CFBA - Scraps of Evidence

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingScraps of EvidenceAbingdon Press (January 21, 2014)byBarbara Cameron
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word from the author:

CBD, CBA, and ECPA bestselling author of 35 books (including new series upcoming for Abingdon Press in 2011/2012) including fiction and non-fiction books for Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Harlequin, and other publishers.

I sold three films to HBO/Cinemax and am the first winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award.




My two novellas won the 2nd and 3rd place in the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest from the Faith, Love, and Hope chapter of RWA. Both were finalists for the novella category of the Carol Award of the American Christian Writers Award (ACFW).

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tess has taken some ribbing from her fellow officer, Logan, for her quilting hobby. He finds it hard to align the brisk professional officer he patrols with during the day with the one who quilts in her off-time. Besides, he’s been trying to get to know her better and he’d like to be seeing her during those few nights a week she spends with her quilting guild. Then one afternoon Tess and Logan visit her aunt in the nursing home, and the woman acts agitated when Tess covers her with the story quilt. Aunt Susan is attempting to communicate a message to them about Tess’s uncle. There’s a story behind this quilt, they realize, one that may lead them to a serial killer. Will they have a chance to have a future together, or will the killer choose Tess for his next victim before they find him?

If you would like to read the first chapter of , go HERE.

MY THOUGHTS

As anyone who has read my reviews knows, I'm a big fan of Abingdon's Quilts of Love series, so I read this book with eager anticipation. While there was much to like about it, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The overall story was intriguing and the characters were likeable, but even though I had a final copy and not an unproofed ARC (Advance Review Copy), the book suffered from a lack of tightness and editing. Several threads were introduced yet not tied up in the end, and it would have been better if they had been eliminated rather than leave the reader dangling. The identity of the serial killer was so obvious that I expected it either to be a red herring or for the point of view to occasionally give a peek into the person's warped mind. Even the name of a primary character was different in the story than on the back cover blurb (and in the blurb above), which was disconcerting. (The aunt is also in the hospital, not in the nursing home.) I was still able to enjoy the story in spite of these distractions but I was disappointed to see a story with so much potential fall short.