My Favorite Reads #9: THE LOVER'S KNOT by Clare O'Donohue

Alyce of At Home with Books hosts My Favorite Reads, a weekly feature spotlighting favorite reads from pre-blogging days. Because it's been a while since the books were read, these posts are not reviews per se, but rather impressionistic remembrances of a positive reading experience. I think of this feature as an opportunity to more deeply explore the range of my reading interests and those of other book bloggers and readers of book blogs outside of the current crop of new releases.

Do you have an old favorite that you'd like to share?

THE LOVER'S KNOT

by Clare O'Donohue

Pub. Date: September 2008

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Format: Paperback, 304pp

Series: Someday Quilts Series, #1

ISBN-13: 9780452289796

ISBN: 0452289793

Synopsis (from the publisher):

In the tradition of Jennifer Chiaverini and Emilie Richards, a debut quilting mystery

Nell Fitzgerald is thrilled when she receives a gorgeous handmade quilt in a lover's knot pattern from her grandmother Eleanor as an engagement gift. Her joy is short-lived, however, when her fiancé announces he's calling off the wedding. Heartbroken, 25-year-old Nell flees New York City for her grandmother's home in quaint Archers Rest. In this small town Eleanor's life revolves around her quilt shop, Someday Quilts, and the members of the shop's quilting circle.

When the body of a local handyman known for his flirting is found in the quilt shop, murdered with a pair of quilting scissors, Nell finds herself drawn into the case— and drawn to the handsome police chief. As a pattern of clues begins to emerge, one of the prime suspects is Nell's ex-fiancé, whose arrival in Archers Rest seems suspicious. The ladies of the quilting circle continue to piece together their quilts as Nell unravels the mystery. For quilters and mystery lovers alike, The Lover's Knot is a delightful and promising debut.

Why I chose this book: 

I chose this book today because the second book in this series has just been released, and I wanted to give the first book its due. I had originally thought THE LOVER'S KNOT would be your typical cozy - comfortable and fun, but predictable. What I found in Clare O'Donohue's first novel was a cut above all that. (Is it mixing metaphors to say first that it's a cut above and next that it has more depth than expected?) The character of Nell Fitzgerald undergoes a sort of belated coming of age, and I enjoyed seeing how she grew and developed. She worked through her emotions regarding her ex-fiance and their failed relationship, and she gingerly began to let herself fall for a new guy. The book does have that small town, cozy mystery feel with a supporting cast of interesting and sometimes quirky characters, a lovely setting, and a good mystery, too! I'm glad there's a second installment of this series available now (The Drunkard's Path), and I'm looking forward to cracking it's spine soon!

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the  author (from the publisher):
Clare O'Donohue is a freelance television writer/producer. She produced television's most popular quilting show, Simply Quilts, on HGTV, and she is currently producing and writing for a variety of television crime shows, including Forensic Files. This is her first novel.