Crewel Yule (Needlecraft Mysteries)

Rating:
Summary: Betsy and friends solve another one
Review: I enjoyed visiting with Besty Devonshire very much in Crewel Yule. It was great fun to have real people as part of the cast of characters. What made this novel atypical was the burden Betsy felt in being an amateur sleuth. Ms. Ferris did an excellent job conveying that being involved in a murder mystery is not always fun and games. Too bad we can't see Lenore's piece in person. Looking forward to the next one already!

Rating:
Summary: another ripping yarn
Review: i've enjoyed at least one other of the author's series, and, although i was initially leery of the obvious marketing ploy involved, i have been enjoying this series from the first book. this book is as good as the best of the previous mysteries.

you don't have to be an avid needlework to enjoy this mystery. ferris has always been phenomenally good at plotting, and at misdirecting the reader, and _crewel yule_ ranks with her best. however, if you haven't read at least one other in the series, this isn't the place to start, as some familiarity with the characters is assumed.

the characters, even the minor ones, seem real, the dialogue is wonderful, the atmosphere--well, i'd commit at least gross bodily injury to get into that market, wouldn't you? if ferris isn't a stitcher herself, she has a thorough knowledge and understanding of needleworkers. and of motivations.

and, finally and least importantly, although i won't be stitching it, the free pattern in this book is at least not contemptible, even it if isn't a crewel design.

Rating:
Summary: delightfully clever yarn
Review: Instead of working at her stitchery store, Crewel World in a small Minnesota town, Betsy Devonshire and her employee Godwin are in Nashville attending the annual cash and carry market hosted by the International Needlework Retailer's Guild. Their friend Sergeant Jill Larson is also in town attending a police conference. The three friends meet for dinner at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel. However a freak snowstorm strands Jill at Betsy's hotel.

Belle Hammermill, co- owner of Belle's Samples and More in Milwaukee, falls off the balcony to her death in the atrium below. Betsy saw the incident and feels a misfortunate accident occurred as no one was in the vicinity of the victim. Jill has doubts and accompanied by Betsy questions people quickly learning that at least three women wanted Belle dead, but which one and how did that person escape eye witnesses accounts of not seeing the culprit perform the deed.

There is a sad irony to this entertaining sleuth tale as the victim was an amoral nasty piece of work who some will say deserved what she got while the killer is a beleaguered troubled person who performed the homicide on impulse and regrets her actions. Thus readers will empathize with the killer. Jurisdiction aside, Monica Ferris stitches together a delightfully clever yarn that will get the audience into the holiday spirit.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: No Singing In Nashville
Review: It's December in Nashville and the Nashville Needlework Market is open at the Consulate Hotel. The International Needlework Retailers Guild has a cash and carry market for all it's member shop owners, to buy new designs, kits and other needlework material. Normally, the market is held in February, but because of a glitch at the hotel, it's being held early

From the 2nd to the 6th floor of the hotel, wholesalers crammed every room with their products.

Betsy Devonshire, owner of Crewel World in Excelsior, Minnesota is one of the shop owner, trying to visit as many rooms as possible. She was working the odd number floors. She's not too happy, not only did she have to change all the plans from February to come here in December, but there's a blizzard going on and they're trapped at the hotel.

Meanwhile, Godwin DuLac, who's an employee of Betsy's is working the even numbered floors. (He actually has several new titles, including publisher of their newsletter). Godwin is in 7th heaven, not only can he shop to his hearts content, but he has a company credit card. But all that shopping can be exhausting and he was taking a tea and cookie break when a body goes flying past him from one of the floors above.

Belle Hammermill, another shop owner does not survive her plunge from the 9th floor. Was it an accident?

It certainly looks like it, Betsy had just happened to glance up to the 9th floor and saw Belle standing there alone, just before she went over the railing. Could it be suicide?

Jill Cross Larson, Betsy's best friend and police officer from Excelsior, was in Nashville to attend a police seminar, and had got snowbound at Betsy's hotel the night before. Because even the police can't make it through for hours because of the weather, Jill decides to do as much investigating as she can before they come.

What looks like a suicide or accident suddenly starts to look like murder to Jill and Betsy. Belle had numerous enemies who all seemed to be staying at the hotel.

Doug Kreinek, a wholesaler who claims that after sending Belle a boxful of his products, she had emptied the box, fill it with paper and then told the post office she was refusing delivery. He had heard that this wasn't the first time she had done this.

Cherry Pye - Belle's partner who had put all the money in the shop and whose parent's obviously had a strange sense of humor when naming their daughter, was said to be angry with Belle, she was already getting an auditor to go over the stores books. But she more angry after overhearing Belle telling customer's that Cherry was unable to run the store and was a little slow mentally, all because she was in a wheelchair.

