What do you think?
Rate this book
Vineyard Quilt Mysteries #2
Pattern of Betrayal
Murder checks in. When Julie Ellis traded her high stress life as an antiquities bounty hunter in the big city for the slower pace of Missouri wine country, she expected to find peace and tranquility among the beautiful rolling hills—not murder and mayhem. As the new innkeeper of the Quilt Haus Inn, Julie breathes a sigh of relief when preparations for their first quilting murder mystery weekend are finally complete. The props are set, the scripts are ready, and each guest has a role to play. But when the lights cut out, someone goes off script, and a real dead body takes center stage. Every guest is a suspect in the murder and as the clues unfold, it seems they all have something to hide. Can Julie identify the killer before someone else checks out … permanently? INCLUDES A FREE QUILTING PATTERN INSPIRED BY THE STORY!
216 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2015
21 people are currently reading
562 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 4, 2025
I bought this book at a local library book sale. I try to read books in the order they are released, but after looking into it, apparently, this series never made it past this second offering for the series. After going to the crafting website in the back of the book, I realized that the company has either changed its name or no longer exists. So, I decided to read the second book first. With the small amount of actual building of the main characters, this can be a stand-alone book. It was a typical cozy mystery. Nothing stood out as memorable, but it will be awarded a place on my cozy mystery shelf of incomplete series.
May 3, 2015
Pattern of Betrayal by Mae Fox and Amy Lillard is a delightful cozy mystery. It is the second book in the Vineyard Quilt Mystery series. Julie Ellis is the manager of the Quilt Haus Inn. Millie Rogers, the retired owner, has developed a Murder Mystery Weekend and then left it in Julie’s hands while she travels. The inn is full (some last minute reservations) and Hannah Marks, the cook and baker as well as Julie’s friend (and former assistant), has a delicious menu planned.
They have an unusual assortment of guests, but they all seem interested in the civil war journal/book that Julie found in the basement. Julie was looking for something to donate to the school auction and came across this unusual book. Eric Rutherford, book expert, whom Julie consulted about the book told her that the book was only worth a couple of hundred dollars. The local paper had written an article about the book and it was picked up by other papers.
Julie has everyone get dressed for the murder mystery and dinner (and puts the book in her office). Everyone is eating while they wait for the mystery to begin with the lights going out after dessert. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned. The lights suddenly go out (not at the planned time). When they finally get the lights on, Alice (one of the guests) is dead! The police are called and Julie is really hoping to get a different detective. Luck is not in the forecast for Julie! Detective Everett Frost arrives. This is just the beginning of a very long weekend. The Detective tells the guests that they have to stay for 72 hours.
The guests are now all leery of each other and start carrying weapons around the house. Julie along with Daniel Franklin (from Threads of Deceit, Book One) starts investigating to find out who wanted to kill her guest. Daniel stayed in Straussberg and has opened up the museum. Then someone steals the Civil War journal. Julie thinks that there is more to the journal than meets the eye! Julie and the staff will have their work cut out for them this weekend as they deal with the guests while trying to track down a murderer in their midst.
I give Pattern of Betrayal 5 out of 5 stars. It is a charming story with interesting characters. Pattern of Betrayal is easy to read (can easily be read in a couple of hours). The mystery, though, was very easy to solve. You can almost guess who the killer is once you are introduced to all the guests. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading Threads of Deceit before reading Pattern of Betrayal. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
They have an unusual assortment of guests, but they all seem interested in the civil war journal/book that Julie found in the basement. Julie was looking for something to donate to the school auction and came across this unusual book. Eric Rutherford, book expert, whom Julie consulted about the book told her that the book was only worth a couple of hundred dollars. The local paper had written an article about the book and it was picked up by other papers.
