Two Purloined Pillows by Allie Pleiter

Item: Two Purloined Pillows
Rating: 4
Author: karenbaron

Posted April 1, 2026 by karenbaron in Blog Tour, Contest - Giveaway, Mystery, Review, Series / 1 Comment

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Two Purloined Pillows

by Allie Pleiter

Series: Nimble Needle Mysteries #2
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Cozies on March 31, 2026
Setting: Gwen Lake, North Carolina
Genres: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
Pages: 268
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, BookShop.org

When 30-something graphic artist Shelby Phillips reluctantly returned to her small hometown outside Asheville, North Carolina to manage her mother’s needlepoint shop, she thought it was temporary. But getting entangled in murder investigations has a timeline of its own…

It’s been a little over a year since Shelby started managing Nina’s Nimble Needle following her office-romance and career implosion, and Shelby’s mom has finally handed her the reins—technically, at least. Next, Shelby is excited to oversee two well-known needlepoint designers who will be participating in the town’s first two-week-long arts festival . . .

Laura Bitters and Paul Bardo have each stitched up one-of-a-kind pillows that should be big wins for the Nimble Needle at the festival’s auction . . . until the pillows vanish amid a sudden string of shoplifting incidents.

To add to the knot in Shelby’s stomach, Laura proves highly anxious, while Paul is an egomaniac who believes Laura has been stealing his customers for years. But things go from bad to tragic when Laura behaves oddly at the auction dinner, then collapses—dead.

Soon after, Shelby makes a shocking discovery in Laura’s room at the local inn. Then tests reveal that Laura was poisoned. Resolved to piece together the truth, despite the police chief’s determination to keep her on the fringes, Shelby rallies her personal team, including her sister, Jessica, her friend Deb, and Jake, her potentially more than a friend. As an extra twist, a magazine reporter arrives with unsettling—yet useful—dirt that includes Laura and Paul.

What unravels is a skein of suspects, long-held resentment, bitter jealousy, and betrayal, from which Shelby will have to pull the one crucial thread tied to the a murder-worthy motive . . .

Two Purloined Pillows by Allie Pleiter has Shelby entertaining two very different needlers.

Will Shelby catch Laura Bitters’ mystery?

Shelby Phillips

Shelby Phillips is the youngest daughter of Nina Phillips. She is the manager at Nina’s Nimble Needle and will have a big job keeping two different needlers groups for the town’s art festival. Shelby is a crafter, but not one who can make a living from it; aside from working at her mom’s shop, she works other jobs. She knows that, and she is happy with who she is now.

I have to say, Shelby is a good character and an awesome sleuth.

The Mystery

Gwen Lake, North Carolina, is hosting an art festival, with Laura Bitters and Paul Bardo as the two bigwigs who are being used as the draw. Except those two are like oil and vinegar, and they don’t work together. Shelby didn’t like the fact that their town had a bit of a crime spree of stolen goods until Laura Bitters died on their first night of the festival. I definitely didn’t figure out who committed any of the crimes, and I was surprised by it all.

Four Stars

My rating for Two Purloined Pillows by Allie Pleiter is four stars, and I do recommend it. Ms. Pleiter is a good author and kept me guessing on who did it. The biggest reason I recommend it is that Ms. Pleiter wrote the book without letting anything from the first book slip out. I love that.

Ms. Pleiter does have a needlepoint pattern available at the back.

Giveaway

Prize: Prize package will include a signed hardcopy of Two Purloined Pillows (A Nimble Needle Mystery) by Allie Pleiter, bookmarks, and a Needlepoint starter kit.

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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Two Purloined Pillows by Allie Pleiter.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Allie Pleiter

An avid crafter, coffee junkie, and firm believer that “pie makes everything better,” Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction, working on as many as four books at a time. The bestselling author of over seventy books, Allie has enjoyed a twenty-plus-year career with over 1.9 million books sold. In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on the creative process, publishing, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management for writers. She lives in the Charlotte area with her husband and the world’s most adorable dog. Visit her website to learn more.

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