Yarned and Dangerous is a delightful debut
Yarned & Dangerous
by Sadie Hartwell
Kensington Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date Nov 24, 2015
Description
Time has not been kind to sleepy Dorset Falls, Connecticut, where an erstwhile resident is hoping to bring a tattered yarn shop back to life—but with a murderer on the loose, the whole town is in knots…
Josie Blair left Dorset Falls twelve years ago in hopes of making it big in New York City. But after earning an overpriced master’s degree and getting fired by a temperamental designer, she finds herself heading back to her hometown. Her great-uncle was injured in a car accident, and newly unemployed Josie is the only person available to take care of him. Uncle Eb’s wife didn’t survive the crash, so Josie is also tasked with selling the contents of her Aunt Cora’s yarn shop. But the needling ladies of the Charity Knitters Association pose a far bigger challenge than a shop full of scattered skeins…
Miss Marple Knits is one of the few businesses still open in the dreary downtown. Josie can’t imagine how it stayed open for so long, yet something about the cozy, resilient little shop appeals to her. But when one of the town’s most persnickety knitters turns up dead in a pile of cashmere yarn, Josie realizes there’s something truly twisted lurking beneath the town’s decaying façade…
Includes Original Knitting Patterns!
“A tale of murder and intrigue that will ensnare knitters and non-knitters alike. I couldn’t put it down.” —Barbara Ross, author of Musseled Out
Review
Knitting is a killer hobby, as aspiring designer Josie Blair soon discovers in Sadie Hartwell's debut mystery, Yarned and Dangerous.
Dorset Falls is far from the bustling metropolis of New York, but at her mother's pleading, Josie Blair leaves her job to care for her ailing great-uncle. Uncle Eb broke his leg in the car accident that killed her Aunt Cora. With the death of Cora, it also falls to Josie to close her knitting store, Miss Marple Knits.
Nothing prepares her for the needling of the local knitters, amongst these the uppity president of the Charity Knitters Association. When Josie discovers a body amongst the inventory, it becomes clear that something strange is going on in Dorset Falls and Miss Marple Knits is in the middle.
Dorset Falls is a charming town, despite its lack of conveniences and failing economy. While investigating, Josie comes to be friends with a number of residents as well as to understand the aunt she never met. While the mystery is not the most complex, it is entertaining. It is clear that Hartwell's purpose is for Yarned and Dangerous to set the scene for future installments in the series and provide background on the central characters.
The knitting patterns at the end are a nice addition, and are easy enough for beginning knitters.
4/5
Yarned and Dangerous is available for preorder and will be released November 24, 2015.
I received a copy of Yarned and Dangerous from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Yarned and Dangerous is a delightful debut
http://muttcafe.com/2015/11/yarned-and-dangerous
11/16/15
