Story By Elizabeth Craig
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Elizabeth Craig

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Crosspatch
Updated at Feb 5, 2023, 23:42
This crosspatch is at cross purposes with everyone. Summer, despite her cheery name, was hardly a ray of sunshine in the small town of Dappled Hills. She had a crabby personality and was constantly looking for ways to insert herself and her opinions into other people’s business. In fact, when most people saw Summer approaching, they fancifully imagined storm clouds heading in their direction. Perhaps it wasn’t much of a surprise then when Summer was discovered, dead. When one of Beatrice’s friends is suspected in Summer’s murder, the retired art curator and amateur sleuth starts nosing around to clear his name. Can she find out who killed Summer before the murderer strikes again? 
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Behind the Seams
Updated at Apr 6, 2023, 18:51
The best-laid plans can fall to pieces. What could be more fun than a quilt retreat with friends? The Village Quilters and the Cut-Ups guilds decided to head out of Dappled Hills for a relaxing retreat at a lakeside conference center. They happily headed on their quilt trip, delighted at the prospect of the advertised sewing room that stayed open all day and night. There was also a promised campfire the last night with s'mores. However, what wasn’t on the agenda was murder. Nor a winter storm that isolated them from any help. When one quilter comes to a mysterious end, Beatrice works behind the scenes to find out who's responsible before someone else is permanently stitched up.
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A Notion to Murder
Updated at Mar 22, 2022, 00:42
Life gets stressful when someone takes a notion to murder.  Lester Dawson is a wealthy man. Unfortunately, he believes his wealth gives him certain rights—especially when it comes to his family. He meddles, coerces, and bullies. This means his children and his long-suffering wife aren’t the fondest of him sometimes. But for Lester, being popular isn’t as important as being influential . . . and controlling. When his 80th birthday rolls around, the family grudgingly plans a celebration. However, the festivities are cut short when Lester is found in his library—quite dead. Beatrice becomes pulled in since one of Lester’s children is a quilting friend of hers. Can Beatrice figure out who killed Lester before someone else takes a notion to murder?
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Needled to Death
Updated at Nov 17, 2021, 18:17
Sometimes, encountering someone with a barbed tongue can make you feel needled to death Dappled Hills is a lovely mountain village that regularly attracts retirees. The latest transplant tempted by the town is Flossie Powell. At first, Flossie seems to fit in very well among the townsfolk. As a retired quilt show judge, the quilt guilds in Dappled Hills are delighted to welcome her and her expertise. But it soon becomes apparent that Flossie has a sharp tongue and isn’t afraid to use it. Perhaps it’s not that surprising when Flossie is soon found murdered. But Beatrice has also chosen Dappled Hills to retire to. And she quickly works to restore peace to the little town she loves before the killer strikes again.
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Quilt-Ridden
Updated at Mar 8, 2021, 18:37
Do good fences make good neighbors? Miss Sissy is a talented member of the Village Quilters guild in tiny Dappled Hills, North Carolina. She's also somewhat difficult to deal with as her new neighbor, Linton, discovered. Linton doesn't understand why Miss Sissy's house is almost entirely covered by thorny weeds like something out of Sleeping Beauty. Miss Sissy, on the other hand, doesn't understand why that's any of Linton's business. When Linton ends up very dead, Miss Sissy seems to be the obvious suspect. But Beatrice and the other Village Quilters are determined to discover the real murderer and clear Miss Sissy's name—before the killer strikes again.
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Knot A Clue
Updated at Nov 18, 2020, 21:47
Sometimes it doesn't pay to go to work.Dappled Hills is the kind of small town where it's hard to imagine anything bad happening . . . especially in the fall when the mountain trees are changing. It's a magical time in the area and Beatrice and Wyatt have been enjoying every minute of it, especially taking their new grandbaby on stroller rides in the crisp autumn air.So it was quite a jolt when tragedy did strike and Beatrice's daughter discovered her coworker at the school, murdered.At first, no one had a clue who could possibly have murdered Petunia Murray. But, as Beatrice dug a little more, she discovered Petunia carried a few secrets. Now Beatrice must piece together the clues before anyone else is sewn up for good.
