1 out of 4 stars
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Sisters Dora and Josie have the chance of a lifetime: they will travel to as many of the 50 states as possible in order to collect quilt patterns that represent each state. As former retirees, their days will soon be filled with adventure, excitement, mystery, and unbeknownst to them, crime! These ladies will meet many characters along the way, all the while seeing many of the wonderful sights that characterize this country. Will Dora and Josie be able to successfully collect a quilt pattern from each state, and more importantly, who will they meet along the way?
Heist Along the Rails is the first book in Jan Cerney’s Winslow Quilting Mysteries. Dora and Josie set out on a pattern-finding journey, but end up returning home with much more than simple quilt patterns. Dora and Josie will meet several characters that soon become familiar faces, but beneath this fun trip lies a mystery. Who has been robbing the art galleries near where the sisters visit, and do said thieves know about Dora and Josie’s mission?
Jan Cerney presents an intriguing storyline, with events and surprises along the way to keep readers interested. The plot is certainly believable, but upon closer inspection, the story suffers. Beyond Dora and Josie, characterization comes in quick, cliché brushstrokes with little in the way of originality. Dora and Josie give readers information about their past by speaking about it to one another, which is at times believable and most other times feels forced. The dialogue is too formal and stilted. There were numerous errors in terms of punctuation and at one point, the quilters are referred to as “quitters,” which is hardly a fitting description.
Given the large amount of errors and the lack of memorable characters, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars. Quotation marks were missing in some cases, which led to confusion when reading. I enjoyed traveling along with Josie and Dora, but I will not remember this book in a week’s time, or rather, I will remember it only to caution others against reading it. I’m sure, given time and a bit of editing support, the author could enliven this tome to better impact audiences and excite them enough to continue reading. At this point, however, I would not read the second book in the Winslow Quilting Mysteries.
All the same, I invite you to check out Heist Along the Rails by Jan Cerney, and decide for yourself what you think. I believe mysteries are firstly charged with hooking their audience and not letting go until the final page—which this book failed to do—but perhaps other readers will see this book in a different light. Cerney certainly creates a wealth of tension and intrigue in this light-hearted and romantic mystery. Readers of all ages will enjoy reading this book, and for those especially knowledgeable about historical sites, Cerney’s work will take you on a virtual tour of the best of these 50 states’ history-laden landmarks. Check out Heist Along the Rails and join the conversation with your opinion!
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Heist along the rails
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