Seven Sisters - (Benni Harper Mystery) by Earlene Fowler (Paperback)

About the Book

While trying to unravel a feuding family's tragic past, Benni Harper, an ex-cowgirl who is now a quilter and folk art expert, uncovers a shocking pattern of tragedy--and stitches a hodgepodge of clues into a very disturbing design.

Book Synopsis

Meet Benni Harper...a spirited ex-cowgirl, quilter, and folk-art expert who's staking out her own corner of the contemporary American West. She's got an eye for murderous designs--and a talent for piecing together the most complex and cold-blooded crimes.

When Benni's stepson announces his plans to marry into the wealthy, influential Brown family, she and her husband are invited to the Browns' sprawling ranch, Seven Sisters, to celebrate the engagement. But the party takes a tragic turn when a member of the esteemed family is murdered. While trying to unravel the feuding clan's tangled past, Benni uncovers a shocking pattern of tragedy--and stitches a hodgepodge of clues into a very disturbing design. . .

Seven Sisters, a challenging pattern that features a single six-pointed star surrounded by six identical stars, was most likely inspired by an observation of nature--the Seven Sisters is a loose grouping of stars in the constellation Taurus. Although the stars in the cluster appear to be close together, they are, in fact, quite far apart.

Review Quotes

"The patchwork quilt provides the guiding metaphor for Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper series and...becomes the perfect emblem for a universal sisterhood where women's hearts are torn and tested, and unite to create a resonant story of complex patterns and hard-earned grace."--Jo-Ann Mapson, author of The Wilder Sisters and Hank & Chloe

"May be the best of the series...The emphasis on skeletons in a California family's closet echoes Ross Macdonald, while the tone and feel of the novel will remind readers of Nevada Barr."--Booklist

"Fowler's regular characters all show significant growth; the mystery itself is satisfying both as a puzzle...and as a story about secrets buried in a family's past."--Booklist

"As in all of Earlene's previous books, in addition to the mystery there are numerous other threads cleverly interwoven in the plot...enjoyable...well-written."--San Luis Obispo Magazine (CA)

"Benni is feisty, caring, loving, and one heck of a part-time sleuth...a not to be missed view into the worlds of crime and the elite."--Rendezvous

"Engrossing...a compelling story of families torn apart by divided loyalties."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Earlene Fowler was raised in La Puente, California, by a Southern mother and a Western father. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Allen, a large number of quilts, and twenty pairs of cowboy boots.