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Rest in Pieces
Updated at Jul 30, 2020, 06:05
When Beatrice takes on a new case, she must solve it before anyone else rests in pieces. Beatrice and her new husband Wyatt have started their life together.  One of their first events as man and wife puts them is at another wedding: that of Beatrice’s daughter. It’s a happy occasion and a beautiful ceremony—aside from the appearance of an odd and uninvited wedding guest, Ophelia. Ophelia argues with another guest—who later is discovered dead. Beatrice must piece together the truth before the killer strikes again.
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Fit To Be Tied
Updated at Jul 30, 2020, 05:36
Sometimes family matters can make you fit to be tied. Although the small town of Dappled Hills is better known for its quilt shop, bakery, and other small shops, it is also home to some larger ones. When a prominent local businessman decides to sell his family business, his family isn't as thrilled as he'd first expected. Some of them would rather keep the status quo instead of allowing the business to be sold off to an outsider. But when Wyatt discovers the businessman murdered before the sale goes through, Beatrice must unravel the clues, making sure there are no loose threads, before anyone else is stitched up.
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On Pins and Needles
Updated at Jul 30, 2020, 04:58
Some new residents don't deserve welcome baskets. Small towns can be notoriously cliquey.  Dappled Hills, however, wasn't usually such a town.  The residents ordinarily welcomed newcomers with open arms.  But when Annabelle Tremont moved to town, the usual cheery greetings became angry whispers. Annabelle could be difficult and it wasn't a big surprise to anyone when she turned up dead. Beatrice was surprised when Annabelle moved from Atlanta to Dappled Hills … but she wasn't surprised when she made enemies.  That's because Beatrice knew Annabelle from her days as a museum curator. Now Beatrice must find the killer … and clear her own name.
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Pressed for Time
Updated at Jul 30, 2020, 04:57
As Beatrice’s wedding day approaches, murder finds a way to make her pressed for time.  Beatrice and Wyatt’s days are spent planning their cozy, chapel wedding. Both widowed, they mean to keep their wedding an intimate, family affair. But everyone in Dappled Hills still wants to celebrate the happy couple. Beatrice and Wyatt find themselves at dinners, picnics, and barbeques in their honor. When one of the festivities goes deadly wrong, Beatrice must try to unveil the killer before making her vows.
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Fall to Pieces
Updated at Jul 30, 2020, 04:54
When a quilting event falls to pieces, Beatrice works to patch things up. Dappled Hills quilters are eagerly anticipating new events at the Patchwork Cottage quilt shop. The shop’s owner, Posy, has announced ‘Sew and Tell’ socials and a mystery quilt group project. But one day, instead of emailed quilt instructions, the quilters receive a disturbing message about a fellow quilter. When that quilter mysteriously meets her maker, Beatrice decides to use her sleuthing skills to find the killer before more lives are cut short.
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Embroidering the Truth
Updated at Apr 13, 2020, 18:00
Little white lies can add up to big trouble. Felton Billows is known around the small town of Dappled Hills as something of a show-off. She's always dressed-up. She drives a luxurious car.  And she has a quite spectacular diamond ring that she's fond of waving around. Felton, unfortunately, has other issues, too. She's not particularly kind to the people who work in her yard and run errands for her. Aside from that, Felton complacently alludes to the fact that she knows a few secrets. When Felton is discovered dead, it's still a shock—this is Dappled Hills, after all.  But it may not be easy to unravel the mystery when quite a few suspects come to light.  Can Beatrice uncover the murderer before he strikes again?
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Patch of Trouble
Updated at Dec 12, 2019, 06:03
When it comes to solving cold cases, nothing is ever cut and dried…Quilter Beatrice Coleman is enjoying the sleepy peace of a tranquil afternoon…until it’s interrupted by her friend, Miss Sissy. The elderly lady is making wild claims about narrowly escaping an intruder. And intruders are unusual in tiny Dappled Hills. Miss Sissy isn’t the most reliable of witnesses, and her claims are swiftly discounted—until her mysterious intruder is found dead. Beatrice won’t cut corners as she unravels the threads of both a murder and a puzzling disappearance from decades ago.
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