December 9th's Friday Post

It's been a few weeks since I did one of these, so let's dive into another Friday Post.  I will be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

Believe it or not, I'm not featuring a mystery this week.  Instead, I have a non-fiction book - Christmas Past by Brian Earl.

I'm going to let the first sentence help introduce this book:

Behind every Christmas tradition is a story - often a forgotten one.

Yes, this book talks about the history of traditions we still celebrate today and even some we've forgotten.  As a Christmas lover, I enjoyed it.

Page 56 finds us in the middle of a chapter on Santa Claus, and we get this gem:

Punishing children isn't exactly saintly.  So in many regions, Saint Nicholas was said to have a servant or companion who did it for him.

Yes, this book has been part of my Christmas reading this year, and my review will be up on Monday.

Now, let's take a look at the Book Blogger Hop for the week.  This week's question is:

Do you have a favorite reading nook? 

Not really.  I read in my living room quite a bit, but I will also read in bed.  When I was working in an office, I would read in my car on my lunch breaks, but since I'm working from home now, I don't do that.  Really, I'll read just about anywhere.

That's it from me.  Hope you have a great weekend.

Book Review: A Streetcar Named Murder by T. G. Herren (New Orleans Mysteries #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Interesting characters, different plot

Cons: Too much repetition and extremely poor editing

The Bottom Line:

Different set up

But execution problems

Give this one a miss

Promising First Draft, but Needed Lots of Work

I’m always on the lookout for a promising new series.  I love finding them, knowing that I will have more adventures to come with these new friends.  When A Streetcar Named Murder crossed my path, I thought it sounded like it could be good.  A mystery series set in New Orleans?  I settled in for what I hoped would be a good story.

Valerie Cooper is trying to adjust to life now that her twins have started college.  Having lost her husband a few years back, she is finding her days a bit empty before her.

All that changes when she gets a very unexpected letter.  Her late husband’s great uncle, a relative she’d never heard of before, has left her and the twins his entire estate, including an antiques business.  This great uncle had been estranged from his family for decades.  But why did he pick Valerie as his heir?

Meanwhile, Valerie finds herself attending a Halloween costume ball.  The night ends in tragedy when Valerie finds the body of a woman stabbed outside the event.  Worse yet, Valerie knows the victim.  What is going on?

 I was hooked from the first few paragraphs.  It was a fun and humorous opening that really made me glad I’d picked up the book.  Unfortunately, the book didn’t deliver on that promise.

I’m being a bit vague in my teaser.  That’s partially because the plot takes a while to really get started.  It seems to wander all over the place.  I can promise that it comes together in the end, and I actually appreciated how the author was attempting to give us something different.  This isn’t your typical mystery plot.  However, it isn’t executed well.  The end result feels like a meandering tale for the first half that does come into focus in the second half.

Part of that is because of Valerie.  I appreciated the fact that she is a widow and recent empty nester.  Again, the author is going for something different, and I like that.  Part of her growth in this book is finding ways to start living her life again.  Again, something that was good.  However, we get long passages about how she’s been struggling since her sons moved out.  We needed some of that to get to know Valerie and appreciate the growth we see.  However, what we got instead was repetitive.

Not to mention the repetitious questions about why Valerie knew nothing about this great uncle who left everything to her and her twins.

We also seem to lose the humor in the first few paragraphs pretty quickly.

Then there’s the extremely poor editing job we get in the book.  At one point, we get the date of an event, but that information is contradicted a few chapters later.  Near the end of the book, one of the supporting players (not a suspect) gives two different accounts of what had happened to him, and this was just a few pages apart.  This kind of thing made me question what other inconsistencies were poor editing or the suspects lying and acting suspicious as part of the plot.  Yes, I did read an ARC of this book.  However, my understanding is an ARC is one step away from being published, and those kinds of things should have already been caught.  I hope they are updated before things go to print, but I have to rate based on what I read.

It's a shame this didn’t work because there is promise here.  I liked Valerie.  Her friends and neighbors are also great.  I did feel like the author went a little too far in making the victim into a horrible person, making her a flat, one-dimensional character as a result.

Obviously, I won’t be continuing on with this series.  There are enough problems in A Streetcar Named Murder that I recommend you avoid it.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

TV Show Review: Magpie Murders - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Two well plotted mysteries

Cons: Sometimes, a little hard to follow from one transition to another

The Bottom Line:

A puzzling case

Missing chapter and murder

Wrap up rewards us

“A Who Done It Without the Solution.  It’s Not Even Worth the Paper it Won’t Be Printed On.”

