Book Review: Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman (Crochet Mysteries #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters; overall, a good story

Cons: Pacing could be much stronger

The Bottom Line:

Good deed gets punished

So Molly must clear her name

Some promise in book

I Wasn’t Quite Hooked on This Debut

Last spring, I discovered that the Crochet Mysteries were set in Southern California.  Since I always enjoy a cozy set in an area I know, I decided to give the debut, Hooked on Murder, a chance.  I liked the characters, but it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be.

Recently widowed Molly Pink has landed a job as the events coordinator at a local independent bookstore.  Part of that is overseeing the crochet group that meets in their event space.  When one of their members, Ellen Sheridan, leaves behind her crochet needles, Molly decides to run them home.  Unfortunately, she finds Ellen’s dead body, and the police are right behind her.  Molly has more of a connection to Ellen then she lets on at first, and the police think that makes her a great suspect.  Can she figure out what really happened?

I’d originally passed on this series because the hook, crocheting, didn’t appeal to me as much as so many of the other cozy themes out there.  In recently years, I’ve started expanding my interests a little when it comes to theme, and I’ve found some crafting themed cozies that I’ve really enjoyed.  While crocheting was definitely a part of the book, and at times, I didn’t quite feel like I was following the discussions about it, it didn’t overwhelm the story.

However, the pacing of the mystery was off.  At the center of the book was a good mystery, which some nice clues, a couple of great red herrings, and a fantastic ending.  However, there was lots of filler with some sub-plots and lack of progress with the story that made the book seem slower.  Things needed to be unraveled a bit and tightened up.

I did really like the characters.  Molly is middle aged, widowed, with two grown sons.  I found that dynamic interesting since it isn’t the typical series lead.  There are some (fictional) celebrities and plenty of other interesting characters in the cast, and they came to life.  I’m also curious about how Molly’s love life develops since this book looks like it is setting up a love triangle.

Part of my issue was the writing, which was a bit vague on things.  I couldn’t follow how much time was passing, for example.  It felt like I was on the outside looking in more often than not.  I sometimes feel this way at the beginning of a book and begin to feel more closely involved as the book goes along, but that wasn’t the case here.

For those who are learning how to crochet, there is a project at the back of the book.  You’ll also find a delicious sounding recipe.

If the plotting had been better, I’d definitely be picking up the sequel to Hooked on Murder.  Since I liked the characters so much, I am still debating about giving the series another try.