Bruce Leonard

Hello, Readers,

Quilter and journalist Hadley Carroll thought that being demoted at work and being dumped by her fiancé had forced her to hit bottom — but the bottom was still out of sight.

Join Hadley and her fellow quilters while she tries to solve the murders of her ex-fiancé as QuiltWeek Paducah comes to town, she attempts to eliminate corruption, to bring a hate group to justice, to prevent more the unexplained deaths plaguing McCracken County, Kentucky, and to solve the murders that occur when a movie shoot takes place in Paducah.

These adventures, plus romance, friendship, and quilting, occur in the first four Hadley Carroll Mysteries — Quilt City Murders; Quilt City: Panic in Paducah; Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice; and Quilt City: Proving a Negative.

And then there are the countless jokes and dozens of delicious recipes inside of Quilt City Cookbook, narrated by Hadley at her funniest and most vulnerable.

My latest novel, Hard Exit, is the most personal of the five I've written. I've lived with the story for decades. It takes place in Malibu and south Los Angeles and is narrated by grieving private eye Jack Drake, who lives in a Malibu beach mansion with movie star Amanda Bigelow.

Unlike the Hadley novels, Hard Exit isn't a cozy mystery. It contains cursing, a sex scene, and some violence. However, fists don't fly every twenty pages, and Jack doesn't subdue half a dozen armed foes with his wits and a handful of wet pork rinds.

I think Hard Exit—a love story wrapped in a murder mystery, and vice versa—will appeal to a much broader readership than the Hadley novels. I hope you enjoy it.

The audiobooks of the first four Hadley Carroll Mysteries will arrive soon.

Thank you tremendously for your support, and happy reading.

All the best,

Bruce

Reviews of Quilt City Murders:

Best-ever murder mystery featuring Quiltmakers

Many of the other 5-star reviews here are eloquent and on-target, so I'll just add that this is the first 'quilt' mystery I've read whose story could stand on its own no matter the milieu, and whose details re quilting and quilters were credible. I enjoyed it, feel like I got a free trip to the quilt mega-festival in Paducah, and will look forward to further series titles. — A reviewer on Amazon

I loved it! This book is fun. The plot moves right along, and I became interested in the quilting town of Paducah. But mostly, I liked Hadley the protagonist. She is smart and funny, and a pleasure to read. I’d gladly read another crime solved by her.

— A reviewer on Amazon

A review of Quilt City: Panic in Paducah reads:

"Better than Quilt City Murders, and I LOVED that novel."

— Jenny Raith, owner of a cozy-mystery–based website

Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice has been described this way:

"I like the community of characters in Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice, and how they carry on from the first book. I think it’s a really lovely portrayal of women, the things we care about, and how we support each other. Another winner!
" —Jen Maverick, in a review

And Quilt City: Proving a Negative has been described this way:

"Quilt City: Proving a Negative surprised me from start to finish. It is a treat entering Hadley’s world, and the characters and setting always stay with me long after I finish one of these books. Proving A Negative is fun and sharp. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
" —Biz Lyon, the actor who will soon give voice to the Hadley Carroll Mysteries in audiobook form.