i needed some more thrill but it’s a cozy murder mystery solving book so im not complaining about that either <3 i loved it so much! patchwork quilt murder reminds me of like the detective stories i read when i was little like nancy drew. i highly recommend everyone to listen to this book via audiobook because it just AAA chef’s kiss! the voices and emotions was truly felt by the narrator and it’s just the best! i guess i didn’t give this a solid 5 star because the politics (?) threw me off and i just became uninterested but STILL !! i love this and i’ll be picking up more of the author’s books because HELLO? there’s like a LOT of these books and i have never been happier <3

massive thank you to the author for their big brain energy! as well as to NetGalley for this ARC!

I’ve read other books in this series but I have a hard time getting into them.

I normally find the main character frustratingly annoying, but she was a bit toned down in this installment. I appreciated how the ending got tied up but it felt like the solution came a bit out of nowhere. Overall, it was enjoyable and the narrator was good.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, Patchwork Quilt Murder didn’t exemplify the cozy series I’ve known and loved by Leslie Meier. Right off the bat, there were some dark elements that steered it far from being a cozy. There also was a bit of political agenda undertones that didn’t sit right with me. Although the mystery itself was well plotted out, I was jarred from fully enjoying the book because of the serious issues that were introduced early on. I think I will need to take a break from Leslie Meier’s books for a bit as I had mixed feelings about the last book in the series as well.

The narration was done well and fit the characters’ voices. Her voice actually kept pushing me forward and preventing me from DNFing the book as she was able to make the story more enjoyable.

This audiobook is a travesty of mispronouced words, terribly done voices, and a ridiculously boring story with unbelievable characters. In 2024 you want me to believe a reporter has never before experienced a self-flushing toilet or automatic faucets? Or that a "state of the art" facility found an old school punch card time clock for their single non-salaried employee? There's so much set up and storytelling and no crime for nearly the first fifth of the book. Maybe people who've read the first 29 books care about the look back at the life of the main characters dog, but I am drowning in boredom. I need interesting characters and A MYSTERY in my cozy mysteries. I shouldn't be 5 chapters in with nothing happening yet.

When Tinkers Cover gets a new community center, a lot of taxpaying townsfolk aren't too happy with the new director's inflated salary. As reporter Lucy looks into director Darlene's past, she begins to suspect the woman isn't as qualified as she seems. But when her boss's struggling son disappears and body parts begin appearing all over town, she had bigger things to worry about and scoops to cover.

This book is DARK for a cozy mystery. Trigger warning and minor spoilers, but this book involves lengthy discussions of someone in a mental health crisis and the aftermath of a suicide attempt, a dog dying of old age on page, and dismemberment. I almost gave up early on in the book because it was just not what I was in the mood for. However, the mystery is extremely well-crafted. I didn't see all the twists and turns coming, and when I thought the book was over it wasn't done yet! So on balance, I still think this is a good read and perhaps one of the more intriguing installments in the series when it comes to plotting, but please go in eyes wide open to some of the more serious and somber content throughout.

Thanks to Kensington for my eARC and Dreamscape Media for my ALC! I listened to this book on audio and think the narrator did a great job. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 6/10

First time reading/listening to this author and even though this is deep into the series, I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything. Very entertain story and a good narrator.

I jumped into this series to read this ARC and it was good as a stand-alone but now have another series that I want to read all the books! I am adding all of Lucy Score's books to my TBR and starting with book 1 in this series, maybe I can catch up before the next installment is released!

#PatchworkQuiltMurder
#NetGalley

I really enjoyed my time listening to this book. I found the characters well flushed out and easy to connect to. As a quilter I really loved how the story tied in the emotional aspect quilts can bring people. Sometimes what we need to feel a bit better is to wrap ourselves in a quilt and feel the love they can bring. I really look forward to reading more in this series!

Oh wow! What a wild ride!
The Patchwork Quilt Murder is book #30 in the Lucy Stone mystery series.

This is my first Leslie Meier novel and it was great as a stand-alone, though from what I hear, plenty of the same characters pop up throughout the Lucy Stone series.

In the quaint little town of Tinker’s Cove, random body parts start showing up and journalist Lucy Stone is there to cover the breaking news.

As Lucy brings us along for the ride through the investigation, we come to find out that some of Tinker’s Cove’s citizens aren’t as sweet and innocent as we were initially made to believe.

Overall it lived up to the “cozy mystery” vibes!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in this series that I have read. It is very nice that the main character has some back stories but you can understand the entire book without knowing it all. This story was interesting enough and had twists and turns. There is a sad bit at the start, but then it is not mentioned much more. That was a bit odd.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

This book completely threw me. I’m not a big cosy mystery fan and so was not expecting to love this as much as I did! I loved the quaintness and it was such an easy, lighthearted read.

