Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Scraps of Evidence
(Quilts of Love, #14)
by
Barbara Cameron
Available January 2014 from Abingdon Press
Christian Fiction / Contemporary / Romantic Suspense
240 pages
About the Book
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 few nights a week she spends with her quilting guild. Then one afternoon Tess and Logan visit her aunt in the nursing home, and the woman acts agitated when Tess covers her with the story quilt. Aunt Susan is attempting to communicate 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?
My Thoughts
This is a hard review to write because I have such mixed feelings about this book. I immediately got wrapped up in this story. I loved the set-up of Tess and Logan being new partners on the police force and having an attraction for one another. And the mystery of the serial killer was interesting as well. I was itching to know who the killer was and see how they were going to solve this case that started so many years before! Every time I had to set the book aside (you know ... for real life things like work!), I wanted to get back to it ... and quickly!
However, three-fourths of the way through the book, everything changed drastically. The plot in the last fourth seemed completely disconnected from the rest of the book, and the writing style totally changed. I almost felt like the last 60 pages were written by someone else. It didn't make any sense at all. There was also a huge shift in focus and Tess's aunt and her quilt became major factors in the book—when the aunt was a mere mention early on, and the quilt was completely absent. It was just confusing.
My other issue was that the copy on the back of the book didn't match with the story. At. All. I don't want to be rude, but it seemed like the back cover was written by someone who had not actually read the book. (Note: The "about the book" section above was taken from the publisher's website, which matches up more closely to the plot than the back cover.) Also, Tess's aunt is named Aunt KATHY, not Aunt Susan (as listed on the publisher's website and the copy on the book).
Had the first two-thirds to three-fourths of the book not been so intriguing, I would probably have given this book 1 or 2 stars. However, the story started off really strong, earning it an extra star. But the end was a disappointment. [3 stars]
(NOTE: While I did receive an advance copy of this book, it was the finished product and not an uncorrected proof.)
I received a free copy of this book from Abingdon Press through Christian Fiction Blog Alliance in exchange for my fair and honest review.
About the Author
Barbara Cameron has a heart for writing about the spiritual values
and simple joys of the Amish. She is the author of more than 35 fiction
and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies, and the winner
of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Barbara
currently resides in Edgewater, Florida.
Barbara Cameron Online
Wow that's a bummer! Sorry it wasn't what you had hoped!
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