Customer Reviews

Unraveled Sleeve (Needlecraft)

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

 

 

If Jessica Fletcher didn't get away from Cabot Cove every once in a while, there would be no residents left living in that small town on the coast of Maine. It's the same deal with Betsy Devonshire of Excelsior, Minnesota. After she inherits her sister's needlecraft store, Crewel World, she finds herself getting involved in the investigation of several local murders. And she ends up solving the mysteries. (see _Crewel World_, _Framed in Lace_, and _A Stitch in Time_) And even though Betsy is a newcomer to Excelsior, people are starting to turn to her in expectation of her quick work at locating criminals. The local police chief is still a bit leery of her ideas and techniques, but Betsy has conveniently befriended a female cop named Jill who can offer official help and insight. It works.
In this fourth episode, however, Betsy and Jill have ventured far afield to attend a Stitch-In in Naniboujou, Minnesota, along the Lake Superior shoreline. When the key speaker doesn't show up, both women become suspicious and start nosing around, and eventually they are the ones who find the body. Now, if you've read the other mysteries in this series, you shouldn't mind Betsy asking a lot of questions and following her conclusions. But if this is the first Monica Ferris book you pick up, I think Betsy might rub you the wrong way. You might think she's a butt-in-ski who has no business investigating a murder which shouldn't concern her. You might think it's pretentious of her to walk into an unfamiliar hotel and start asking questions. You might think it's a gutsy move to confront the victim's children and ex-husband with pointed accusations. And you'd be right, sort of. But read one of the other volumes first. You'll like Betsy a lot better, and you'll have more tolerance for her style.
I read all four of the Needlecraft Mysteries in one weekend and am ready for some more. Fans of this series would like Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper mysteries as well.

Betsy Devonshire needs a break. Her business is busy and she has finally wound up the details of her sister's estate. She is three million dollars richer, and it seems that everyone in town has an idea of how she can spend it. Her shop assistant suggests that she take a quick vacation and her friend Jill finds a way for her to mix business and pleasure. She is going to a stitch in somewhere near the Canadian border and invites Betsy along.

On her first day, she meets a famous instructor, and later finds her dead. She leads the owners to the body only to find that it has disappeared. Betsy now has to find the body and the murderer if only to defend her own sanity.

This was a pretty good mystery. I know nothing about needlework, but the author makes it easy with very vivid descriptions of the different disciplines. This is a quick and entertaining read.

I have enjoyed this series of books. I love needlework, reading, mysteries and being from ND, I have an appreciation for the Lutheran, Minnesotan, weather references! I have to admit this book didn't hook me as quickly and I think I missed the other characters from the store. I will give Monica Ferris high marks for her research into anaphylaxis and other topics. Maybe I just didn't care for the extras in this book. Don't get me wrong, if you liked the other books, you will like this one but is it missing some ingredient. I am looking forward to the next book!

In this installment, Betsy and her best friend Jill are off on a stitching retreat. But even while on vacation, Betsy is a magnet for murder.

The plot of this book was even more contrived than the previous one in the series, but Betsy and Jill are nice gals and you just don't mind hanging around them as they trapse around solving murders. This is a quick, fun read for those that enjoy needlework and mysteries, but no great work of literature.

I didn't know so many people already knew about Naniboujou Lodge on the North Shore of Minnesota -- the setting for this novel. It is a beautiful, romantic place with a slightly confusing arrangement of staircases. That's what gave me the idea of setting a mystery novel there, those confusing staircases. And when I walked back to the mysterious Devil's Kettle waterfall, it confirmed my opinion that here was a place crying out to have a cozy little murder ...

I am so pleased at the positive response I'm getting to the Betsy Devonshire mystery series. Even people not fond of needlework are buying and reading these novels. I hope people also not fond of antique cars will be interested in the next one, in which Lars buys a Stanley Steamer.

