Amish and Old Lace

Amish and Old Lace photo

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This June there's plenty of reason to celebrate at the Olde Mansion Inn in the heart of Indiana's Amish country -- Liz Eckardt, the owner of the bed-and-breakfast, is engaged to be married to Pleasant Creek's kind and handsome mayor, Jackson Cross! Liz is a bit overwhelmed by the seemingly endless details of planning a wedding, but fortunately she has the assistance of her dear friends and quilting partners, the Material Girls, who stand ready to help her fashion the wedding of her dreams. 

When famous designer Katerina St. James comes to stay at the inn, Liz doesn't know whether to let out a sigh of relief, or take in a breath of concern. The well-heeled woman insists on crafting something unique for Liz -- whether Liz likes it or not. But before Katerina even puts pencil to paper, let alone needle to fabric, she is found dead in the storeroom of Pleasant Creek's vintage clothing store. Who could have killed the overconfident couturier? And why? 

Liz has her sleuthing work cut out for her. Katerina's assistant, who is also staying at the inn, clearly has some tricks up his sleeve. A small-time seamstress, whose pockets are empty, desperately needs Liz's custom order if she's to keep her shop solvent. And what about the owner of the store where the body was found? She's camouflaging some faults of her own with carefully draped deceit. When Liz pulls at the threads of all their lies, what will she uncover? 

It will take all of Liz's skills, and the help of the Material Girls and Liz's fiancé Jackson, to figure out who's merely dressed to kill -- and who killed for a dress. 

The Characters

Liz always loved and admired her mother, Abigail. She was an amazing, hard-working woman and role model. It is no surprise Liz inherited Abigail's determination and strong work ethic, earning Liz a successful career as one of Boston's most prominent attorneys. But even so, at 40 and with Abigail's recent death, Liz is running on empty.

When she inherits an old diary from Abigail's childhood after her mother's passing, Liz is stunned to read about the life Abigail had growing up in an Amish community. She'd never mentioned any of it to Liz. Ever. Why would her mother keep such a big secret?

Determined to find out what caused Abigail to abandon her Amish life at the age of seventeen, Liz leaves Boston and moves to her mother's hometown of Pleasant Creek, Ind. While she settles into the quaint and friendly community as the new owner of the Olde Mansion Inn, Liz is careful to keep her connection to the Amish a secret ... at least for now.

Will Liz's journey bring her the answers she longs for about her mysterious heritage ... or send her straight into harm's way?

Liz didn't realize when she bought the inn that she was also "inheriting" the resident lazy-yet-lovable English bulldog, Beans. She doesn't have the heart to give him away, so she adopts him into her new life. Although he spends most of his time sleeping by the front door, Beans still manages to get mixed up in the mysteries of Pleasant Creek.

Known for her delicious home-baked apple pies and impressive quilting skills, Mary Ann is one of Pleasant Creek's most loved citizens. She is also the proud co-owner of Sew Welcome, the fabric shop located on the first floor of the Olde Mansion Inn. Having lived in Pleasant Creek all her life, can Mary Ann help Liz learn more about their Amish neighbors and track down the true identity of her mysterious family?

An accomplished and sometimes wildly creative quilter, Sadie co-owns Sew Welcome with Mary Ann. Shrewd, and salty-tongued, 70-year-old Sadie says exactly what she thinks, which sometimes lands her in hot water. Sadie takes a liking to Liz right away, often treating Liz like one of her own children. With a bit of a reputation for being a busybody, Sadie always seems to know everything going on in Pleasant Creek. It's nearly impossible to keep a secret around her, but Liz must be careful not to reveal her real reason for coming to Pleasant Creek until the time is right.

Jackson is the handsome mayor of Pleasant Creek who also owns Cross Furniture Co., a local business that employs many of the Amish men in the area to help handcraft high-end wood furniture. Jackson is well-liked in the community and stays very involved in everything that goes on in town. From the moment they meet, he is attracted to Liz, but senses there is more to her than meets the eye.