Rating: 
Summary: Ok - interesting for needlework - writing is very choppy
Review: Picked this up in a needlework shop in Utah. Owner had 'em all on the counter. Read in a few days. The needlework angle was interesting, but the writing was not the best. Lots of choppy editing. An obvious villain - and the murder weapon revealed immediately after its nature was described by police. Hope the writing gets better in subsequent novels, but I doubt I'll be bothering to find out. I'll stick to Charlaine Harris or equivalent.
Rating: 
Summary: Small town murder mystery at it s best
Review: The nuances and gossip of a small Minnesota town rise to the top in this murder mystery. New age politically correct culture mixed with traditional hobbies makes this book an easy and delightful read.
Rating:
Summary: A fun "Cozy" mystery
Review: This book is set in a suburb of Minnesota. Being familiar with the area makes it more fun to read. I am looking forward to the next in the series to learn how Betsy's knitting is progressing!
Rating:
Summary: A great get-away book
Review: This is a great, if somewhat "fluffy", book especiall for those that like to read and like to do some type of needlework. It was a great bood to lose yourself in for a few hours - depending on how fast you read!
Rating:
Summary: American cozy
Review: This is, I think, an excellent example of the American cozy. Similiar to the British genre in that you have a small group of characters that drive the story. I have read all four in the series so far. What I think I like most is the needlework background for the titles. This is somewhat like Dick Francis books always having horses or racing in the storyline. Quite often too, the main character is in trouble because of something they don't know they know. A good read for a rainy afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air in mysteries series
Review: Want to add my praise of Crewel World. As a knitter/cross stitcher, I was drawn to the book. I wasn't disappointed. It was modern, true to the Midwest and small towns. I liked the characters and found Betsy to be an interesting person.... the reader sees Excelsior and needlework through her eyes as she learns to appreciate both. It is also nice to have a protaganist who isn't divorced/widowed with children and involved with the local detective (which seems to be the trend in many of the mysteries lately). Monica Ferris offers a breath of fresh air in mysteries -- MORE! MORE! MORE!
Rating:
Summary: 'No experience required'
Review: What a great title for a very engaging debut novel! Further, knowledge of needle work is not a requirement for enjoying this book. There is enough mention of various techniques to keep the enthusiast interested, while not bombarding the not-so-nimble-fingered over the head with unwanted or un-necessary information.Betsey Devonshire, now in her mid-fifties, has only one sister, Margot Berglund, and like many real-life siblings, each has gone her own way. Both were married and are now widowed, but the multi-married Betsey was used to California's sunny clime, while the more settled Margot thrived in the colder Minneapolis area. Although she didn't really need to work, Margot had established a needlework shop--Crewel World--to occupy her time, and she is content with her life as small businesswoman and community activist. Betsey feels the need for family, as we all do occasionally, and travels half-way across the US to Minnesota, wondering with every mile if she's made a mistake. But no--there is Margot, warm and welcoming, including a community meeting that very first evening. Like small towns everywhere, there is a vast assortment of characters to be found in Excelsior, and suddenly, one of them turns into a murderer. The police think Margot was the victim of a random thief; Betsey isn't so sure of that, and cannot let Margot's death go un-avenged. Slowly, thread by thread, she unravels the town's secrets (along with those of her sister and her sister's computer) until she reaches the right conclusion. This is a case of the journey being as interesting as the destination as Betsey discovers resources within herself she'd never even imagined were there, and learns to trust her own feelings and emotions. The other characters in the book are equally charming or devious, as the story requires them to be. There are other books in the series to follow this one, thank goodness, as I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the ranks of cozy mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: A Stitcher's Delight!
Review: When Betsy decides to figure out who murdered her sister - and to take over her sister's needlework store, I knew I was hooked on this book. But what a dilemma - to stitch or to read? The characters are a delight - and not unlike those who inhabit my local needlework hangout; and the "who dun it" is a joy to unravel. I felt I was in the store - and uncovering the clues. I hope there are sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Crewel World
Review: When Betsy's sister is murdered in her own needlecraft store, Betsy takes over the shop & the investigation. But to find the murderer, she'll have to put together a list of motives & suspects to figure out this killer's pattern of crime.
Rating: 
Summary: Mysteries are thrilling, authentic *stories*!
Review: When I teach creative writing to elementary-age children, they almost universally agree that they have had wonderful ideas for stories, and have set off to write them, but somehow never finish. I tell them they should write mysteries, because there is one way to write a mystery that guarantees an ending: Write that ending first. If you know "who dunnit" and how, and why, and where, and when, *before* you begin, then all you have to do is write towards that ending and you will have a complete story. Of course, it isn't quite as easy as that. But I believe one reason for the popularity of mystery fiction today is that the reader is guaranteed that the story won't end until the puzzle set before her or him at the start is solved. When I set out to write "Framed in Lace," I found myself faced with a dilemma of another sort. I had agreed to write a mystery featuring needleworkers. So I invented a pleasant needlework shop in a great little Minnesota town full of interesting characters. And then I discovered that while I had a more-than-nodding acquaintance with needlework, I didn't have the depth of knowledge necessary to sustain believability in the owner of the shop. Worse, I didn't know anything at all about how to run a small business. So I had to murder my nominee for sleuth. I felt bad about it, she was a terrific lady, but what else could I do? I liked the town and the shop, and wanted to set the series there, but I couldn't do it with Margot Berglund as sleuth. So I gave her a sister who inherited the shop, one who knew nothing about running a small business and next-to-nothing about needlework. (When you read about Betsy's frustration with Quicken and on learning to knit, you are hearing me.) The needlework pattern included with each novel was my editor's idea. The first one is kind of complicated -- I got carried away. The second one will be much easier. I have an excellent designer of these patterns in Denise Williams. I hope you workers of needlepoint, knitting, counted cross stitch, bobbin lace, et al, will enjoy these books. I stand in awe of you, especially now I am attempting to emulate you. And for fans of the cozy mystery, here's another one just for you. Monica Ferris
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