of the baseball high school coach behind the ball field. Martha is helping a neighbor with defense of a murder charge. Her actions injured Arthur and Arlo is furious and breaks off with her. Crusher, motorcyclist and his gang takes over protecting Martha. There are several twists in this book that will keep you interested. The ending i
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This is the second book in the Quilting Mysteries series by Marky Marks. It features Martha Rose and her friends, Lucy and Birdie. I enjoy seeing these older characters enjoying life and solving crimes. This book also includes a new romantic interest for Martha in Crusher, Yossi Levy, an ex-con, motorcycle rider and his friends from the Valley Eagles. When Martha decides she needs to lose weight for her boyfriend and detective Arlo Beavers she buys new tennis shoes to go walking every day. This
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Martha has decided that her clothes are getting a touch too snug and so she has embarked on Weight Watchers and a walking regime, at least that is the plan! It all starts so well with a nice healthy breakfast, but part of the way through her walk she stumbles across a dead body, the dead body of someone she knows and isn't that keen on. With a friend of hers in the frame for the murder Martha makes sure that all the pieces are patched together and the right person made to pay.
Add in a major argu ...more
Add in a major argu ...more
Very much enjoyed this second one, the story and events made me want to keep reading. Martha is very rarely still as she solves the problem. And now I want to read on because will it be Yossi or Arlo? Again love the quilting details, the dirty politics and the highlight on homelessness and immigrants.
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My first Mary Marks read and i so enjoyed it. As a quilter, i actually undersood the quilt terms...
A great little mystery with a cast of great characters. If you quilt, read. If you don't quilt, start! LOL! Either way, you will enjoy this read... ...more
A great little mystery with a cast of great characters. If you quilt, read. If you don't quilt, start! LOL! Either way, you will enjoy this read... ...more
The main character of the series is a 55 year old woman who lives in San Fernando Valley. She is dating a police detective but there are trust problems in the relationship. A friend of Martha Rose seems to be the prime suspect in the killing a high school baseball coach. Martha does whatever it takes to find the real killer. The book was an easy read.
Martha Rose is in her 50's, divorced, and an avid quilter. I the prior book (this is book 2 in the series) she found a dead body, got tossed in jail, and after started dating the lead detective. In this one, Martha has joined Weight Watchers and is on a walk when yet again, she finds a dead body. It's the coach from the school baseball team, and there are no shortage of suspects but the police focus on one of Martha's neighbors. Martha knows in her heart that he is innocent, and begins meddling
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I enjoyed reading a mystery with a strong-willed woman who is middle-aged (55), a bit overweight, and when the police hone in on one of her friends, is determined enough to prove them wrong. Martha is quite spunky for a quilter and enlists the help of her friends to help the homeless, albeit with an ulterior motive. That is, to find two people who may have witnessed a murder. The plot has quite a few surprises. The biggest one being that she and Arlo, her detective boyfriend, have a falling out.
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Motorcycles and More
The second book in the Quilting Mysteries series. New characters have been added. Crusher aka Yosyi, Valley Eagles, Sonia and others. Martha finds the bloody body of the baseball high school coach behind the ball field. Martha is helping a neighbor with defense of a murder charge. Her actions injured Arthur and Arlo is furious and breaks off with her. Crusher, motorcyclist and his gang takes over protecting Martha. There are several twists in this book that will keep you inte ...more
The second book in the Quilting Mysteries series. New characters have been added. Crusher aka Yosyi, Valley Eagles, Sonia and others. Martha finds the bloody body of the baseball high school coach behind the ball field. Martha is helping a neighbor with defense of a murder charge. Her actions injured Arthur and Arlo is furious and breaks off with her. Crusher, motorcyclist and his gang takes over protecting Martha. There are several twists in this book that will keep you inte ...more
Exciting Story
I am a big fan of this quirky series. The diversity of the characters makes it an interesting read.
Martha is a fun character and her tangled love life gets in even more of a mess when she and Arlo disagree over an investigation.
I am a big fan of this quirky series. The diversity of the characters makes it an interesting read.
Martha is a fun character and her tangled love life gets in even more of a mess when she and Arlo disagree over an investigation.
Oh boy...I really do not like the main character here. She was selfish, made stupid and infuriating decisions and was generally not likeable at all! I don't know if I will be reading the other books in this series after this one.
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A brilliant 2nd book in this great cozy mystery series with 3 friends who are quilters, one of them gets herself into scrapes when murders occur and she has to find the real murderer because the police have their sights set on someone else!
Martha, Lucy and Birdie, the 3 quilters are involved this time because Martha finds the body of the local private schools coach, the police arrest a neighbour and good friend of Martha's, Ed; Martha has to find the murderer fast!
