Threading the Needle

April 11, 2011
The uninspired fourth installment of the Cobbled Court series introduces newcomers Tessa Woodruff and Madelyn Beecher to the sleepy town of New Bern, Conn. The two women lived in the town as childhood best friends until Tessa dumped Madelyn as her friend at the age of 12 for not being cool enough. Forty-three years later, Tessa moves back with her husband to pursue their dream of being farmers and opening an herbal gift shop. Madelyn returns after her wealthy husband is jailed for running a Ponzi Scheme, leaving her with nothing but the deed to her dead grandmother's New Bern house. They rekindle their friendship as Madelyn begins to remodel her inheritance into a bed and breakfast and Tessa struggles through a poor economy. While the plot is thin and the protagonists are uncomplicatedly moral folks, Bostwick remains true to the formula that has created her followingâfill a quaint town with good, warm people who are always happy to help each other out.

May 1, 2011

In alternating chapters that deftly move the story along, Madelyn and Tessa narrate Bostwick's fourth series entry (after A Thread So Thin). Tessa and Madelyn formed an affinity as young girls, but circumstances and time eventually destroyed their bond. Years later they find themselves living in the same small Connecticut town. Madelyn is now disgraced and broke after her husband went to prison for serious financial shenanigans. Tessa and her husband, Lee, struggle with their own financial challenges, including Tessa's herbal shop. Not unexpectedly, the two old friends end up in the same quilting class. Bostwick nicely incorporates characters from the previous novels into this story, and readers who haven't read the previous titles won't be confused. There is a lot here about female friendships, marriage, mistakes, choices, regrets, and forgiveness, but these all fit together nicely as Madelyn and Tessa rediscover the value of their relationship. VERDICT Bostwick's series continues to introduce interesting characters and compelling stories that show an appreciation for female friendship as well as a love for the art of quilting. Readers who have exhausted Jennifer Chiaverini's "Elm Creek Quilt" novels or Clare O'Donohue's "Someday Quilt" mysteries will definitely enjoy Bostwick.--Margaret Hanes, Warren P.L., MI

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