From Publishers Weekly
Conflicting family loyalties and the burdens of the past lie at the heart of the engrossing seventh novel from four-time Agatha Award nominee Fowler to feature amateur sleuth Benni Harper. Benni's 19-year-old stepson, Sam Ortiz, confides in her that he and his pregnant girlfriend, Bliss Girard, a rookie cop in the San Celina, Calif., police department, want to marry. Benni fears that her husband, Gabe Ortiz, the town's police chief, will disapprove--and that so will Bliss's socially and politically prominent family, the Browns. Benni isn't certain how to react when Lydia Ortiz, Sam's mother and Gabe's first wife, arrives to discuss the domestic crisis. Matters come to a head when the extended families dine together at the Browns' ancestral stronghold, Seven Sisters Ranch. The murder of Giles Norton, husband of another Brown offshoot and the son of prominent vintners, puts everyone at Seven Sisters at risk. A sheriff's department newcomer, Ford "Hud" Hudson, investigates the killing, and quickly pegs Benni as an unofficial assistant because of her reputation for nosiness and her connections to the case. The tenacious Hud constantly backs Benni into corners whenever she shows signs of wanting to wash her hands of the whole affair. In the end, Benni's own instincts drive her to dig out the long-hidden truth behind the deaths of four of the original seven Brown sisters, for whom the ranch was named. How this secret relates to the present tragedy provides the stunning climax to a compelling story of families torn apart by divided loyalties. Agent, Deborah Schneider. 9-city author tour. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
On a late summer day in San Celina, California, Sam Ortiz tells his stepmother, cowgirl Benni Harper, that he is engaged to Bliss Girard, daughter of a prominent rancher. Then Bliss' cousin is murdered. When the Girards clam up, Benni investigates and discovers that the murderer may be in the family, ready to kill again. This seventh Benni Harper mystery may be the best of the series. Fowler's regular characters all show significant growth; the mystery itself is satisfying both as a puzzle (the art of quiltmaking holds the key) and as a story about secrets buried in a family's past. In addition, the tantalizing subplot about Benni's amusing, poignant relationship with her husband's first wife is as intriguing as the mystery. The emphasis on skeletons in a California family's closet echoes Ross Macdonald, while the tone and feel of the novel will remind readers of Nevada Barr. John Rowen


From Kirkus Reviews
In six earlier adventures (Mariners Compass, 1999, etc.), Benni Harper never learned the knack of disentangling the travails and celebrations of domestic life from homicide. When her police chief husband Gabriel Ortizs son Sam announces his engagement to pregnant rookie cop Bliss Gerard, and Blisss forgiving family invites Benni out to their lavish ranch to celebrate, series fans will be waiting for gunshots instead of flying fureven before the news that Gabes glamorous ex-wife Lydia is back in town makes Bennis joy complete. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM OUR EDITORS

While trying to unravel a feuding family's past, folk art expert Benni Harper uncovers a shocking pattern of tragedy-and a patchwork of clues that form a very disturbing design.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

While trying to unravel a feuding family's tragic past, Benni uncovers a shocking pattern of tragedy-and stitches a hodgepodge of clues into a very disturbing design.

FROM THE CRITICS

Toby Bromberg - Romantic Times

Seven Sisters, the newest entry in Fowler's popular Quilt series of mysteries, is a swift-paced story that hooks the reader from beginning to end. The plot is exceptionally strong and the whys and wherefores of the crime will touch even the hardest hearts.

Barnes & Noble Guide to New Fiction

Fowler's seventh Benni Harper mystery involves a unique quilting pattern, the "seven sisters," in a "nicely convoluted plot." "If the "gol-dang book wasn't so gosh-darn homespun it would have been a better read." "I learned a lot about quilt patterns." A "not very thrilling" tale "about murder (but you know who did it), blackmail (and you know who did it) and small-town California (and you don't care about it)."

Publishers Weekly