Features The Big Thrill Recommends: PATCHWORK QUILT MURDER with Leslie Meier

The Big Thrill Recommends: PATCHWORK QUILT MURDER with Leslie Meier

Recommended by Susan Santangelo

The always opinionated residents of Tinkers Cove, Maine, have lots to say about the town’s new community center. Many are thrilled with the amenities the space offers; an equal number complain that the high construction cost was a waste of taxpayers’ money. When word leaks out about the hefty salary the center’s director, Darleen Busby-Platt, is making, plus the fact that she’s taking a two-week paid vacation after only a few weeks on the job, local reporter Lucy Stone realizes this could make an interesting story for the town newspaper.

Lucy’s quick research shows that Darleen’s professional credentials are impressive. She is also a native of Tinker’s Cove, and her mother, Millicent, still lives there. When Lucy suggests an interview, Darleen is thrilled at the opportunity to promote the community center (and herself), and invites Lucy for a tour. During the tour, Darleen makes a point of saying that a primary reason she accepted the position was to come home and care for her aged mother.

The facility impresses Lucy but not Darleen. Especially when Lucy witnesses Darleen humiliate a part-time employee right in front of her. Lucy knows the employee, Tim Stillings, is going through a rough time and recently attempted suicide. His mom, Pam, is one of Lucy’s best friends.

Determined not to let personal feelings get in the way of her professionalism, Lucy interviews Darleen’s mother for some background information. However, Mother Millicent is more interested in talking about her family’s illustrious heritage and her antiques collection than talking about her daughter. Nor does Millicent seem happy to have Darleen home again, which Lucy finds puzzling.

Darleen leaves for her vacation, and Tim Stillings disappears at the same time. A few days later, two hikers make a horrifying discovery—a severed body part in a trash can. Lucy makes some discreet inquiries and discovers that Darleen never arrived at her hotel. Are the two disappearances connected?

The Big Thrill Recommends: PATCHWORK QUILT MURDER with Leslie Meier