Book Review: Needled to Death

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Needled to Death     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Maggie Sefton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Knitting Mysteries (Sefton) # 2
Berkley, Dec 2005, $6.99, 256 pp.

In Fort Connor, Colorado, CPA, DC area transplant, and rookie yet die in the wool knitter Kelly Flynn escorts a group of tourists to a renowned alpaca farm owned by knitter extraordinaire Vickie Claymore in nearby Bellvue Canyon. When Vickie fails to show up with the expected friendly greeting to the group, Kelly enters the woman’s remote home only to find her host dead; blood everywhere, but especially on Vickie’s priceless hand-woven rug.

The county police headed by Detective in Charge Lieutenant Peterson investigate the homicide starting with containing the crime scene and interviewing the female visitors especially Kelly and one fussy mouthy guest. Kelly mentions to the cop that Vickie was irate and said so as she told her and their friend Jennifer Stroud she was divorcing Professor Bob Claymore because he was having an affair with another weaver, Eva Bartok. Unable to resist and thinking that the county cops were going down a wrong path by looking at the knitting club member s of the House of Lampspun, Kelly investigates the homicide.

As with the cleverly weaved KNIT ONE, KILL TWO, NEEDLED TO DEATH is a fine yarn that has cozy fans trying to unravel the threads of who-done-it along side of the heroine. The story line is fun to follow as Peterson follows leads that take him in one direction while amateur sleuth Kelly assumes her club members are innocent so knits a different viewpoint on who killed Vickie. Sub-genre readers will enjoy this tightly stitched tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner