Crossed By Death (Stitches In Crime Book 1)

I am a fan of clean, kind fiction that is also written with cleverness and fun. Crossed by Death drew me in, and I was soon rooting for the main character and softened by the love she is shown as a single mom by others. The story is realistic in its description of the heroine. She's likable and totally human. The cast of characters are varied and lovable, each unique in their personalities, which the author fleshes out with skill. I didn't suspect the killer, so that was fun, too, to be surprised by the mystery. All in all, this was a great read and I want the next book NOW. But it's not out until April. Highly recommend.

With this debut novel of a wonderful new cozy mystery series set in Virginia. Seriously, I got the feeling of North Carolina but... you enter the world of salvage construction via an historic view point of a divorced single mom. Just what was the lives of the Scruggs like?And, why is there a body in the bedroom, which was a murder scene twenty years earlier? Why was either person killed? Is there a connection?If your enjoy history and cross-stitch this series is for you. I, personally, fell right into the mystery and almost read this book non-stop.Good character development. The mystery was a mystery. And, the touch of genealogy drew me in. I love complex tales.Grab a copy and enjoy Ms. Bookens' prose style.

Paisley is a single Mom to a 2 yr old toddler-and like any 2 year old he plays a prominent role. His Mom. Paisley, salvages from old historic buildings-usually with the toddler and their cat in the car. The last thing she expected to find was a dead body! Luckily her son and cat were in the car so did not know about this. She called 911 and a really good looking policeman showed up.Paisley went on a hunt for information about this old house and the families that used to live there--she did share with the police officer almost every evening!Will they track down who the murderer was --and there were actually two murders-one from years before! She manages to get into danger once or twice--I enjoyed the story line but I really loved that toddler!!

Interesting story but this writer has either a Mensa 2, year old or mixed up the toddler s age At 2 I know no child who speaks that much or can handle tools like this one.

Reading “Crossed By Death” was like listening to a friend tell a story. I loved the author’s writing style and the main characters voice. Although I can’t relate to being a single mom, I really liked Paisley and appreciated the reality of her struggles. The author built a solid framework of characters in Paisley’s life to carry over in the series. The story itself was interesting with false leads and family drama. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This was an easy to read, believable book. Nobody inherited a shop they knew nothing about. No unreal situations. One reviewer posted that no two year old talks that much. Well, in 30 years of working with pre-schoolers, I can say there ARE children who talk that much at two. (One child in particular had the vocabulary, and physical abilities of a five year old.) No gore, violence, or over the top heavy breathing. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

When an old store gas station is scheduled to be torn down a genealogist and scrapper is allowed to go in to take whatever she finds to sell it but she finds a body and things get dangerous from there. Well written, holds the readers interest and really good characters that make the reader interested in their stories. Enjoyed it

This was a new author & a free book. I thought it would be a light read. Little did I know. It had great characters & details. Never knew what was coming next.You felt like you were there. Mystery, mayhem and murder. Can’t wait to read the next. Thank you for the opportunity to read a new author.

Many murder mysteries are gruesome and violent with unsavoury characters, so it was a refreshing relief to read a murder mystery telling a good story whilst within the bounds of fiction remaining plausible, and featuring a well-developed and attractive cast. Main protagonist Paisley Sutton is a single mother doting on her young son and surrounded by nice people. She is a salvage expert and is given permission to clear out a derelict store and living accommodation abandoned years earlier after it was the scene of an unsolved murder.Paisley is also an amateur historian and on discovering a second body she determines to discover the truth of whatever has happened. This is traditional ‘cozy’ territory with Paisley equivalent to the expected female amateur sleuth, connected to a store rather than a bookshop, and with the police being professional and helpful rather than misguided and hindering, and with a handsome local sheriff providing the obligatory hint of romance. Together with other ‘cozy’ elements as well-kept secrets, Paisley being under threat, a pet cat, a relative baking cakes etc. all this makes ‘Crossed by Death’ an entertaining and enjoyable read with a nice degree of humour. I rarely award 5-stars to ‘cozy’ novels but this is a great example.

Hours of my life I'll never get back! The author would have had a much more enjoyable book without the CONSTANT presence of the toddler. Momma keeps on about raising sonny on her own but dumps him on her friends and parents often at no notice without any problems. Apart from that it's not a bad book. I liked the friends and the, almost inevitable in this type of book, romance with law enforcement seems quite believable, it's a small town after all. I liked the main character (apart from the babbling about her child). I don't think I'll be buying any more of these books because of the kid. Such a shame one character spoiled it for me.the

I would have chosen higher, as few editorial mistakes, they are howlers though. I got sick to death of the single mother stating constantly, just how hard it is. Yes, we know. She harps on all the way through. Twice of poor me was enough.Never known a single mother have so much free time! Dumping obnoxious child in anyone.Theory of story ok, but make the single, by mother choice, divorce, grow up, take responsibility and stop harping on how hard up she is. Make the father pay for the child, there is no mention he pays a penny.

I really enjoyed this book and have already bought the books 1-4 in the series. This is the 1st book of the Stitches In Crime series by A C F Bookens (St Marins Cozy Mystery series) set in Virginia. A predominantly cozy mystery series with a touch of romance too, what's not to like!The main character, Paisley Sutton is a 46 year old Single Parent to a young boy Sawyer (Saw) and fur Mum to a large cat who walks on a leash, Beauregard. She's a Freelance Writer centering on History, and runs her 1 woman salvage business to make ends meet. It was in clearing a derelict building set for demolition that she comes across a body a body which shouldn't be there, and a very much deceased one at that.Other main characters are her Dad and Step Mum (Lucille) best friend Mika who runs the yarn store in the town and newly elected Sheriff Shifflett. There's also the owners of the store who have employed her to clear the store Berlinda and George Jefferson.The story moved quite quickly and covered the time in history where there was alot of segregation and prejudice.I love cozy mystery stories and couldn't guess the person behind the murder at all. I'm all ready to start the next book in this delightful series.

I started this book four times but never got past the fifth chapter. I did wonder if it was a translation, the grammar and sentence structure was very odd. I just found the story unbelievable. If I locked my two year old in a car, in the middle of nowhere, with a cat, for over half an hour I'm pretty sure social services would be knocking on my door. Her constant whining and general stupidity got on my nerves. And if a lead detective would willingly give out important case information to a civilian is beyond belief.