Customer Reviews

Dyer Consequences (Knitting Mysteries, No. 5)

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

 

 

Summary

In "Dyer Consequences," Kelly Flynn, an accountant, knitter, and ranch owner is harassed with acts of vandalism toward her car, home, Rotweiller, and self. Kelly's realtor friend, Jennifer, introduces her co-worker, Tracy, to the wonderful world of hand-dyed yarns.

As a newcomer to the series, Tracy didn't stand a chance. She was promptly drowned in a vat of hot dye at the House of Lambspun. Sadly, the yarn store itself was also trashed by vandals. Was Tracy murdered by vandals? Or was the vandalism a red herring?

To learn the truth, you'll have to read "Dyer Consequences" yourself as revealing any more of the plot would spoil the mystery.

Criticisms

One of the weaknesses of "Dyer Consequences" is that you have to wait until page 60 for the murder. That means reading about skiing, dyeing yarn, etc., for at least an hour before you get to "the good stuff."

Another difficulty is that this series has alot of supporting characters; therefore, Sefton has to advance the two threads of the mystery while moving the romances along between Kelly & Steve, Burt & Mimi, Megan & Marty, in addition to introducing a new potential romance between Pete & Jennifer. There was a whole section on, "You've gotta sign up for tennis," that I skipped over. Some of these supporting romances have GOT to go or the next book in the series will need to be shelved in the "Romance" section.

All in all, "Dyer Consequences" is worth a read but it's not Sefton's finest work.

My husband and son gave me the first two in the series because I love knitting. Instead of developing, they have become weaker and weaker...... I won't bother if there are more. The characters do not develop, there is no real substance, and the author leans on amateurish devices....enough coffee!.....

Save your money.... but yarn!

Most authors get better overtime, not Maggie Sefton. This book was worse than the last. She has learned a few new words and phrases, for example Whoa, Don't worry, and vandal, these appear ad nauseum in the book. Kelly is not even a likable character. She interferes in Mimi's business, offering free classes and determining what should be done in the shop. Then she sits on her throne while her friends run both her ranches, come up with ways to support her ridiculous purchases and basically do her bidding. The dialogue among supposedly mature professional adults is sophomoric at best. Select another cozy, Monica Ferris or Mary Kruger for your knitting fix. Amazon should offer a zero star review, this book qualifies.

Dyer Consequences is the fifth book in the Knitting Mysteries series and we now see the blossoming of the characters. The previous books were good, predictable mysteries but Dyer Consequences shows us that the characters are more complex and can exhibit behavior and thoughts more in line with reality. Kelly Flynn finally allows a mature relationship with Steve which was too long in development (she had agonized over even dating or kissing him in the other books). Other relationships also are more adult and the conversation seems more realistic this round. I liked this book the best so far and look forward to finishing Fleece Navidad.

A couple of years ago, I picked up "Knit One, Kill Two" and became hooked. Even the second book was great! However, after that, I have to agree that the book became weaker and weaker. The same things started to bother me: coffee talk & non-progressing relationships.

Ok, to relate to "Dyer Consequences," Sefton refers to coffee about every other page. I kept saying to myself, "Enough, man!" Don't get me wrong, I realize that coffee is a major part of the main character's life, as she is a caffeine addict, but you can only mention coffee so many times in one book without really annoying the heck out of your audience.

Another annoying thing in the book: the word "whoa." Ok, so I get that this word should be used during a time of surprise...but using "whoa" all the time is just plain irratating.

One last disappointing element of the book: Steve & Kelly's stagnant relationship. What are they, middle-schoolers? So, I get that Kelly was afraid of committment. It took like 3 books for them to date. Another book to finally kiss. What about now? The fifth book? Cuddling? If you don't want to write about them doing adult things, either add a religious morals thing into Kelly's character ("I just want to wait until we are married") type of thing... or just add it in a way that is ambiguous. You don't actually have to write about them doing these things. You can suggest it. Give the audience at least that much. The friends in this book kept suggesting that they move forward...and I waited until the end, hoping that when they were alone, they would do at least something more then a 'peck' and talking (because after 5 books, it should be building up with these characters, right?). But we got nothing. After all those suggestings amoung the characters. And Steve & Kelly mentioning to eachother that they (supposedly) want eacher, during Kelly's 'loopy pills' scene. I guess we have to wait until the 6th book for them to at least french kiss. lol.
All in all, the romance is lacking & puts the audience through a roller-coaster ride with no bang.