Lenore, a married woman with small children, who had worked on creating a pattern that a wholesaler was showing at the Market. If this could sell, she could give up her low paying job and stay home with her children, and make the extra money creating patterns. Lenore had a beautiful sample of her Christmas Tree project, which was being finished to show, but Belle didn't let the finisher know the date of the market had been changed and her sample wasn't done and she was left trying to sell her project, using her working model, which was badly put together, bent and had coffee spilled over it.

Eve Suttle, who had worked at the shop and thought Belle was her friend. She had been an overweight, single mom where with Belle's encouragement she had lost weight fixed herself up and had found a wonderful man that she married and was pregnant. Belle then turned against her, stole her husband, causing Eve to not only lose the baby, but everything else that she had.

With so many suspects, it looked like a hopeless task, especially with Betsy having been looking directly at the woman when she went over would swore she didn't see anyone else around Belle. But through careful questioning and tests, they are able to solve this baffling crime.

Highlights.

The relationship between Betsy, Jill and Godwin. You can almost feel the closeness between these people.

Mystery. Betsy being the eyewitness that no one else was there when Belle went over the railing made it even more difficult to declare this a murder.

Jill & Godwin's testing of how many different ways you can be thrown over a railing and would you necessarily have to see the other person.

The needlework projects. They're so detailed in their description, it makes me want to do some of them.

Lowlights.

The only problem is I miss the other reoccurring characters from Excelsior, including Sophie the cat..

Good entry in the series.


Rating:
Summary: a good book to unwind with
Review: The Betsy Devonshire Crewel World mystery series has always been one that I've enjoyed. Featuring mystery plots that are quiet, engaging and easy to get into and read, the Crewel World series has always been the perfect thing to unwind with (if unwinding with a mystery novel is your kind of thing, that is) after a long day at work. And Monica Ferris' latest Crewel World mystery proved true to the norm.

When the annual cash and carry market hosted by the International Needlework Retailer's Guild is moved forward from February to December, Betsy Devonshire (owner of the Crewel World needlework shop) and her trusty assistant, Goodwin, find themselves in Nashville, unexpectedly snowed in during the buying spree, and unexpectedly involved in yet another murder investigation. When Belle Hammermill, co-owner of Belle's Samples and More in Milwaukee falls nine stories to her death from the balcony of the hotel onto the atrium, everyone assumes that it is some ghastly accident. Except for Jill Larson, a policewoman from Minnesota and a close friend of Betsy's who is in Nashville for a police seminar, that is; and she persuades Betsy to help her investigate the circumstances of Belle's death. Sure enough Jill comes up with enough evidence to question the pat "accident" theory. But who would have wanted Belle dead? A quick look at Belle's past and acquittances suggests to Betsy and Jill that Belle had more enemies than friends. But which one of the many people who disliked her caused her death? Was it the business partner she took advantage of, Cherry Pye? Or was it the employee whose husband she stole (Eve)? Or could it be Lauren, the sewing artist Belle sabotaged? Somehow, Betsy and Jill will have to sieve through all the evasions and half-truths in order to arrive at the truth...

A shortish mystery novel, "Crewel Yule" proved to be an interesting read. A word of warning though: readers should be prepared for the fact that for almost half the book, the plot progression jumps between the past and present, as we get to understand why Cherry, Eve and Lauren really hate Belle, and why Betsy, Goodwin and Jill are in Nashville in December instead of February as originally planned. Once you get past the toing and froing though, the book turns out to be a smooth and engaging read. And watching Betsy try and make sense of all the information and solve the mystery was satisfying and engrossing. Smoothly told, this quiet and unassuming little mystery proved to be a fast must read, in spite of the editing problems.

Rating:
Summary: Crewel Yule
Review: What a page-turner! Monica Ferris really knows how to write a mystery! I finished the book in one day.

It was fun seeing the names of real-life people in this story. The usual gang is involved--Betsy, Goddard, and Jill--but this time they are visiting a real-time needlework show in Nashville. It was really clever how Monica Ferris found a way to keep all of the suspects from leaving the scene of the crime,and how she involved Jill, a policewoman way out of her jurisdiction, in helping to solve this whodunit.

I would have given this story five stars, were it not for the little "hiccups" in continuity and spelling. There were times when whole sentences were left out, names were misspelled, and even a time when the name of a suspect changed to the name of the dead woman! I should hope that, before they make a second printing, they go through and re-edit the story. Books cost too much these days to have to deal with that sort of thing.