Died in the Wool by Rett MacPherson

Back cover blurb:When New Kassel, Missouri's, infamous old Kendall home goes up for sale, local historical-society president Torie O'Shea hopes to turn it into a textile museum honoring the exquisite quilts of Glory Kendall. Adding to Torie's fascination, Kendall House has a dark unsolved mystery. Nearly a century ago, all three grown siblings, including Glory, committed suicide.

Torie digs into the mystery of the family, and soon finds the cold case heating up when her good friend is poisoned while cataloguing Glory's quilts. Torie is convinced the house holds the key—especially the blood-spattered mural depicting combat horrors, drawn by the eldest son, a shattered veteran of World War I. Soon a stunning tale of family secrets comes to life, woven into a tapestry of jealousy, madness and coldhearted murder.
 

Another great Torie O'shea mystery. I can't say enough good things about this author and this particular line of mysteries. I'm not much of a history buff myself, but I do enjoy genealogy a bit and enjoy seeing how Torie uses the pieces of genealogy to solve mysteries both old and new. This particular mystery didn't have the usual catching of the culprit, it merely solved the mystery of what really happened to the Kendell family.

For me, the interactions of the townspeople and Torie's family is as much a source of enjoyment as the actual solving of the mysteries. I love how the author weaves the ongoing saga of their lives into each novel of the series.

My only complaint with this particular novel (and it's not really a complaint, so much as a "wish she'd done more with this") There is a slight hint of paranormal (the ghostly kind) that is just left hanging. It's a sort of haunting tease. I'd have liked to see some more observations on that aspect of the story but I'm hoping that since Torie bought the Kendell house it will be featured in some ways throughout the books to follow.

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