This book does not make me look forward to any others, unforunately.
It's a shame, because Stefton has the goods...she just needs to do away with these irratating factors that nearly every commentor has complained about.

When you first start reading the 5th in the series, you figure it will get better. It doesn't!! She gets into more trouble minding other people's business. My biggest aggravation was the COFFEE. She must have written about coffee drinking on every page, how the dark, hot liquid burned on the way down. Give me a break! A waste of my time, because it didn't get better.

Maggie Sefton's Dyer Consequences could have been much better. It actually has a solid plot to it that worked nicely on its own with a few sly details thrown in for good measure. Sadly, it was buried (much like snowy Fort Connor) under too much fluff. Other reviewers are correct in that there are too many characters, too many romances and too much coffee.

Kelly, *sigh* ... her own friends think she's so stubborn and lacking sense they stage an intervention regarding her bad decisions! Instead of heeding their good advice like she's promised she will, she just keeps digging herself deeper and deeper until I started to wonder if she was just plain stupid or suicidal. I realize that we need the main character to be a sleuth but most of her actions were much too impulsive for me to buy.

I wanted to like this one much more than I did because I had really enjoyed the previous stories but this one expected me to entertain myself too much. And trying to remember who was who from page to page killed me. Plus, who wants to dislike the main character?

This book was obviously a misstep for the talented Sefton. I hope she gets the series back on track and Kelly back to her senses.

I must begin by stating that I enjoyed the first 4 books a great deal. After reading the reviews for "Dyer Consequences," I held off purchasing it and then the sixth book came out. I gave in and purchased both. The main question I had while reading both of the books is, Did Maggie Sefton write them? Especially "Dyer Consequences." It is not like her writing at all. As with many other readers, I was quite disappointed with this book. Go to the library if you want to read it and then decide whether or not to purchase it.

The fifth installment of The Knitting Mysteries Series in the Colorado Rockies centers on the knitting shop that was CPA Kelly Flynn's childhood home and on a new college student, Tracy, who volunteers to help with yarn dying classes. A rash of destruction attacks Kelly's newly purchased alpaca farm, her dog, her car, and her garage; then to a worse degree, the yarn shop and the café behind it. On top of that, Tracy, who had become an employee of the shop, drowns in a tub of extremely hot dye in the basement of House of Lambspun during the night.

Events worsen as increased incidences of vandalism and attacks that are more direct occur on Kelly's life, and no one can decipher who the perpetrators are, until Kelly latches onto a clue and connects some unexpected foes. She finds Tracy linked to the alpaca farm through a devious boyfriend out to make a "killing" in the real estate market.

Dyer Consequences contains vivid descriptions of the scenery, the Rocky Mountain culture, the yarn shop, the alpaca farm, and the actions of the characters involved in the multiple mysteries that amass in this story. The murder by hot dye is a new brand of homicide and the rash of strange acts of vandalism and attempted murders is intriguing.

The book is advertised as molding the knitting fellowship of Fort Connor into TV's "Friends," but it is not quite successful in doing so. In attempting to be more "with it" to the "Friends" generation, the characters seem to lose some depth, a few becoming a bit tedious and unlikable, even slightly crude in comparison with characterizations in the first two books of this series: Knit One, Kill Two and Needled to Death. Still, fans of The Knitting Mysteries Series will particularly appreciate the odd chain of property and personal damages and the manner in which the crime spree comes to an end.

Armchair Interviews says: Dyer Consequences is a good read for fans of the "cozy" mystery genre and readers that enjoy a variety of exciting crimes presented in one crime story.

This is the best of the series so far. Great descriptions of yarn.

Dorothy Iantosca