I’ve been hearing lots of praise for Anthony Horowitz’s books the last few years, but I haven’t had a chance to try any of them.  When I learned that PBS Mystery was airing an adaptation of Magpie Murders as a six-episode miniseries, I decided to jump in and see what I thought.

Susan Reyland (Leslie Manville) is an editor who has had the opportunity to work with bestselling author Alan Conway (Conleth Hill) on his incredibly popular Atticus Pund (Tim McCullan) mystery series.  He’s just turned in his latest book, and Susan can’t wait to dive in and read it.

However, she quickly discovers that the printout she has is missing the final chapter of the book – the chapter where Atticus solves the crime.  Then comes the news that Alan has died, possibly a suicide.  Susan sets out to try to find the final chapter in his home, but all she uncovers are more questions.  Can she find the missing chapter?  What happened to Alan?  And will she ever learn how Atticus’s latest case ends?

The story in the TV series unfolds in parallel.  We get the story of what is happening with Susan as she tries to solve the real-life mystery, but we also get the case that Atticus is trying to solve as it unfolds.  Since Atticus’s case is set in the 1950’s, the costumes of the cast do help a little with these transitions.

However, one of the plot points of the story is that Alan based the characters in this book on people he knew, and the real-life people are suspects in his death.  As a result, many of the actors are playing double duty as their real-life characters and the fictional characters based on them.  Sometimes, that made the transitions a little more confusing than they needed to be.

Likewise, having two mysteries unfolding side by side is a little confusing.  Since the six episodes aired on six consecutive Sundays, I sometimes had a hard time remembering which plot points and clues went with which part of the story.

When we hit the solution, I realized I had followed it more than I thought I was.  As the solution to both mysteries was laid out, I not only followed each climax, but I also sat is awe at how the various clues had been slipped into the story and what they meant.  I love a mystery that is as perfectly plotted as this one was.

None of my earlier comments should be taken as a slight on the actors.  I’m sure they had fun playing two different characters, and their performances are always top notch.

After this, I definitely need to read some of Anthony Horowitz’s novels.  If they are all as good as this TV adaptation of Magpie Murders, I’ve definitely found a new author I’ll love.

Book Review: City of Fortune by Victoria Thompson (Counterfeit Lady #6)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good story with great characters

Cons: Plot could have been a little stronger (but still entertaining)

The Bottom Line:

Day at the horse track

Sets a new con in motion

Something different, fun

Racing to Pull off a Con

As much as I enjoy mysteries, it’s always nice to read something else every so often.  While Victoria Thompson’s Counterfeit Lady books are still crime fiction related, they involve a conwoman who is using her skills for good, so the plots unfold a little differently than a traditional mystery.  City of Fortune is the most recent entry in this fun series.

This book takes us to summer of 1919 where newlywed Elizabeth Bates has been invited to the horse racing track for the day.  Her husband, Gideon, is a lawyer, and one of his clients is a race horse owner with two big horses in the race that day.  Part of the reason Elizabeth is there is befriend the man’s daughter, Irene Noland, who might need a little refinement in order to land a society husband.  Of course, since Elizabeth is new to society herself, having been a conwoman before meeting Gideon, she isn’t sure she has all the skills to teach Irene.

But it means that Elizabeth is on hand to see two controversial races and the injury of Cal, the Noland’s jockey.  The more Elizabeth gets to know Irene, the more she realizes that she needs the special help Elizabeth can provide.  Can Elizabeth come up with a way to help Irene get a happy ever after?

Like with the last book in the series, I felt like this one was a bit straightforward.  It would also help a little of Elizabeth had some true stake in the outcome.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, especially trying to figure out exactly where it was going.  And there were a couple of fun twists, one of which I spotted early but the other of which I didn’t expect at all.

The con is the main focus of this book, without any time for any sub-plots.  That means a few of the series regulars have smaller roles or don’t appear at all.  I did miss them, but I understand why they weren’t included.  Elizabeth and Gideon are a great couple, and I like spending time with them.  We get the story from their third person points of view, and those switches let us really get to appreciate them.  I did really like Irene and some of the other new characters we met along the way, which did help me get into the story.

It's always interesting to see life in the past in the books in this series.  I felt like I was back in 1919 as the events unfolded.  Real history isn’t a focus of the book, but I did enjoy the few mentions of other things happening in the world at this time.

While this isn’t a humorous mystery, there are some funny moments along the way coming from the characters and their relationships.  You could jump in here, but knowing the characters better would make you appreciate those moments more.  One line in particular gave me a very good laugh.  (And no, I’m not going to spoil it for you.)

Ultimately, City of Fortune is a fun caper.  If you are looking for something a little different, I recommend this book and series.

