Rating: 
Summary: Monica Ferris Tops in My Book
Review: I have just discovered--and just finished reading--all 5 books in this series and I have to say it is the best mystery series I have read since the Murder She Wrote books! Monica Ferris' style has me drawn right into the story with her. Once I pick up a book, I can't put it down until I've finished reading it... and I can't wait for the next one! She does a wonderful job setting the stories in the Crewel World shop, always leaving me itching to pick up my latest needlework project again! Please, Monica, keep on writing!!!! I'll be eagerly watching to see what you're going to have Betsy, Jill, Godwin, and the rest of the bunch doing next! Keep up the good work!!!
Rating:
Summary: Another great entry in a wonderful series
Review: I picked this series up because I'm a needlewoman, but I keep reading it because I think it's unusually good. I love the characters, which is essential if I'm going to continue a series. One of the things that I like best about Ferris' world is that time passes, people change, etc. She doesn't run plotlines into the ground: problems that occur in one book are eventually resolved a book or two later. Betsy Devonshire, for example, starts off struggling with a difficult landlord, and later ends up discovering the dubious joys of being the landlord. She also passes the commonsense test: she knows when to call the police. I get exasperated with amateur detectives who literally and figuratively keep going down into the cellar looking for an axe murderer. Lastly I enjoy the fact that Betsy isn't involved in a romance although she dates from time to time. Now that's different and refreshing!
Rating: 
Summary: it was ok
Review: I saw the title of the book and I was really excited to read it. I was slightly disappointed. It was a slow read and there were some places where it was unclear to me what was going on. The introduction was really really long and the mystery started a third of the way into the book. There were a few parts that really stood out and caught my attention but then it went back to being a slow read. I guess there was just some bad pacing?
Rating:
Summary: Starting to Drive the Wrong Way
Review: Like the other Betsy Devonshire Needlecraft Mysteries, this story is pretty thin and the characters are fairly two dimensional. But it is light, fun reading for needleworkers who enjoy mysteries.This time the story is centered around an antique car run and is only tied to Betsy's needlework shop by a thin thread. But once again, Betsy is just a step away from a murder - this time, supplying an alibi for the victim's wife. In this installment, I found there to be too much about the cars and not enough about the needlework for my taste. I also thought two of the subplots were left dangling. But as a light mystery novelty, this book was still an enjoyable read. Just don't expect Arthur Canon Doyle's style when you pick it up! I'm certainly glad *my* local needlework shop owner is not this prone to being around murder victims! I'd like to see Betsy solve the mystery to another type of crime.
Rating: 
Summary: Steaming Up the Shop
Review: Monica Ferris introduces antique car collectors to her mixture of needlework and murder in Minnesota. Lars, partner of continuing character Jill, acquires a Stanley Steamer and draws the needleworking Monday Bunch into his enthusiasm. The novel is amusing, vivid, and detailed. While the murder is a minor factor, the interesting way in which the solution is reached, and the development of continuing characters in an appealing setting are great fun. Ferris is an excellent writer under any name!
Rating:
Summary: No loose ends here --
Review: Two of the things I've most loved for almost as long as I can remember are cars (thanks to my Dad) whether new or old or racing-types, and needlecrafts (thanks to my grandmother.) That latter is one of the reasons why I've greatly enjoyed all the novels by Monica Harris. The former is why I really LOVED this one - A MURDEROUS YARN. There is a great deal of skill involved in combining two very non-traditional and opposite elements such as antique autos and needlecraft, and Ms. Harris has succeeded wonderfully, in my opinion. Of course, first of all, she created the multi-faceted Betsy Devonshire, a transplanted West-coaster who moved back to the Midwest to visit her sister, and re-acquaint herself with the area in which they'd grown up. When her sister is murdered however, Betsy not only inherits the shop and it's employees--her new extended family--but she also discovers resources within herself that she hadn't previously realized were there. In addition, whichever needlecraft is highlighted in the story also contributes to the solution, a very clever bit of business. Being a woman of a 'certain age' brings all sorts of possibilities to a character, and Betsy is absolutely typical of this. More than that, however, Betsy is clever, intelligent, hard-working, likes to think outside-the-box, and isn't at all reluctant to admit that she doesn't know everything. Thanks to her previous escapades, Betsy has become best friends with a local policewoman, Jill Cross. In this story, Lars Larsen (Jill's love) has sold his 'hobby farm' to indulge in yet another hobby--the rather expensive one of owning an original Stanley Steamer, which he puts back together again after a small accident with the previous owner, and prepares to become an active member of the Minnesota Antique Car Club. To her surprise, Betsy discovers she also has a love for these old vehicles, and offers to sponsor Lars and his car, in exchange for being included in the adventures, and adorning the car with a banner proclaiming the name of her shop - 'Crewel World'. She also becomes a volunteer, helping with various aspects of the antique car social world. During the very first run, however, tragedy strikes when one of the old cars, which had been misbehaving badly, catches fire and very nearly incinerates the owner. Or did it? Was it the car, or was it a person who did the dastardly deed? Whichever, the result is the same--Bill Birmingham is dead, and his widow Charlotte has an iron-clad alibi provided by Betsy. While telling us a great deal of antique car--and club--history, Betsy also pursues the truth of the matter, because unsolved puzzles bother her. As an amateur sleuth, Betsy isn't constrained by the legal rules that govern official investigations, and with her unique way of looking at things, she can find solutions that sometimes evade the police. Even the handsome and enigmatic Detective Sergeant Morrie Steffans, who is apparently going to become a regular character in this series. Or is he? A puzzle that only the author can solve. Stick around for the ride -- you'll enjoy it.
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