Julie has everyone get dressed for the murder mystery and dinner (and puts the book in her office). Everyone is eating while they wait for the mystery to begin with the lights going out after dessert. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned. The lights suddenly go out (not at the planned time). When they finally get the lights on, Alice (one of the guests) is dead! The police are called and Julie is really hoping to get a different detective. Luck is not in the forecast for Julie! Detective Everett Frost arrives. This is just the beginning of a very long weekend. The Detective tells the guests that they have to stay for 72 hours.
The guests are now all leery of each other and start carrying weapons around the house. Julie along with Daniel Franklin (from Threads of Deceit, Book One) starts investigating to find out who wanted to kill her guest. Daniel stayed in Straussberg and has opened up the museum. Then someone steals the Civil War journal. Julie thinks that there is more to the journal than meets the eye! Julie and the staff will have their work cut out for them this weekend as they deal with the guests while trying to track down a murderer in their midst.
I give Pattern of Betrayal 5 out of 5 stars. It is a charming story with interesting characters. Pattern of Betrayal is easy to read (can easily be read in a couple of hours). The mystery, though, was very easy to solve. You can almost guess who the killer is once you are introduced to all the guests. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading Threads of Deceit before reading Pattern of Betrayal. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
March 5, 2016
Pattern of Betrayal is the second book in the Vine yard Quilt Mystery series. Julie Ellis is the manager at the Quilt Haus Inn. The owner Willie Rogers is retired, she has created a Murder mystery weekend and has left it in Julies hands while she travels. The Inn is full and Hannah Marks the Cook/ Baker and Julies former assistant / friend has a wonderful menu planned. There is an unusual assortment of guests an they all seem interested in the Civil war journal/ book Julie found in the basement. The book expert Julie consulted said the book wasn't worth much but the local paper wrote a story about it and it was picked up by other papers. Everyone gets dressed in costume for the dinner. Everyone was eating when the lights went out! Unfortunately things don't go as planned and when the lights come back on Alice one of the guests is dead. Everyone is a suspect and as the clues unfold it seems everyone has something to hide. Can Julie find the killer before someone else checks out.... for good!
November 7, 2022
A great short mystery that I would recommend to any one who loves a good mystery. This is my second time reading this and it is still a good read
August 9, 2021
I enjoyed this second book of the series, though not quite as much as the first book. I was hoping there were more books in the series but it appears there aren't at this time.
Good story, interesting mystery.
Good story, interesting mystery.
October 16, 2022
Very quick read, something you can knock off in a day at the beach. Simplistic and some shallow characters that act strangely, functioning as obvious red herrings. Light humor despite being a murder mystery.
September 18, 2017
This is a cozy mystery that's much better than it needs to be. It will keep you entertained and guessing. If you are looking for a quick, light read, with engaging characters, grab a copy.
December 18, 2018
So simplistic. Little to none character development. Plot nonexistent.
January 17, 2019
Good read, but bit slow, may be just for me.. but fun when you read lazy afternoons..
January 1, 2024
Bel libro giallo. Lettura semplice e veloce
April 30, 2015
http://openbooksociety.com/article/pa...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jeanie
What a great idea for a theme weekend! This would definitely be on my top five list if I could have any vacation I wanted. And a place like this would be perfect. Pattern of Betrayal is the second offering in the Vineyard Quilt Mystery series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone, but you won’t want to miss Threads of Deceit if you have the opportunity to read it. Set in the wine country of Missouri, managing the Quilt Haus Inn has been a wonderful career for Julie Ellis and her best friend and chef, Hannah Marks. The Quilt Haus Inn typically caters primarily to quilters and their events, but with Julie at the center of solving the recent murder in their little town, a mystery weekend getaway for those who enjoy quilting – and mysteries – was becoming in-demand. Part of the fun included that the guests were, prior to arrival, assigned to a specific role and they could act out that part throughout the weekend, including costumes if the person so desired.
In the meantime, Julie was hunting in the basement for something to donate on behalf of the Inn for an upcoming school auction, and found what appeared to be an original journal of a soldier in the Civil War. In her spare moments, Julie was trying to find someone to authenticate the journal and attach a value to it.
