Dropped Dead Stitch: Maggie Sefton

I wasn't super into this book, but it was a cutsey idea of creating a mystery novel for knitters. A woman is raped and then goes to a retreat and the rapist is the man hosting the event. The man is murdered and it is deemed an accident. The protagonist is a meddler and unbelievably a retired cop discusses the case with her. In predictable fashion, she saves the day and solves the case.

The Island of Seven Cities: Paul Chiasson

This was a fascinating read. A man is diagnosed with HIV and begins wondering about some ruins he used to hike with his grandfather as a kid. His mother claims they are French, since the French had a long history of occupation on the island, but his research proves something entirely different. Documents show the first Europeans to land on the island noted that the Natives had some knowledge of Christianity, an alphabet, and distinct clothing unlike others they encounter. There is a mythical island of seven cities they believe was located on Cape Brenton. Chiasson begins rooting around the ruins and doesn't understand the slabs of stone he keeps finding. They were obviously chiseled by man, but the fortifications are like nothing he has seen. Being an architect he starts to realize the set up and construction could be Chinese and once he makes that connection he sees the alphabet is similar (looked identical to me)and the clothing the natives wore were distinctly Chinese. The validation comes when he speaks at a gathering with Gavin Menzies. Other scholars visit the site and see more than Paul had hoped to piece together; gold mining, cemeteries, gate posts, etc under hundreds of years of growth.