Sins and Needles
Needlecraft Mystery, No.10
by Monica Ferris
So you're looking for a nice mystery to read and you turn away, going "Oh, no!" at what
appears to be another overly-cutesy cozy, because you see a punny title, a subtitle involving
a craft, and a note on the cover about a free pattern inside. That's where you would be
wrong.
Amateur sleuth Betsy Devonshire may own a needlework shop, but as with her spiritual ancestor,
Miss Marple, any fluffiness about her is surface only. Underneath deceptive appearances
is a clear-eyed realist with a sharp mind that ruthlessly cuts to the core of what people
really are and what they really mean.
After mistakenly greeting a customer at the door by a local friend's name, Betsy learns
that the woman -Lucille Jones- is an adoptee in town to seek out her biological roots, roots
that she believes include that very friend, Jan. The question is if they also involve Jan's
status as heiress to her wealthy great aunt and the chances of Lucille sharing that legacy
according to the terms of an unusual will. This is a question that becomes more critical
when the great aunt is found murdered, using a method requiring special expertise that
Lucille and her husband both happen to have.
This series keeps getting better, with this book now one of my favorites in it. Betsy's
intelligence and pragmatism remind you of the fact that her creator was one of the original
authors of the Dame Frevisse series of historicals whose heroine is notable for those same
characteristics, despite their very different lives and settings. The craft shop and small
town settings provide a believable basis for the connections that make Betsy's Marple-like
style of character-based detecting possible, resulting in a truly satisfying solution
to the various puzzles. Of course if you love needlework you'll also enjoy the chatter about
the craft that is a constant thread throughout the series. Recommended. |
The Book |
Berkley |
June 27, 2006 |
Hardcover |
0425210030 |
Mystery/amateur sleuth |
More
at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Kim Malo |
Reviewed 2006 |
NOTE: |
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