The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

Synopsis from: Author's Website

It is the 1930s, and hard times have hit Harveyville, Kansas, where the crops are burning up and there’s not a job to be found. For Queenie Bean, a young farm wife, a highlight of each week is the gathering of the Persian Pickle Club, a group of local ladies dedicated to improving their minds, exchanging gossip, and putting their quilting skills to good use. When a new member of the club stirs up a dark secret, the women must band together to support and protect one another. In her magical, memorable novel, Sandra Dallas explores the ties that unite women through good times and bad.

About Sandra Dallas: (information obtained from the author's website)  I was pleased to learn that Sandra Dallas is a local author based out of Denver, CO.  She graduated with a degree in journalism from The University of Denver, and has since made her home there.  She has nine novels to her credit, as well as two non fiction works. 

She began her career covering the Rocky Mountain Region for Business Week and began writing fiction in 1990. 

My Thoughts:  

This is the third Sandra Dallas novel that I have read.  I previously read The Chili Queen and Tallgrass.  Impressed with her work I picked up several more novels, including this one.  I was not disappointed.  The Persian Pickle Club follows a diverse group of ladies in Harveyville, Kansas who get together once a week to quilt.  I was immediately immersed in the story. I enjoy quilting, but haven't experienced a quilting group like this.   For those of you who are not familiar (which I wasn't) Persian Pickle refers to a Paisley patterned fabric. 

Dallas lets you get to know each member of the club and explains their back story efficiently.  About mid way through the novel the main twist is revealed.  The remainder of the story is woven around the resolution to the twist as well as wrapping up the loose ends of the various sub stories.

My opinions of the members changed throughout the story as more facts are revealed.  This isn't a edge of your seat thriller by any stretch of the imagination, nor would I consider it a cozy mystery.  It is a well written story that will keep you reading until the very end. 

Of the three Dallas novels that I've read I would rank this as my third favorite.   I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story about friends and exploring another time in history.  I've got several more on my TBR shelf so look for those coming soon sometime.