Customer Reviews

Crewel Yule (Needlecraft Mystery)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a page-turner! Monica Ferris really knows how to write a mystery! I finished the book in one day.

It was fun seeing the names of real-life people in this story. The usual gang is involved--Betsy, Goddard, and Jill--but this time they are visiting a real-time needlework show in Nashville. It was really clever how Monica Ferris found a way to keep all of the suspects from leaving the scene of the crime,and how she involved Jill, a policewoman way out of her jurisdiction, in helping to solve this whodunit.

I would have given this story five stars, were it not for the little "hiccups" in continuity and spelling. There were times when whole sentences were left out, names were misspelled, and even a time when the name of a suspect changed to the name of the dead woman! I should hope that, before they make a second printing, they go through and re-edit the story. Books cost too much these days to have to deal with that sort of thing.

i've enjoyed at least one other of the author's series, and, although i was initially leery of the obvious marketing ploy involved, i have been enjoying this series from the first book. this book is as good as the best of the previous mysteries.

you don't have to be an avid needlework to enjoy this mystery. ferris has always been phenomenally good at plotting, and at misdirecting the reader, and _crewel yule_ ranks with her best. however, if you haven't read at least one other in the series, this isn't the place to start, as some familiarity with the characters is assumed.

the characters, even the minor ones, seem real, the dialogue is wonderful, the atmosphere--well, i'd commit at least gross bodily injury to get into that market, wouldn't you? if ferris isn't a stitcher herself, she has a thorough knowledge and understanding of needleworkers. and of motivations.

and, finally and least importantly, although i won't be stitching it, the free pattern in this book is at least not contemptible, even it if isn't a crewel design.

Ferris' latest is as enjoyable as always. I do recommend that the reader try to read the books in order, as the characters develop, although it isn't absolutely necessary. The needlework lore is, as usual, fascinating, and I think that story is interesting even for someone who doesn't do needlework.

Ferris made a lot of good decisions in setting up this series that add to both the storytelling and the plausibility. Betsy is not an expert craftswoman (she inherited the store) and so it is reasonable to have people explaining things to her. Her best friend is a capable policewoman. She knows when to call the police: no going down alone into dark cellars to look for axe murderers.


Ferris strands Betsy, Godwin and Jill in a snowbound hotel in Nashville for a needlework trade show. Jill and Betsy attempt to solve the death (murder, suicide, accident?) of a store-owner who had abused a lot of people. Godwin spends most of his time being his usual charming self. The characters are as likeable as always, the dialogue is well done. I was amused by the setting of a hotel besieged by snow - eventually, that sort of thing of thing is funny. My chief regret is the Mavreen Harrison, the overworked night manager/acting day manager in this crisis, will presumably be staying in Nashville. What a delightful character!

The reader does need to check the dates that head some of the paragraphs. The book begins with a series of flashbacks explaining the background of the character and the suspects intermingled with the beginning of the mystery. Considerable setup is required for the story, so it keeps the action going while telling the reader the important facts.

I also enjoyed Ferris' theme relating to the character of the deceased. Ferris dwells on the contradictions and frustration created by a person who swings between kindness and cruelty and supposes, as one of the characters notes, that cuteness is a license to behave however one likes, and an apology means that it never happened and the victim has to forgive and forget. Too often, there is an epiphany at the end of the book (movie, TV episode) in which one good deed wipes out years of pain. While Ferris isn't recommending murder, she does deal meaningfully with anger. If this interests the reader, I'd recommend Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd, which turns on the difference between being kind or well-meaning and thoughtful.

I have one very serious complaint: this is probably the worst copy editting that I have ever seen. Whole phrases are left out of sentences, character names are confused. There are electronic grammer check programs that would have caught a lot of these mistakes. Inexcusable!

First book in the series: Crewel World (Needlecraft Mystery)

Instead of working at her stitchery store, Crewel World in a small Minnesota town, Betsy Devonshire and her employee Godwin are in Nashville attending the annual cash and carry market hosted by the International Needlework Retailer's Guild. Their friend Sergeant Jill Larson is also in town attending a police conference. The three friends meet for dinner at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel. However a freak snowstorm strands Jill at Betsy's hotel.

Belle Hammermill, co- owner of Belle's Samples and More in Milwaukee, falls off the balcony to her death in the atrium below. Betsy saw the incident and feels a misfortunate accident occurred as no one was in the vicinity of the victim. Jill has doubts and accompanied by Betsy questions people quickly learning that at least three women wanted Belle dead, but which one and how did that person escape eye witnesses accounts of not seeing the culprit perform the deed.

