Patchwork & Quilting UK – August 2019

REGULAR // book club

70 British Patchwork & Quilting AUGUST 2019

BOOK CLUB

with Arlene McLeish

August is usually a month

where we have a little more

time to relax and so, with that

in mind, I’ve chosen a book

that’s quite a ‘light’ read, so

it’s ideal for reading on the

beach or in the garden, whilst

enjoying the sunny weather

that hopefully we’ll have. ‘Fool’s

Puzzle’ by Earlene Fowler is

the fi rst in the Benni Harper

series of fi fteen crime novels

and, although it was published

some time ago, I think that it’s

still very enjoyable today.

Following the accidental death of her husband, 34 year old

Albenia - known as Benni - Harper decides to make a fresh

start and so leaves her ranch to move to the fashionable town

of San Celina in California to take up a new job as the curator

of the folk-art museum. Whilst setting up a quilt exhibition,

she accidentally comes across the body of her friend Marla,

a ceramic artist, who has been brutally stabbed with an awl.

Benni’s younger cousin, Rita, whom Benni had seen driving

away from the museum, disappears and becomes a prime

suspect. Rather than reporting this to the police, Benni decides

to investigate herself, which unsurprisingly brings her into

confl ict with the local police chief, Gabe Ortiz. However, to

further complicate matters, on the day that the quilt show

opens, Benni fi nds herself linked to a second unexplainable

death. Over the course of her investigation, Benni not only

uncovers some surprising – and alarming – information

about family secrets and small-town lies but also shocking

information about the night her husband died.

It’s interesting to have a lead character who’s not instantly

likeable; Benni is at times humorous but is also reckless

and stubborn, refusing to listen to the good advice of those

around her. She’s less than perfect and isn’t always kind

to those who try to help her but, on the other hand, she’s

generous and honest. Benni tries to blame everyone apart

from her deceased husband for his death but slowly comes

to the conclusion, as she grows in self awareness, that we are

only responsible for ourselves and that the only person who

could have stopped her husband from self destructing was

himself. I have to say that I did fi nd it exasperating that her

fi rst reaction was to not involve the skills and expertise of the

local police force, preferring instead to keep all the information

to herself and I had a fair degree of sympathy for Gabe Ortiz.

Although Benni is a sympathetic character, being a strong

minded and independent woman, I found myself puzzled as

to why she was at times deliberately preventing the police

investigation. However, on the other hand, is it this degree of

‘fault’ that actually makes her a more rounded, and therefore

believable, character?

Her relationship with Gabe is also controversial; it’s fi ery and

feisty and isn’t traditionally romantic. Some have criticised

the fact that Benni gets involved with another man less than

a year after the death of her husband, but this is fi ction,

where anything is possible! Benni relies on her grandmother

Dove for advice and guidance, although she frequently

chooses to avoid it.

The mystery element is well handled, with some deft twists

and turns that will keep you guessing until the end of the

novel. You may well be surprised by the fi nal outcome, as her

own past spirals into her present day and interlocks with it.

And what about the quilts? Quilts play a large part in both

the personal and professional life of Benni Harper and of

course the title of the quilt is itself a quilt block. Earlene

Fowler says that she was initially drawn to using quilt blocks

for the titles of her novels due to their evocative nature

and because they suggested hidden stories to her. But

there’s also the fact that making a quilt and writing a novel

are pretty much the same thing; take small pieces and

reassemble them into a much more coherent whole. As

Fowler comments ‘something in quilts ... connects us, erasing

everything that is diff erent and highlighting everything that

is the same’; quilting brings us all closer together, be we

makers, designers or those who use them. Throughout the

novel, quilts are interwoven into the narrative.

Unusually for a quilting crime series, there’s also a book

of quilt patterns to go alongside this series. It’s a little

disappointing in that it has no patterns for the quilts actually

referenced in the series but instead has some short stories

interspersed with designs inspired by the novels and if you

enjoy ’Fool’s Puzzle’, you may well want to fi nd out more about

the main characters. I have in fact made a quilt based on one

of these quilts, which is quite unusual for me; I tend to plan a

lot of things but rarely get around to completing them!

This is a cosy and fun novel with a blend of mystery, romance,

humour and believability. It's not groundbreaking and might

even be described as being predictable, but for all that, it's a

good story well told and you can't ask for anything more than

that. Earlene Fowler has written a mystery that represents to

me the best of this genre: Intriguing amateur sleuth, small-

town atmosphere and fascinating relationships in a unique

setting; in this case, an artists' co-op.

Arlene

FOOL’S PUZZLE

by Earlene Fowler