Julie continues as a spunky, sassy former antiquities bounty hunter – turned Inn manager and the owner, thrilled to be seeing the sites she had missed all the years she managed the Inn, is equally as happy with Julie and Hannah. While some of Julie’s methods might be a little unconventional, some of the things she learned as a bounty hunter have served her well with honed instincts for investigation and thinking outside the box for creative ideas and to resolve problems. At least until the night of the mystery weekend when the murder is supposed to occur. All went well until … the order of events changed, the person who was supposed to be dead was actually alive, and one of the guests was really dead. And she had an Inn full of guests with a few staff. The murderer could only be one of the guests – but who? The victim was a recent divorcee whose children had paid for her to get away for a weekend that it sounded like she really didn’t want to attend.
Hannah and Julie now are “helping” with the investigation, in spite of the deputy not welcoming their input. It’s amazing just how much Hannah is able to dig up online about people … and just how many people either aren’t what they seem, or have a completely different name and identity. I think if I were Julie, I would ask Hannah to do that investigation when someone books a room in the future, rather than wait until after the fact!
The portrayals of Julie and Hannah and their friend Daniel Franklin are seamlessly consistent with the earlier book in the series, which is excellent since she did not write the first book with Mae Fox. They are excellent in both organizational and writing skills to be able to take part in a series for which one of the two writers will change with each book. The guests were very well revealed as necessary, including the details of their clothing or costume styles as part of their character definition. In this book, the guest Liam Preston, doctor of literary studies, becomes a help to Julie as she seeks information on the journal she found. Daniel is also of assistance as they tried to determine who the murderer was and why; he continues to be a sounding board and idea person for Julie.
I was intrigued to see how the authors would plot the story and activities with the wrong person being actually murdered – not acting the part of being killed – and the person being a guest. This reader thinks that the mystery flew along in an orderly fashion, that every stone was turned and there were no open issues left outstanding. The plot twists were unanticipated, and I had a hard time thinking through to the right “whodunit” and “whydunit”. All in all, I was happy to have read it and hope that this series continues.
I highly recommend this book to young adults and adults of all ages who enjoy quilting, bed and breakfast tales, and good inspirational mysteries. If you have enjoyed cozy mystery series that Annie’s Attic or Guideposts have published, you will want to read Pattern of Betrayal and the earlier cozy mystery, Threads of Deceit as it is part of the Annie’s fiction collections. This series is a new favorite of mine. If you like small quilting projects that are ideal for shower or other gifts, you will enjoy the pattern in the back of the book. I wish I knew more about sewing, much less quilting, so I could make one as it sounds cute and useful!
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jeanie
What a great idea for a theme weekend! This would definitely be on my top five list if I could have any vacation I wanted. And a place like this would be perfect. Pattern of Betrayal is the second offering in the Vineyard Quilt Mystery series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone, but you won’t want to miss Threads of Deceit if you have the opportunity to read it. Set in the wine country of Missouri, managing the Quilt Haus Inn has been a wonderful career for Julie Ellis and her best friend and chef, Hannah Marks. The Quilt Haus Inn typically caters primarily to quilters and their events, but with Julie at the center of solving the recent murder in their little town, a mystery weekend getaway for those who enjoy quilting – and mysteries – was becoming in-demand. Part of the fun included that the guests were, prior to arrival, assigned to a specific role and they could act out that part throughout the weekend, including costumes if the person so desired.
In the meantime, Julie was hunting in the basement for something to donate on behalf of the Inn for an upcoming school auction, and found what appeared to be an original journal of a soldier in the Civil War. In her spare moments, Julie was trying to find someone to authenticate the journal and attach a value to it.