There is a sad irony to this entertaining sleuth tale as the victim was an amoral nasty piece of work who some will say deserved what she got while the killer is a beleaguered troubled person who performed the homicide on impulse and regrets her actions. Thus readers will empathize with the killer. Jurisdiction aside, Monica Ferris stitches together a delightfully clever yarn that will get the audience into the holiday spirit.

Harriet Klausner

The Nashville Needlework Market is moved from February to December and Betsy Devonshire has to scramble to find the time to go. Her cross stitch expert can't make it so Godwin steps in. There's a snow storm and they arrive too late to attend classes. Jill, a police officer and Betsy's friend is also in Nashville at a conference. The friends meet for supper but after Jill drives them back to the hotel she can't get to her hotel so stays over. The storm locks them and the market into the hotel. So when Belle Hammermill falls from the 9th floor balcony, Jill and Betsy investigate the 'accident'.

This the 8th in the Needlecraft mystery series continues much as previous books. Betsy goes with her intuition and the facts to track down the criminal. This time however, we have definite sympathy for the murderer and very little for the victim. But there are some crimes that can't be overlooked and this book ends leaving the reader with some mixed feelings.

Also, there's lots of needlecraft details and information and the reader can vicariously enjoy what a large cash and carry dealers market must be like.

I've read almost all the Betsy Devonshire series and enjoy the characters she's developed. Her key characters - Betsy, Godwin, and Jill the cop - appear in this tale set at the semi-annual needlework "convention" -- where dealers have hotel suites of displays to show their latest wares and owners of shops, like Betsy, can come and buy the newest stock. A sudden blizzard gets everyone snowed-in at the hotel in Nashville. An amusing subplot is how the hotel has to creatively feed the overflow snowbound crowd of hungry guests with dwindling food supplies. Betsy, with the help of Goddy and Jill, again becomes involved in solving the murder of one of the convention attendees. What I found most interesting was the "inside" information about the needlework business -- latest trends, how dealers select their stock, and all with a sprinkle of real-life needlework companies and entrepreneurs (such as Kreinik thread). Be prepared to do a lot of page-turning. The plot skips backward and forward in time, with each section denoted by date and time -- all revolving around the time of the murder. Some sections were minutes before, others minutes after, day before, hours after, etc. Red-herring clues abound. I kept flipping pages back and forth, to compare prior clues with new ones; the difficulty was compounded by the out-of-chronological-sequence sections. But that format was a clever technique of Ms. Ferris that added complexity and interest to the book.

The mystery series set in a small town in Minnesota are a pleasant read. As you progress through the series (and I recommend starting at the beginning with Crewel World)you develop an affection for the recurring characters. This book, however, was disappointing in two aspects. It is set at a needlework convention in Nashville, so the regular characters are absent. We have been following main character Betsy Devonshire's growing romantic interests in preceeding books, and I missed it here! The other problem, for me, is that the flashback style of writing in this book just missed the mark. Flashback writing is an art, and Monica Ferris can develop a linear story so well, she should leave flashback to more literary writers.

That said, I look forward to the next book in the series.

Cozy mysteries are generally rather cute, short on suspense and long on "charm". Good for a beach read, but otherwise unsatisfying. Crewel Yule certainly meets those criteria. But except for its very lengthy, mostly tedious descriptions of various needlework plans and patterns, there really isn't much to it. The dozens of crafters who make up most of the cast are stereotypical housewife types, and Betsy's 2 best friends are caricatures, one of a swishy gay man (Goddy) and one of a capable female cop who is apparently willing to work without pay. The reader is forced to listen to her explanation of what she is doing every time she interviews a suspect. And the motives of the various suspects are repeated more times than I could count. Except for the murderer and victim, everyone is so nice. I enjoy various types of needlework, including crossstitch and crewel, but didn't find much to enjoy in this tale, especially not the commercials.

The author spends a lot of time in this book describing various patterns and their manufacturers -- real companies and I presume real products. As someone who does needlework, it was of some interest, but after a while, it was too much like an infomercial.

The plot involves an annual buyer's convention in Nashville. For not very convincing reasons, it's been moved from February to December at the last minute (doesn't happen). Then there's an unusually awful ice/snow storm, during which a woman is apparently pushed to her death from the 9th floor gallery of the hotel that the buying convention is being held at. The plot consists of interviewing various people interspersed with discussions of needlework patterns. I've read others by this author and this is my least favorite to date. But if you are really avid about needlework, you may not be bothered by the digressions.

If you like a fun light mystery and love needle crafts, this is the series for you. The characters are great and every time I read one of Ferris's books, I want to run right out and get a new needlework project. Overall I would recommend this series.