It weaves in some really tough subjects such as mental health and climate change in a very respectful way.

There was humour sprinkled throughout which helped lift the book and gave it an extra boost.

As always Leslie Meier delivers another great cozy mystery -- though this murder -- is one of the more gruesome (without overly written details) compared to others in the series. I have now read all the stories in this series -- all by audiobook -- this time we have had another change in narrator -- the narrator overall did a good job creating distinctive voices for the many familiar characters-- The story line covers topics such as climate change, mental health, fraud which overall were tastefully done. As always the characters and storyline hold your attention and you stick with Lucy the whole way! I don`t always share the same opinions as the author/ characters and the way the dog Libby was spoken about as **just a dog** kind of bothered me as a dog owner -dogs are really members of your family . Honestly, this book like most of the others in the series can be read as a standalone --and easily read out of order--, because each book has it's own "case" and characters are easy to follow.


Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio for this ALC. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really looking forward to reading this cozy mystery, but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me at all. My biggest issues was that it felt like the story focused more on the “cozy” aspect than on the actual mystery

The townspeople seemed more upset by the new community center director’s salary and vacation than the dismembered remains that were being found around town, and the mystery “solve” didn’t feel properly foreshadowed at all. I had hoped to follow along as Lucy Stone found multiple different suspects and motives, but it seemed like she just skipped all that and stumbled on the final answer instead.

If you enjoy the other Lucy Stone books, then you may still really enjoy this one and reading more about the people of Tinker’s Cove. But if you are looking for a cozy mystery that’s heavy on the mystery, then this probably isn’t for you.

Started slow but really picked up. I love this series. The red herring towards the end was a nice surprise. Enjoyed the narrator.

Now that I see there are a bunch of books where Lucy solves a mystery things make more sense….

Positives: The narrator matches characters. I could tell straight away that the narrator was older than me. I don’t often read books where the main character is closer to my moms age than mine.
Definitely would describe it as a Cozy mystery. No big scares or tons of tension.

Not so positives (for me)
Some odd pronouncing thermometer for example was said as therm-oh-meet-er but I’ve always heard it pronounced ther-mom-et-er

The climate change mentions over and over are tiring.
The dog dying felt like it took a lot of pages, and didn’t really matter in the story. *I see now if you’ve read the series you could have a connection to the dog but this was the first book I picked up and I certainly was not attached to the dog and I’d felt out of place*

I am always surprised at how the reporter Lucy is allowed by the police to be on the crime scenes and take photographs and be so involved. Maybe this also is a normalcy since she seems to have solved many mysteries??

The main reason I chose to read this book is because I am a sewist and love little nods to sewing. There was absolutely zero lingo which was unfortunate. I Elias really hoping for a little not to my niche.

I think my personal tastes do not run to modern day books.

I’’ve read several Lucy Stone books and love them all. This was no exception. I love how Lucy’s love for her family and friends is evident in all her books. Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review

Patchwork Quilt Murder is the thirtieth book in the Lucy Stone cozy mystery series. Once again we join Lucy Stone, the reporter for the local Tinker’s Cove paper, and she’s on another case. The new local community center is the main topic of discussion in town, some people all for it and others against it. The director of the community center, Darleen, is causing as much uproar as the community center itself. When she turns up murdered, there are no shortage of suspects. As Lucy looks into the case, she uncovers more than just a murderer.

I have read this whole series and have always had mixed feelings about it. I’ve grown to like most of the characters and the Tinker’s Cove setting, but all of the political issues and controversial topics that are addressed in these mysteries have always annoyed me. They were easy to ignore in the earlier books, but at least in this book, I feel like every other page is pushing a different topic. Be it climate change, global warming, gun rights, environmental concerns, the use of air conditioning, or mental health, there is a plug for all of these in this book. I know these are all important topics and that’s not the part that bothers me, it’s the fact that, for me anyway, the amount they are talked about completely takes away from the mystery and story. Anyway, I’m done ranting about that. For most of this book I swore I was going to give this one or two stars instead of three, but I did enjoy the ending and how everything finally wrapped up so I guess I left this book on a good note. I’m committed to this series at this point and will keep reading any new books, at least at this point, but these newer books in the series have changed a lot from when we first met Lucy.

This is the 30th book in the long-standing Lucy Stone mystery series. I haven't read them all, but each time I pick up a Lucy Stone mystery, it's like reconnecting with an old friend. I am always happy to pick up wherever I find Lucy in her life. As a recent empty nester myself, I can relate to her friendships, relationships with her kids, and her life in general than other series which I have read. I think this could easily be read as a standalone novel.

