Author John Allison and artist Max Sarin, the entertaining graphic creators of The Great British Bump-Off, return with another rambunctious episode, The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt. This time, thanks to Uncle Jim's generous loan of his boat, Shauna Winkle's off on a summer holiday through England's canals. She makes her first stop, three hours after departure, in Barton-on-Wendle, where she meets Bryn, whose charms are so irresistible that she barely notices the barge coming unmoored. It then scrapes against concrete posts and handrails. The damage, she'll learn soon enough, is a whopping £4,000 to fix, which means she needs to find work ASAP.
Bryn takes her to Canalside Crafts, his mother's quilting shop. "If you can make a cup of weak tea, work a computer, and put an order in a Jiffy bag... you've got a job," Daphne offers. That night, when arson claims Daphne's car, she's convinced it's sabotage--by a disgruntled former employee, Pat, who left to start her own rival shop, Stitch Pickings. With Quiltfest coming that weekend, Daphne can't risk losing to her nemesis: "We're putting you in undercover with the other lot." Shauna, who insists she's "been solving mysteries for more than half [her] life," just might figure out who's doing what to whom.
Allison's delightful cozy mystery gets mirthfully enhanced with Sarin's quirkily (over)dramatic characters, populating brilliantly saturated, riotously colorful panels. Sarin excels in capturing all manner of expressions in convincing detail--particularly those of unstoppable Shauna, who plots, hallucinates, worries, and vanquishes her way to hopefully, finally return to smooth sailing. --Terry Hong