by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Harlow Cassidy may not have planned to go from being a fashion designer in Manhattan to running her late great-grandmother’s dressmaking boutique in Bliss, Texas, but it’s the best thing that could ever have happened. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it was her destiny, as just after returning home Harlow learned that in addition to her ancestral connection to Butch Cassidy, she and the women in her family all have magical gifts. Her ability to sew wishes into the garments she makes will have to take a sideline during the Halloween season though, as she is kept busy creating costumes along with the usual mendings and alterations that keep Buttons & Bows profitable.

Harlow fully embraces the season with a perfect Wednesday Addams costume (dour attitude and snarky quotes included) but at her friend’s Halloween party she makes the morbid discovery of a very real body. Hairstylist Jaclyn Padeski had earlier been making enigmatic and ominous remarks about murder, criminals, and justice, and now it looks as though she only sealed her own fate. As someone observes, people tell all of their secrets to hairstylists, bartenders, and prostitutes, and it seems as though Jaclyn used that inclination for profit.

The host of the party has discovered a notebook of Jaclyn’s that is more of a shady ledger than a journal. Harlow is alarmed to find some of her nearest and dearest included in the list of names and dollar amounts. When Jaclyn’s death is declared a murder and everyone listed in the book a possible suspect, Harlow and her friends begin to track down the names and secrets that make them vulnerable. Complicating matters is Harlow’s late great-grandmother’s newfound ability to possess people, and while it’s entertaining for Loretta Mae Cassidy it’s unsurprisingly a shock to everyone else. The number of those who know of Harlow’s magical abilities and the ghost that haunts the boutique is growing, and as much as she misses her great-grandmother these pop-up possessions make keeping their secrets impossible.

It’s always a delight to see a new mystery by this prolific author, who also writes under the name Winnie Archer. The Southern setting is vividly depicted, from the rocking chairs on their patios to closeness of Bliss’s community. This truly is a town of six degrees of separation, where everyone knows everyone else and are probably somehow related. The sheriff is now Harlow’s stepfather, and her new stepbrother is not only the deputy sheriff but also dating her best friend. The mythology of Harlow and her family continues to build, especially as both her talents and the abilities of her great-grandmother grows stronger.

Jaclyn’s blackmail book allows for the exploration of numerous weighty topics, as well as how one’s sense of guilt – or lack thereof – can be separate from the seriousness of the crime. Harlow’s goat-controlling grandmother and the rest of her family liven up the novel while her custom fashion designs enchant both readers and clients. This seventh in the series is a magical blend of mystery, humor, and fashion.

To enter to win an ebook copy of Bobbin for Answers, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “bobbin” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 30, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.