Children's Hospital Book sale. $2.65

In Crewel World, after Margot is murdered, her sister Betsy must take over the needlepoint store and find out the identity of the murderer. None of that comes easy to her because she’s new in town, knows nothing about needlepoint and is trying to grieve the death of her sister.

Monica Ferris presents plenty of good suspects and motives with a pretty good story line to keep things interesting. Her writing is straightforward and uncomplicated which makes this book a quick read.

The book opens with Margot, whom I thought was going to be the main character. You know, the one who investigates and solves the mystery. But instead, it’s her sister who’s doing the work in this cozy mystery. I realize now, had I read the back of the book before I started reading, I would have known that.

I liked Margot more than I liked Betsy. Margot was upbeat and a real go-getter. She volunteered for charities and was an asset to the community. Betsy on the other hand, was a newcomer, loner and was rather moody and cranky. [Maybe she was a bit too much like me for my liking].

For me, the few funny lines that Ferris throws in are lost in Betsy’s downtrodden character. However, I think I was too caught up in my preconceptions about the characters to truly enjoy them. This being said, I still really enjoyed reading the book.

I’d definitely recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers. I think it helps to know a little about crafting/needlepoint or at least have an appreciation for it. If this isn’t your thing, you might not find this book interesting.

I have a few other books by this author and I’m looking forward to reading them.

RELEASE NOTES:

Left the book on a payphone in the entrance.