I have enjoyed this series of books. I love needlework, reading, mysteries and being from ND, I have an appreciation for the Lutheran, Minnesotan, weather references! I have to admit this book didn't hook me as quickly and I think I missed the other characters from the store. I will give Monica Ferris high marks for her research into anaphylaxis and other topics. Maybe I just didn't care for the extras in this book. Don't get me wrong, if you liked the other books, you will like this one but is it missing some ingredient. I am looking forward to the next book!

Betsy Devonshire owner of Crewel World, a needlecraft shop in Excelsior, Minnesota is tired. She's been having nightmares for awhile and wants to get away for a rest.

What better way to rest then to go with her friend, deputy Jill Cross to a "stitch-in" at Naniboujou Lodge. Or at least it started out peaceful, as Betsy, working on a project in the lounge falls asleep and wakes up to find another woman sitting in the room with her.

Sharon Kaye Owen's, a famous needle crafter tells her she's there to try and reconcile with her husband. They had broken up after Sharon developed allergies which prevented her from participating in almost any thing.

Betsy is horrified when she later goes up to her room and finds the body of Sharon Kaye Owen's stretched across her bed. But it's not as bad, as when she gets Jill and the Lodge owner to go back with her, only to find the body has disappeared.

Was Betsy dreaming? Having another of her nightmares. Sharon Owens wasn't scheduled to even be at the lodge and she hadn't checked in and no one else had seen her.

But Betsy is sure of what she saw and decides to investigate, to prove not only that she had found a body and that Sharon was dead, but to uncover who the killer might be among the other guests.

There doesn't seem a shortage of people, including Sharon's family, her ex-husband Frank and their two kids, Liddy & Doogie. Most of the other needlecrafters at the stitch-in were excited to have Sharon Owens come, but they didn't like her personally.

With the help of Jill and local Sheriff Goodman, Betsy uncovers clues which lead to a solution to an almost perfect crime.

Highlights:

The friendship that has developed between Betsy and Jill. There is a big age difference, I assume Jill is in her thirty's and Betsy is 55, but they have a lot in common and Jill is just the type of friend everyone needs, especially when getting over a bad divorce and the murder of your only family. "Betsy's sister Margot, who left her Crewel World."

Godwin, being left in charge of the shop while she's gone and encounters a major disaster. This guy is one of the best characters in the book, he is always very funny.

The mystery is very good in this one. I didn't guess either the killer or the reason for the murder.

Lowlights:

I like the needlecraft information but in this books with so many experts gathered together, it was very confusing, because except for cross-stitching and knitting, a lot of the other needlecraft projects they were working on and talking about, I didn't have a clue as to what they were. This made some of the sections hard to follow.

Because this story took place far away from Excelsior, most of the regulars were missing and they usually add quite a bit to each story, so I missed them. .

Overall a very good read.

The perfect book to curl up with when you are tired. You will not have to think much when you read this book, the author's habit of spelling everything out for you, makes this a nice light read.

I love the gothic elements of this entry in the Needlecraft Mysteries. Betsy and Jill head off for a "restful" vacation at a remote lodge, only to fall right into a mystery. Or is it just a product of Betsy's overactive imagination? The duo must rely on their wits and Betsy's unerring talent for ferreting out the truth to figure out what's going on.

I like how Ferris continues to add new dimensions to her characters. Betsy struggles with her pull to solve mysteries while also dealing with the emotional aspects of solving crimes. Will she fight her nature to find peace of mind, or continue to help others find out the truth?

One thing that bugs me is in the last few books, everyone (particularly Jill) seems to be too solicitous of Betsy. In the early books, this made sense, because her sister had just died. But now, c'mon! She's a grown woman and doesn't need someone "tucking her in" and telling her she looks tired and needs to rest every 15 pages. Let Betsy stand on her own two feet -- she (and the series) will be stronger for it!

Kept me awake to the wee hours--thank God I am retired !1 I want more mysteries like this.