Book Review - A Crafter Knits a Clue

A Crafter Knits a Clue (A Handcrafted Mystery #1)

Author:  Holly Quinn

Publisher:  Crooked Lane Books

Publication Date:  October 9, 2018
3 Stars

After returning home for her best friend’s funeral, Sammy Kane decides to stay in her hometown, Heartsford, Wisconsin.  She stays to operate Kate’s craft store so it doesn’t have to close.  Kate’s brother Conner work with Sammy at the craft store.  One day, the owner of the Yarn Barn, Ingrid Wilson, calls and asks for Conner to come over to help her with something.  This is not the first time she has called for Conner’s help, and Sammy is a little fed up with it.  She tells Conner to stay at the store, and she decides to go over instead.  What she finds shocks her!  Ingrid is lying on the ground with a knitting needle sticking out of her throat.  Sammy’s curious nature motivates her to insert herself in the case, much to the chagrin of detective Liam Nash.  The killer, however, wants her to keep her nose out of it.  Will Sammy heed the warnings and everyone’s advice to stay out of it before it is too late?

I appreciated the relationships established in this book.  The friendship between Heidi, Ellie, and Sammy seems strong and genuine.  While Heidi and Ellie try to talk Sammy out of her snooping, they eventually help her out because of their strong bond.  I also found Sammy’s relationship with Conner very sweet.  She has taken Conner under her wing, and he very much becomes like a little brother to her.  Then, what’s a cozy mystery without a little romance brewing?  You can definitely feel there is some attraction between detective Liam Nash and Sammy.  The case undeniably causes friction between the two of them though and keeps them at odds.

What I didn’t appreciate about Sammy’s character was that she seemed to think of the mystery like a game.  It felt like she sometimes was still playing S.H.E., a detective agency that Sammy, Heidi, and Ellie had created as children.  She seems to blindly ignore the dangers and carries on worry free.  While she is sure to get involved in future mysteries, I hope her character matures a little.

The mystery was really good, and unraveled at a good pace.  Even though Irene is dead through the whole book, her character brings depth to the mystery.  It seems like at every turn another secret is revealed about Irene.  I really enjoy a mystery that is not just cut and dry with the motive relatively obvious from the beginning.

I think the attributes of this book, make it well worth reading the second book in the series.  I hope the next mystery is just as unique.

For all the crafters out there, there are suggestions at the end of the book for the best type of yarn to use for different projects.  There are also instructions for two sock patterns.