Books like Deadly notions by Elizabeth Lynn Casey

When a prominent and troublesome mother is found dead, the Sweet Briar Ladies Society—an intimate sewing circle that meets in the town’s modest library—stumbles into a mystery that threatens to unravel both the community and the fabric of their friendship. The investigation pulls the members into a web of hidden rivalries, old grudges, and long‑suppressed truths about the residents of Sweet Briar. Facing the reality that each decade‑long stitch of camaraderie might hide a darker pattern, they must work together to discover the murderer before the town’s quiet veneer erodes further. As the clues emerge, the group grapples with the responsibilities of running a small community library, the pressures of local expectations, and the weight of a crime that forces them to confront the dark side of a seemingly idyllic Southern town.

First publish date: 2011