Stitches in Time

May 1, 1995
The latest romantic suspense novel from Michaels (Shattered Silk) is a bizarre story involving a haunted quilt that exerts an evil influence over characters' lives. It stars Cheryl Cardoza and her sister-in-law, Kara, seen previously in Ammie, Come Home and Shattered Silk. Owners of a vintage clothing store in Leesburg, Va., they hire an assistant, Rachel Foley, a graduate student in anthropology at a nearby university, where she is doing a research project on how quilt-making and other women's crafts assume a magical significance in such important cultural rituals as marriage. When Rachel touches a mysterious antique quilt made by a secretly jealous woman for the wedding of a friend who was marrying her ex-lover, she herself becomes the victim of such magic. Under the spell of this quilt, Rachel falls in love with Cheryl's husband and attempts murder. With the help of anthropology professor Adam, a friend of Kara's, the quilt is ``mutilated'' and its evil forces exorcised. While Michaels has a knack for suspenseful cinematic scenarios and highly detailed descriptions of women's garments, the premise is too outlandish for even the suspension of disbelief, and one tires of countless scenes in which characters creep around in the dark. $150,000 ad/promo; author tour; UK, translation rights, Dominick Abel.

November 1, 1995
YA-Working with Cheryl and her partner, Kara, in their vintage clothing store is a source of pleasure for Rachel; it also helps her with her academic research on women's crafts. When a box of antique quilts is left on the doorstep of their shop by a mysterious stranger, things begin to change. The bridal quilt fascinates Rachel, but it takes control of her actions before she realizes that some heirlooms are crafted from hate rather than love. Besides offering a riveting mystery, Michaels also introduces readers to the interesting business of restoring period clothing.-Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA