This is cute story, but similar format to her other books (or just about every cozy mystery). A young woman inherited a small business from a deceased relative, moved to that quaint little town with a broken heart, found a body and met a new man - a local cop. ( )

Digital Audio read by Cris Dukehart.

From the book jacket: When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she is welcomed to Holmes County, Ohio. With her snazzy cowboy boots and her French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community, but her aunt’s quilting circle makes her feel at home as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch. On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom, the future of Running Stitch looks bleak.

My reactions:
I found this moderately entertaining as cozy mysteries go. There’s a decent premise, and I did like Oliver (her bulldog, who is afraid of birds). Alan gives the reader the beginnings of a possible love interest, which will likely develop in subsequent books in the series. And there’s a reasonable cast of supporting characters. Of course, our heroine believes she is the number one suspect in the murder and MUST investigate on her own to prove her innocence. I know this is a common thread in cozy mysteries, but frankly, it’s really not a very plausible plot device.

Still, it held my interest and I was sufficiently entertained that I would read another in the series.

Cris Dukehart did a fine job performing the audiobook. Clear diction and a decent pace. ( )

Angie Braddock recently left Dallas, Texas because her late aunt left her a quilting shop, Running Stitch, in the Amish town of Rolling Brook, Ohio. Her Aunt Eleanor married an Amish man and gave up her Englisch ways to join their community, and now the shop was hers. To tell the truth, Angie didn't mind leaving, considering after a seven-year relationship, her boyfriend broke it off, telling her he couldn't commit to marriage. Now she's in a new place with new people and trying to find her way.

It's also apparent that the woodworker next door, Joseph Walker, doesn't want her there. He's insistent the shop belongs to his family and he'll find the deed her aunt hid to prove it. But Angie stands her ground - and the next morning when she enters the shop, accompanied by Danny Nicholson, a reporter, she finds the body of Joseph in her storeroom, killed by one of her tools. Now she's under suspicion of murder, and since the sheriff won't let her off the hook, she's determined to find the killer on her own. But asking questions could be detrimental to her health - permanently...

This is the first book in a series, and I really wanted to like it. Although many of the characters seemed authentic, I didn't think that the town trustees were all Englischers when this is supposedly an Amish town. How did that happen? Maybe things like that don't bother others, but I'm a great believer in details, and it's details that I pay attention to.

I also didn't care for the 'nemesis' angle. Why on earth would anyone open a quilt shop directly next door to one that is obviously popular? For the sole reason of taking away all the customers and forcing the Amish in the quilt circle to choose sides? Nope; not interested. I much prefer series where someone isn't out to ruin the life of the protagonist. So if this continues in the next book - or even plays a major role - then I will stop reading (although I do like to give at least three books before I make a decision, the nemesis thing really irritates me in books.)

Then there was the ending, which didn't make sense to me at all. Things the murderer did just didn't seem like they made any sense, but I have hidden this in a spoiler, because even though this is an older book, others may not have read it yet, so if you haven't read it, please don't read the spoiler.

Spoiler can be found here: https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2020/02/murder-plain-and-simple-amish-quilt.ht...

Unfortunately, because of the way things were explained, nothing Angie's Aunt Eleanor did made any sense to me. As I stated, I will read the next in the series, but there's no saying at this point whether I will even finish that book or not. Sorry. ( )

Angie moves from Dallas to Ohio's Amish country when she inherits her Amish aunt's quilt shop. The small Holmes County town where it is located consists mostly of Amish-owned businesses, and some people, including the woman who managed the shop while her aunt's health failed, want to keep it that way. When the man next door who tries to lay claim to shop's deed turns up dead in the shop's storeroom, Angie feels she needs to do a little investigating to keep herself out of jail. This first in the series is full of engaging characters who will keep readers coming back for more. Her dog, a "Frenchie," fears birds of all sorts, providing some amusing moments. I listened to the audio version of the book, and it's clear neither the narrator nor the producer thought to check the pronunciation of towns in Holmes County. They consistently mispronounced Berlin, and I corrected the narrator every time she mispronounced it. I hope listeners let Tantor Media know of the problem before the second book was narrated. ( )

Angie has inherited a quilt shop from her Amish aunt, but there is a question about the actual ownership. A rather strong-minded Amish man claims that the shop belongs to him, which Angie disputes. The deed which would clear up everything can’t be found anywhere. There are arguments between the two but all that comes to a sudden stop when the Amish man is found murdered in Angie’s shop. This cozy has much to commend it. The characters are well thought out and the plot is intriguing. Even the secondary characters, especially the dog who is afraid of birds, are quite interesting. This is a very good start for what is sure to be a great series. ( )