Cathedral Windows by Clare O'Donohue, a Mysterious Review.

Review: When a neighbor is accused of setting fire to his own home to collect on the insurance, Nell Fitzgerald steps in to prove him innocent in Cathedral Windows, an ebook special in this series by Clare O'Donohue.

Nell already has plenty on her plate, what with a big holiday charity event coming up that she's helping to coordinate. Still, when asked why she's helping Charlie Lofton, she replies, "Because Christmas is five days away, and this guy, who teaches kids, fights for his country, and is thoughtful enough to salvage a box of old sewing stuff can't spend it in jail. That's why." But the evidence against him, though largely circumstantial, is compelling, enough that the chief of police of Archers Rest, New York — that would be Jesse Dewalt, Nell's boyfriend — to hold him. It isn't until the final pieces of a special present Nell and the rest of the community are sewn together — a cathedral windows pattern quilt started by Charlie's grandmother — that the truth comes out.

This is a charming story — a little over 60 pages in length — that weaves together a tale of how a community pulls together for one of its own with the spirit of the Christmas holiday. The mystery plot itself is very thin with the barest of foundations and the attempt at misdirection seems half-hearted at best, but the whodunit element is really not the focus here. This is a story about character, doing the right thing for the right reasons. The scene describing the presentation of the quilt at the end is really quite touching, with barely a mention of the best of intentions that went tragically awry for one participant. A very enjoyable story, and one totally appropriate for, and within the context of, the series itself.

Acknowledgment: Penguin Group provided an eARC of Cathedral Windows for this review.

Missing Persons
Plume (Trade Paperback), May 2011
ISBN-13: 9780452297067; ISBN-10: 0452297060

Cathedral Windows

A Nell Fitzgerald eBook Special Mystery by Clare O'Donohue