Monica Ferris

A Stitch in Time (A Needlecraft Mystyery #3) by Monica Ferris

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stitch

Pages: 260

Publisher: Berkley

Published: July 1, 2000

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads:

When a damaged tapestry is discovered in a small-town church closet, needleworkers join to stitch together the clues which lead to a crafty crime.

My Review:

I’ll admit when I started the first book in the series, Crewel World, I was not sure this series would be for me. My mind was quickly changed and I am a huge fan of this series. In fact, I have been trying to find the books I am missing when I visit used bookstores.

Book 3 takes place during the Christmas season and is not your typical murder mystery. Why? Well, we do not have a murder but an attempted murder on Betsy herself. I loved the fact that it took place at Christmas with LOTS of snow while I have been sweltering in a heatwave with no rain until last night. I actually felt cooler while reading as Monica Ferris does a great job with her descriptions.

If you are leery about the book being too religious since it centers around a religious tapestry found in a church you have no worries. Religion is not a focal point. You do learn about saints and attributes but I found that very interesting. Especially the fact that symbols may represent more than one saint.

A free needlepoint pattern for a snowflake is included at the end of the book.

I don’t give 5 stars too often but A Stitch in Time felt very worthy of the perfect rating.

Framed in Lace (A Needlecraft Mystery #2) by Monica Ferris

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framed

Pages: 260 (Paperback)

Publisher: Berkley

Published: October 1, 1999

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Betsy is still healing from the murder of her sister, Margot. Her new friend in Excelsor, MN, Jill has asked Betsy to accompany her to the raising of a ferry sunk in 1948. Upon the raising of the ferry, the divers find a skeleton who is believed to be a missing young woman who was believed to be having an affair with one of the Monday Bunches wives. Can Betsy solve the mystery as she did before?

This is the second book in the Needlecraft Mystery series and the second book I have read. It is not my typical cozy mystery style as I prefer culinary or book themed cozies but this series has grabbed my interest and I find myself wanting to return again and again. Betsy, the amateur sleuth, is a little older than your average sleuth which I think adds to the story. She has more life experiences to pull from to help her solve the mystery. She is not all bogged down with finding love and having a family. She is focusing on creating a new life in Minnesota and healing from a recent nasty divorce (from a pig, her words) and the death of her only sister.

I appreciate the knowledge the author has on needleworking and lace making. It shows through beautifully in this story. It made me feel much closer to my Mamaw who does the needlepointing and cross stitching. I remember the hours she would put in to each and every piece she created.

The killer was a little easier to figure out in this book versus the first one but the reasoning why was not as apparent to me until close to the end. Maybe I was just so wrapped up in the beauty of the items being created.

This is a nineteen book series that I am very interested in continuing.