Book Review No.8: The Quick and the Thread (it's a cosy!)

This is the first book in the Embroidery Mystery series by Amanda Lee. A quick check on Google shows there are already another four in the series, so it's clearly been popular.

Here's the blurb from the back of the book:
"Opening an embroidery speciality shop in quaint Tallulah Falls, Oregon, was a big deal for Marcy Singer. But it was nothing compared to finding a dead body in her store.

For the grand opening of her shop, the Seven Year Stitch, Marcy throws a soiree. Her friend Sadie, who owns the coffee shop down the street, provides the delicious refreshments, and the party goes swimmingly. Marcy's registration sheet for embroidery classes fills up, and everyone in town seems willing to raise a glass - or a needle - to support the shop.
But the morning after the party, Marcy and Angus, her pooch, find a nasty surprise: the man who leased the shop before Marcy is lying dead in the storeroom, with a message scratched by a tapestry needle on the wall beside him. Now Marcy's shop has become a crime scene, and she's a suspect in the murder. But Marcy will be darned if she doesn't get to the bottom of this mystery, because it's starting to look as if someone's intent on putting the final stitch in her."

Oh gosh, doesn't it sound twee? But, if you love cosy like I love cosy, you forgive all that and dive right on in.You forgive the fact that the book has all ticked all the cosy boxes, like it was written following that magic formula:
set in quaint or interesting town/village? check
set in a speciality store of some sort? check
is there a dog/cat/other pet? check
is there a friend/relative on hand to help the main character in times of need? check
does the main character have an interesting job/hobby? check
is there a love interest? check

So, the book has pretty much everything a cosy needs, but was it any good? Well, it wasn't bad. There were little bits here and there that annoyed me, such as the main character's constant references to songs and films (as if the author was trying to show that she's knowledgeable about such things), and the arrival of a love interest for the main character almost instantly, but otherwise I enjoyed it. The characters were well-developed and believable (in as much as any can be in a cosy because, let's face it, you really have to suspend your belief the minute you turn to the first page), the setting was interesting, the plot was entertaining and well-paced although a little confusing at times (too many financial shenanigans for my brain to manage). All in all this was a good start to the series and I'll definitely be happy to read more (bookstores of New England, here I come!)