This mystery is first about miscellaneous body parts showing up in remote areas of town, and then about the greater mystery of whom they belong to. Lucy Stone is a local reporter in her small town in Maine, and somehow always ends up finding a body or being drawn into helping solve the mystery. I enjoyed this story from start to finish, and I have to admit, I didn't see the twist at the end coming (all I'll say about that).

I think this series is a fun one to read and I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery. I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrator.

Book Title: Patchwork Quilt Murder
Series: Lucy Stone Mystery Book #30
Author: Leslie Meier
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Coleen Marlo
Publisher: Dreamscape Media - Kensington Cozies
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 268

This is Book #30 in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series. Although I have not read the twenty nine before this, I have read several and they were all an enjoyable read.
When I read my first my comment was “What a fun nice surprise, looking forward to another [author: Leslie Meier|138662] story.

Lucy Stone is a part-time reporter in the tiny seaside village of Tinker’s Cove Maine.
She and hubby Bill are now ‘empty-nesters’ as their four children are all adults.

Lucy and Bill are both still working and Lucy is close to her boss Ted and his wife Pam. Currently they are worried about their son Tim who's recovering from an attempt at suicide. He was working in an art gallery after he earned his Master’s Degree from Yale. He moved back home Tinker’s Cover after his attempt. Decided work would help so is working as the janitor at the new Civic Center.

Many residents are upset that the center has gone over budget even more upset that Darleen the new director is making such a very high salary. She has great plans for the place.
As a reporter Lucy interviews Darleen regarding the opening. Lucy is very impressed with the facility. As she is heading out the door, Lucy over hears Darling scolding someone regarding being late. It is Tim and he states he isn’t late as he was cleaning the trash in the parking lot. Darleen continues to berate Tim for not doing his job properly.
This certainly changed Lucy’s opinion of Darleen’s managerial skills.

However, Darleen continues to pick on Tim and questions his cleaning skills.

The next thing - Tim goes missing, his mother and father are at wits end as the police aren’t taking it seriously.
A week late a dog walker finds what appears to be a human foot. Police are called then the medical examiner. She reports that the foot is a size 8 female foot which has been severed and kept in a freezer.
Everyone is now fearful that body parts are going to be appearing in various spots in Tinker’s Cove – which is true.

When Darleen doesn’t return from her vacation in San Diego’ Lucy does some snooping.
When she is found dead Tim becomes a suspect.

I do love a good cozy mystery; this story touches some heavy issues – Global warming, mental health, depression/suicide, and dementia as well as issues involving an aging population.
Author, Leslie Meier did a super job dealing with these issues. Plus audiobook narrator Colleen Mario is a great audiobook performer and is fabulous in performing the characters!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this early audio edition.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 23, 2024.

⭐️ REVIEW ⭐️

Thank you #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for allowing me to listen to #ThePatchworkQuiltMurder by Leslie Meier.

⭐️ Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Note: This is book 30 of A Lucy Stone Mystery.
🗓️ COMING SOON - RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2024 🗓️

Synopsis: “When a community center opens in town, many embrace it as a space where locals of all ages can gather and create. Others view it as a waste of taxpayer dollars. The director, Darleen Busby-Platt, is no less controversial. Intense and showy, Darleen has huge plans for her new role. But Lucy Stone believes the woman isn’t exactly as warm hearted—or qualified—as she seems. That hunch deepens when Darleen and a young employee vanish...and dismembered remains appear!

With lots of clues and few concrete answers, Lucy rushes to connect loose ends. First, there’s the disappearance of Tim Stillings, a troubled twenty-something who endured harsh treatment on the job. Next, there’s Darleen herself, who made fast enemies as the highest-paid resident in Tinker’s Cove. Finally, there’s Darleen’s rich ancestry and ties to heirlooms worth either a fortune or nothing at all.

The closer Lucy gets to the facts, the more she realizes that solving this murder depends on the lies. Because the truth rests somewhere between wild rumors, a trusted friend’s emotional new sewing project, and the authenticity of a mysterious three-hundred-year-old patchwork quilt. And Lucy must piece together the big picture—before she becomes part of crafty killer’s deadly design...“

My thoughts: If you are looking for a cozy murder mystery with small-town charm, look no further! I loved the narration of this audiobook format, and think it would be a good read in physical or ebook format as well. The story was interesting and kept my attention; however, I was able to guess some of the twists before they were revealed. If you are drawn to small town drama, a tale of missing persons and body parts popping up around town, and a newspaper reporter with a side of detective, give this one a listen 🎧📖🔖🤓