Julie continues as a spunky, sassy former antiquities bounty hunter – turned Inn manager and the owner, thrilled to be seeing the sites she had missed all the years she managed the Inn, is equally as happy with Julie and Hannah. While some of Julie’s methods might be a little unconventional, some of the things she learned as a bounty hunter have served her well with honed instincts for investigation and thinking outside the box for creative ideas and to resolve problems. At least until the night of the mystery weekend when the murder is supposed to occur. All went well until … the order of events changed, the person who was supposed to be dead was actually alive, and one of the guests was really dead. And she had an Inn full of guests with a few staff. The murderer could only be one of the guests – but who? The victim was a recent divorcee whose children had paid for her to get away for a weekend that it sounded like she really didn’t want to attend.
Hannah and Julie now are “helping” with the investigation, in spite of the deputy not welcoming their input. It’s amazing just how much Hannah is able to dig up online about people … and just how many people either aren’t what they seem, or have a completely different name and identity. I think if I were Julie, I would ask Hannah to do that investigation when someone books a room in the future, rather than wait until after the fact!
The portrayals of Julie and Hannah and their friend Daniel Franklin are seamlessly consistent with the earlier book in the series, which is excellent since she did not write the first book with Mae Fox. They are excellent in both organizational and writing skills to be able to take part in a series for which one of the two writers will change with each book. The guests were very well revealed as necessary, including the details of their clothing or costume styles as part of their character definition. In this book, the guest Liam Preston, doctor of literary studies, becomes a help to Julie as she seeks information on the journal she found. Daniel is also of assistance as they tried to determine who the murderer was and why; he continues to be a sounding board and idea person for Julie.
I was intrigued to see how the authors would plot the story and activities with the wrong person being actually murdered – not acting the part of being killed – and the person being a guest. This reader thinks that the mystery flew along in an orderly fashion, that every stone was turned and there were no open issues left outstanding. The plot twists were unanticipated, and I had a hard time thinking through to the right “whodunit” and “whydunit”. All in all, I was happy to have read it and hope that this series continues.
I highly recommend this book to young adults and adults of all ages who enjoy quilting, bed and breakfast tales, and good inspirational mysteries. If you have enjoyed cozy mystery series that Annie’s Attic or Guideposts have published, you will want to read Pattern of Betrayal and the earlier cozy mystery, Threads of Deceit as it is part of the Annie’s fiction collections. This series is a new favorite of mine. If you like small quilting projects that are ideal for shower or other gifts, you will enjoy the pattern in the back of the book. I wish I knew more about sewing, much less quilting, so I could make one as it sounds cute and useful!
February 20, 2017
This book was far more entertaining than the first in the series. In this one, the Quilt Haus Inn hosts a murder mystery weekend. However, before the mystery murder occurs, the lights go out and one of the guests is actually murdered! I didn't have the "whodunnits" figured out until it was revealed. So, it was a fun little read.
July 6, 2015
Another winner for this new series called Vineyard Quilt mysteries. Julie and Hannah are preparing for a murder mystery themed weekend at the B&B/Inn. The guests arrive and they are an interesting mix of people. During dinner, someone is murdered for real.
Julie investigates. Add in a Civil War era journal and the antics of the cast and it is fun and a little intriguing to figure out who committed the crime.
Julie investigates. Add in a Civil War era journal and the antics of the cast and it is fun and a little intriguing to figure out who committed the crime.
March 14, 2024
A library find. Second read December 2023.
Interesting! Suspenseful! Well written!
Fun read! Funny snippets ( doodling instead of googling). Cute!
A Lazy day read! Hard to put down.
Fascinating characters!
Cleverly plotted!
Smooth flow!
Don't miss!
Interesting! Suspenseful! Well written!
Fun read! Funny snippets ( doodling instead of googling). Cute!
A Lazy day read! Hard to put down.
Fascinating characters!
Cleverly plotted!
Smooth flow!
Don't miss!
June 6, 2015
good one..
March 16, 2016
Simple mystery set in a quilting shop in Missouri. that's it.
June 19, 2016
I found this one to be a real page turner as well. I really love this series.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews