Mary Daheim, The Alpine Quilt

Mary Daheim, The Alpine Quilt - Alpine is a small, semi-isolated, Pacific Northwest hamlet located deep in the forest and perched on a mountainside. The owner and publisher of the local weekly newspaper, The Alpine Advocate, is Emma Lord and the stories concern mostly the people and the special events in their lives. Emma plans special coverage for the returning prodigal Genevieve Bayard who hasn't been back to her hometown in decades. Gen is coming to see her son Buddy and his wife as well as her old girlfriends who belonged to a quilting circle.

After a celebratory party, Gen goes to visit her best friend Annie Jean who works as a housekeeper at the local church. Annie Jean fixes a delicious meal but by the time it is finished Gen is dead and Annie Jean is in the hospital. Tests show both women were poisoned by an insulin product used by diabetics. It is a front page story but Emma's House and Home reporter Vida Runkel who usually gets involved in homicides keeps her distance and makes it plain that she doesn't care that Gen is dead. Emma comes to believe that if she knows why Vida hated Gen, she will discover who the murder is.

THE ALPINE QUILT is an exciting and complicated who-done-it with the protagonist determined to find out who the poisoner is. During her investigation, readers are treated to an insider's look at Vida's past, which is very fascinating because she has always been an important secondary character. Mary Daheim combines lots of action with great characterizations to create a fantastic regional mystery.

Harriet Klausner