Accepting a position as an assistant in a family clothing shop, Rachel Grant pursues her theory that important rites of passage are linked to special garments and finds herself haunted by an antique bridal quilt. 100,000 first printing. $150,000 ad/promo. Doubleday Main. Tour. YA?Working with Cheryl and her partner, Kara, in their vintage clothing store is a source of pleasure for Rachel; it also helps her with her academic research on women's crafts. When a box of antique quilts is left on the doorstep of their shop by a mysterious stranger, things begin to change. The bridal quilt fascinates Rachel, but it takes control of her actions before she realizes that some heirlooms are crafted from hate rather than love. Besides offering a riveting mystery, Michaels also introduces readers to the interesting business of restoring period clothing.?Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Returning to the people and the place made popular in her best-sellers, Shattered Silk (1988) and Ammie, Come Home (1979), Michaels weaves an incredible mystery based on a haunted quilt. Rachel Grant is a doctoral student working on her thesis--an investigation of women's garments designed for important rites of passage--when she takes a part-time job at a chic vintage clothing shop run by two women, Kara and her sister-in-law Cheryl. When Cheryl's police officer husband is shot, Rachel is drawn into the family because she moves into Cheryl's home, which is connected to the shop. Meanwhile, the message from the quilt lures Rachel into dangerous misdeeds. The unraveling of the mystery proves fascinating, and any stitcher or mystery lover will fall under this novel's spell. Denise Perry Donavin Rachel Grant finds the perfect job to tide her over while she finishes her master's thesis on the power of women's folk art. Working in her friend Cheryl's vintage clothing store offers money and a chance to research the needle crafts that so interest her. Rachel suffers more than a twinge of discomfort, though, when Cheryl asks her to move in to help with the store while Cheryl's injured husband, a cop who broke his leg chasing a suspect, recuperates from his injuries. Rachel's discomfort comes from her guilty secret; she's got more than a passing crush on Cheryl's handsome mate. One day, a bag of antique quilts appear at the door of the store. In the course of tracking down the thief who dropped them after he fled the building, Rachel and her friends find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into a bizarre round of mishaps, each one more and more dangerous. Rachel can't decide who to trust, not Cheryl, her wayward husband, nor Adam, mysterious hulk who's house-sitting with her. All Rachel knows is, the closer she gets to the answer, the farther away safety and sanity become.When Barbara Michaels turns up the suspense, watch out! A word to the wise; don't read this in bed alone! Fascinating detail and hair-raising suspense!Annette Carney -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times New York Times bestselling author Barbara Michaels brings back some of her best-loved characters from the novels Ammie Come Home and Shattered Silk in a mesmerizing tale of a woman whose mysterious link with the past puts her in grave danger.