Customer Reviews

Skein of the Crime (A Knitting Mystery)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sefton has stepped up her writing chops a bit in this book. In the past, I've found the pour-some-coffee-pass-the-pizza scenes a bit stilted, but either I've mellowed or she's toned them down a bit.

The mystery starts fairly quickly--first with an intruder into Kelly's home, followed by the intruder's murder. From there, the mystery moves along at a good pace and has a red herring that fooled me!

Sefton pays off one of the long-term relationships with a proposal--very satisfying for readers who have followed the series from Sefton's first book. On the flip side, there's some pretty serious friction between long-time sweethearts, Kelly and Steve.

For knitting aficionados, there are brief scenes about Kelly's foray into felting. For spinners (like me), there's even a nod to Burt's fondness for the relaxation to be found in drafting and spinning.

"Skein of the Crime" wasn't gripping--didn't keep me awake turning page after page to find out whodunit. But, it's a very comfortable book to while away a summer afternoon.

Maggie takes us back again to Fort Connor and our favorite knit shop and yes, of course, there's another murder to solve. If you're already addicted to these Lambspun Knit Shop mysteries, you won't be disappointed, in fact, this one has stepped it up a notch and isn't quite as predictable. Knit addicts new to this series will love this and the previous books. Maggie takes us to a knit shop that has the welcoming atmosphere of our realtime favorite LYS and makes us part of the family. She touches everything that causes us to be addicted to the craft, the yarn, the colors, the feel of it, the experience of trying something new and the friendships gained when becoming part of the knitting world and throws in a great mystery to boot. Though you can read them out of order, this series is one that is very worth stashing and reading from the first.

I own this entire series, and can't seem to stop myself. However, I only truly enjoyed the first 5 books. However, this current book made me angry that I had spent money on it. Ms. Sefton's writing style has always been quite simplistic, but that's okay. Sometimes I just want an easy, pleasurable read. This one struck me as belonging more in the juvenile fiction category. I'm tired of the endless talk of coffee, the ridiculous relationship between Kelly and Steve (Really, she wouldn't even admit she liked him in the earlier books, and then suddenly they were living together. Now, suddenly they barely speak.). Also, I realize that this is fiction, but Kelly's interference in criminal investigation would probably land her in jail in real life, along with the authorities who freely share information with her.

I think I'm done with this series.

I have liked all the books in this series. This, however, wasn't as interesting and seemed to drag on before anything developed. So, it was easy to lose interest in it. Nevertheless I will probably buy the next one to see if it gets any better and to see what happens between Kelly and Steve. Even the knitting pattern in the book wasn't of particular interest to me- maybe if they had printed the pattern Kelly was using to knit her hat it would have been more compatible with the book.

Does anyone else find the pricing for the Kindle a tad over the top? $18.99 when you can get the HB for less than $5.00?

I really enjoy this series, and buy it as soon as it is available. But this
book dragged a little. The knitting parts are fun to read, but I found the
book was slow getting to the meat of the mystery solving. However that will
not stop me from looking forward to the next one.

Once again Kelly finds herself snooping into another crime. Always a good read for knitters and non knitters alike.

Maggie Sefton has assembled a great mixed group of friends in her Knitting Mystery series. I find as a reader I feel like I am a part of the story, it's an interesting and comfortable feeling. Yet not all is sunny in the small town of Fort Connor, Colorado. As with most of the country, the financial downturn has affected many of the residents, including Kelly's boyfriend, Steve, who is an architect, and her friend Jennifer, in real estate. As a result, Steve is working two jobs as much as he can, spending almost all his time in Boulder and very little in Fort Connor. To make matters worse from Steve's point of view, Kelly not only has her consulting work, but she has a large inheritance and would willingly share it with Steve, but it just increases his feeling of failure and he refuses to take any money.

Of course, this wouldn't be a cosy mystery without a murder. It all starts when Kelly steps out on her patio one night and is startled to find a barefoot college girl standing there. She doesn't answer any questions, just rocks and smiles. It doesn't take Kelly long to realize the girl is stoned out of her mind, and must have walked along the trail by the golf course behind the house. She is high on Ecstasy. Kelly calls 911 and the girl is taken to hospital. Kelly has no idea how she got there, but the trail is not a safe place to walk at night, there have been some recent attacks on women walking alone.

Kelly learns that the girl has been on her own since childhood and that Barbara, one of the knitting teachers at House of Lambspun, the wool shop where Kelly and her friends meet. Barbara had more or less taken Holly in, and she grew up with Tommy, Barbara's son, who is now studying medicine. Apparently, Holly calls on Tommy constantly, drawing him away from his studies and work as a paramedic. With Mimi, the shop owner, taking an interest in her, the girl turns herself around and does well. She even takes knitting classes. Then a party she attends has her turning to alcohol but not drugs. The next morning, her body is found on the trail.

The coroner calls it a drug overdose, but Kelly can't shake the feeling there is more to it, and starts to investigate, to the chagrin of Steve, who twice arrives at the home they share on weekends to find her gone. He is on the brink of staying away in Boulder for good. How can this be happening? With her consternation of Steve's reaction, Kelly still pursues her investigation. Holly knew the trail wasn't safe, and she was trying to become a good person. What went wrong? Jealousy? A mother's overbearing protection? A drug dealer? So many questions. It seems everyone is trying to steer Kelly a different direction. Brick walls are up against Kelly as she tries to get at the truth. Will she learn what really happened in time? There are several possibilities, many supplied by another girl who grew up with both Kelly and Tommy as classmates through the years. Which of the possible suspects might prove to be a murderer? It will keep the reader guessing. What will happen to Kelly's romance and future?

In the midst of all this is woven an engagement and the wild search for a wedding dress and other plans necessary for the wedding. This book is a cozy with subject matter that is meaningful in today's world where parties, drugs and alcohol play a major part, especially in college. We also end with a cliff-hanger. Will there be a happy future for Kelly? That will require reading the next book, "Unraveled". I really enjoy Maggie's books, they are fun, genuinely "cosy" yet with a good murder mystery, and this one did not disappoint. Recipe and Knitting pattern included.

This series as a whole is still worthwhile reading. The characters are sympathetic, and the mysteries aren't so simplistic as to insult the reader's intelligence. However, after the number of books published, Sefton's writing should have improved at least a little. Unfortunately, her dialogue is still painfully stilted and awkward. It really keeps me from truly enjoying a series that is otherwise fairly entertaining. I do like that there are actual scenes where the characters knit, integrated into the plot, and that "knitting" isn't just a tag added to sell books. I do wish the patterns included would have something to do with what the characters in the book are knitting, and that every single one wasn't for complete beginners. I'd love to make the hat on the cover.

I have enjoyed all of Maggie Sefton's books and will continue to read her books. The current one Skein of the Crime follows the Adventures of Kelly and her friends as they attempt to unravel the schemes of the killers and go through their lives with the same problems that we go through in ours the stories seem more taken from live this way and more enjoyable to me. I will continue to buy and read her books. Thanks for the good reads.