This is one of “themed” murder mysteries published by Berkley Prime Crime. If you like murder mysteries and you also have hobbies, then try one of their books you might find you can combine the two!
In the first of this series, Knit One, Kill One focuses on the hobby of knitting. Kelly has returned to Colorado to sort out her Aunt Helen’s money and property after she is found dead in her home, not through illness but murder. There is something that Kelly cannot quite put her finger on that does not add up, the police have already arrested the man seen quite near the house, and believe everything is cut and dry, just a “burglary gone bad”. Kelly thinks different, that all seems to tidy.
However, Aunt Helen had withdrawn a large sum of money after remortgaging her property, without Kelly who always handled her finances, knowing. The money has not been found; but also missing a piece of purple knitting and a quilted heirloom piece. Why would someone kill for these items?
That is the premise of the murder element of this story, what makes this story slightly different and with a different approach is the knitting. Kelly’s aunt’s house is opposite a Yarn shop, The House of Lambspun where not only do they have every colour under the sun to buy, in all sorts of different textures, lengths and countless designs. It is where the local women (and men!) gather together to share something. They share a passion, they share each other’s lives and they help each other. Knitting is a form of therapy, bringing a community together as well as a hobby.
Kelly is new to the knitting, she once tried but it did not end up very successful, but the girls that gather there of all ages and abilities help Kelly progress not with her knitting but also finding out about her Aunts past.
An easy comfortable read which is full of colour, Maggie Sefton, captures the thrill of all the colours of the wool, the different sorts and the way that it can all be knitted together, if you pardon the pun! If knitting is your hobby then this book will let you escape into a place where the sense of colour is overwhelming and you could be there experiencing exactly what Kelly does for the first time – but also with a little bit of intrigue – murder!
This is a book which definitely comes under the heading “cosy crime”. It was a great bit of escapism, and I confess the culprit, although caught seemed a slightly tenuous explanation, but that could be because I have read some more technical crime books recently and sub consciously comparing them!
This is the second Berkley Prime Crime published book I have read. The first was Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett, which is based in a bookshop – what more could a fan of reading and books want? I for some reason, failed to read anymore mainly because these books are easily readily available on the internet, not so much in the shops. They are based in America, and perhaps aimed at an American Audience?
So that is a murder mystery book about knitting and owning a bookshop – what else could there be? Books with a Sudoku theme, knitting at the seaside, decoupage, embroidery, scrapbooking, crosswords to name a few in their hobbies section. There is a culinary section, mmmm chocolate, a legal section and a pet lovers section. I think a murder mystery is pretty much available in whatever your interests may be. If you have time, do go and have a look at the website.
This output reminds me of Mills and Boon books, that continuous output fitting to a standard format, perhaps not literary classics that will be around for years to come with everyone talking about them, but a great guilty pleasure if you would like to indulge. I think I just might!
The Book Jotter 