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.

September 1, 1995
Barbara Rosenblat's skills as a reader could make the dictionary a best seller. A well-known narrator of unabridged audiobooks, she doesn't skimp on her talent in the abridged arena either. In this instance, however, her verbal dexterity is undermined by a sketchy abridgment. The story itself is fascinating: Rachel Grant finds her personality overshadowed by a woman long since dead but not yet avenged. The key is an antique album quilt, which comes into Rachel's hands when it arrives at the vintage clothing shop where she works. Events escalate when Rachel's actions turn sinister. Unfortunately, too many gaps are present in the plot, as key scenes begin from nowhere and subplots suddenly reappear to tie up loose ends. Rosenblat's considerable narrative skills compensate somewhat but not entirely. The popularity of both the author and the reader makes this a must purchase despite its inconsistencies.--Jodi L. Israel, Westwood, Mass.