There's a new love interest too ...more
Martha, Lucy and Birdie, the 3 quilters are involved this time because Martha finds the body of the local private schools coach, the police arrest a neighbour and good friend of Martha's, Ed; Martha has to find the murderer fast!
There's a new love interest too ...more
So while looking for mystery I remembered reading the first book to the series and was curious to what was gonna happen next. I have to say I really like my thought her even though she is a grandma type her personality makes me think of her as much younger. I love the friendship between Martha Lucy and Birdie.
In this series Martha find another dead body and it belongs to a high school coach for baseball. Due to her finding bodies and wanting to solve the crime Martha and beaver split up. Now sh ...more
In this series Martha find another dead body and it belongs to a high school coach for baseball. Due to her finding bodies and wanting to solve the crime Martha and beaver split up. Now sh ...more
I really like this series — these books seem to have more depth than the average cozy mystery, often tackling difficult issues, in this case homelessness and illegal aliens. Martha has joined Weight Watchers, so is going for an early morning walk when she discovers a dead body. And it is not a stranger. Instead it's the baseball coach from the prestigious private school that recently erected a (possibly illegal) stadium in a park behind Martha's house. When another neighbor, who had known issues
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A middle aged divorcee in southern California (plus she's Jewish) finds that she has a knack for crime solving. She also is a bit overweight but is pursued by a biker as well as a police detective. She has the smarts to know that she can handle things herself but she does get by with a little help from her friends. The quilting tidbit comes from the group she belongs to in her neighborhood. Quilting tips included in the book!
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This installment of the "Knot" cozy mysteries has a real current affairs development. It changes the tenor of one of the characters. Birdie's revelation of her past instantly pushes her into a three dimensional personality. One hopes that the author will develop the other characters also. I'm enjoying these cozy mysteries enough to keep reading the series. The "Oldsters" are beginning to be fleshed out and the unbelievable plots are fun rather than scary.
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A frustratingly, cozy read
The actual mystery part of the story was a little flat but in the end I didn't predict who the actual killer was. That was a surprise. The frustrating part was the main characters insistence to put herself in dangerous situations and how she handles the drama of her love life. I wanted to reach in and smack her! ...more
The actual mystery part of the story was a little flat but in the end I didn't predict who the actual killer was. That was a surprise. The frustrating part was the main characters insistence to put herself in dangerous situations and how she handles the drama of her love life. I wanted to reach in and smack her! ...more
Once again this book captured my attention and I guessed the wrong person as the killer. These characters have become very important to me and I am happy to see another story coming out next month. I have read 4 of the 5 books she currently has out now. Can't wait to read the next two! They are fun and light reads. I really enjoyed this one.
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I am really enjoying this series! This the second book is even better than the first. This series is meatier than most cozies with some real serious issues and bad guys. You have to love Martha and her posse though, the ladies never give up and Martha definitely has a talent for getting to the bottom of things.
Oct 01, 2019
Mary Newcomb
added it
This mystery touches on issues of homelessness, public lands, privilege, quilting, romance, murder and more. And it does so thorough the eyes of the intrepid Martha Rose. She is divorced, struggles with some health issues and attracts some interesting men. An easy read from a series I will continue to follow.
Another Hit
Once more i loved the intrigue of Mary Marks' writing. Granted I would have been happier without the repetition of details about the main character but probably this is for those who never read her first book in the series. I love all the characters as they flow in these books. Plus I am kept in suspense until the end. And now on to book three! ...more
Once more i loved the intrigue of Mary Marks' writing. Granted I would have been happier without the repetition of details about the main character but probably this is for those who never read her first book in the series. I love all the characters as they flow in these books. Plus I am kept in suspense until the end. And now on to book three! ...more
Apr 12, 2020
Diana
added it
this the second book in the Quilting Mystery series. I really enjoy this series, because the main character and her friends are older ladies. I love how these books show that these women are vital and active, have interesting lives. This book had a great mystery and a personal dilemma. All the information on quilting is also really interesting. This is a series I'll keep reading.
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Martha is out for a walk when she stumbled on the body of the games master from the posh school round the corner, Her neighbour Ed is accused of they murder, Can Martha and his friends cycle group he belongs to find out what really happened or will Ed go to prison.
Book 2 in the series was better than Book 1, so I'm going to give Book 3 a shot! The issue isn't the plot or the writing, it's that 70 year old women don't really do what these women do..it's a bit of a stretch, but it's an enjoyable read.
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Mary Marks became an award-winning quilter after an early retirement from her job in administration on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles. After twelve years of sewing twenty four/seven, she came up for a breath and started writing about some of the nearly one hundred quilts she’d created.
Then the writing bug bit her. She was off to the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program for class ...more
Then the writing bug bit her. She was off to the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program for class ...more
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A Quilting Mystery
(9 books)
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