Don’t get conned.  Read the rest of the Counterfeit Lady books.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Ornament Review: Up and Away - 2022 Hallmark Release

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun ornament that anyone with a love of Disney parks will enjoy

Cons: Some might not like the tilt, but I love it!

The Bottom Line:

Mickey and Dumbo

Sure to bring warm memories

Classic attraction

Mickey Takes a Spin on Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Hallmark has released several ornaments over the years that feature Mickey in an iconic ride vehicle from a classic Disney parks attraction.  They’ve released another one this year with Up and Away.

This time, Mickey is riding on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.  And yes, I am completely sure this is the attraction and not the character.  How do I know?  On Mickey’s right, we can see the opening to allow you in and out of the car.  That’s the easiest way, but the rest of Dumbo looks more like the attraction than the character, too.  Mickey’s holding on with both hands and he’s got a smile on his face as he enjoys the ride.

You can set the ornament out to be displayed.  If you do that, it sits flat, and Mickey looks like he is cruising.

However, it’s more fun if you go to hang it.  There’s a tilt to the ornament that makes Mickey look like he is really taking off.  No, Dumbo doesn’t tilt like that on the attraction.  In fact, he stays level the entire time.  But this is much more fanciful and fun.  Plus, it fits in with the name of the ornament.  I’m not sure if this was on purpose or if it was just the only place to put the ring for hanging the ornament.  But I don’t care.  I might normally knock something off for an ornament with a tilt like this, but in this case, it is just plain fun.  I love it just the way it is.

And yes, I do love this ornament.  While Dumbo isn’t a must do every time I’m in the park any more, it’s mainly because of the line.  I still have a nostalgic place in my heart for the ride with some great memories on it.  This ornament reminds me of those memories.

If you have great memories of the Dumbo attraction as well, you’ll be happy you snatched Up and Away.

Music Review: At This Table by Selah

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great new (to me) and traditional Christmas songs

Cons: The title track isn’t as great as the rest

The Bottom Line:

More Selah Christmas

New songs; fresh takes on classics

Great festive release

Selah’s Return to Christmas Music is Another to Pull Out Every Year

As part of their twenty-fifth anniversary celebration, Selah decided to release a second Christmas project.  It’s certainly been long enough between them, right?  And, considering their first Christmas CD was how I found them over a decade ago, I was anxious to get it.  I can already predict I will be enjoying At This Table for years to come.

There are three less familiar tracks and seven classic Christmas songs given the Selah treatment here.  The first of the new (at least to me) tracks is the title song.  “At This Table” is a beautiful song originally sung by Idina Menzel about everyone being welcome.  I question exactly why it is a Christmas song, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.  Maybe the idea of a bunch of people gathering around a table is why it is here?  My more serious issue with it is more a reflection on our culture today than anything else.  Jesus calls all to come to Him as they are, that is completely true.  But after meeting Him, people do change and give up their sin.  I feel like some of the words used in this song are now used to mean accept you as you are and never expect you to change.  Unfortunately, that does cloud my enjoyment of this song.  Still, with lines like “At this table, mercy has a seat,” it’s hard to really dislike the song on those grounds.

The other two new to me songs are wonderful.  “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is a cover of the Rod + Rose song of the same name.  I’m a little surprised I haven’t had a song where someone else apply the popular nursery rhyme in a Christmas song before since it fits so perfectly.  Again, the melody is beautiful and the lyrics are outstanding.  It touches on what Jesus’s birth means to us, and it’s just a fun song.

Finally, there’s “The Night That Love was Born.”  The melody is fantastic as Selah sings about Jesus coming to earth.  I can’t track down anything on this song, so I can’t tell if it is a cover or not, but it’s new to me, so that’s all that really matters.

That leaves us with seven classic Christmas songs.  And, while the melody and lyrics might (mostly) be familiar, the arrangements still feel fresh.  It helps that some of them have been given new choruses, like “O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adore Him).”  “Joy to the World” gets a fun African vibe.  I’m not usually a fan of “Amen” or “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” but their medley of the two is lots of fun.  We get a new chorus as they turn “Good Christian Men Rejoice” into “Good Christian Friends Rejoice.”  It’s a fun arrangement on a Christmas song people don’t record enough.  And yes, there are slower classics as well, like “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” and “The First Noel.”

As I said, you will feel right at home with these seven classics at the same time you are struck anew by them thanks to the fresh arrangements.  They will help put you in the Christmas spirit while still being different enough that you will enjoy them when the rest of your collection is feeling a bit too familiar late in December.

If you are looking for some new Christmas music to enjoy this season, you’ll be glad you checked out At This Table.  Even if you aren’t a Selah fan, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.  And who knows, this might work the same magic that their original Christmas release did on me and turn you into a Selah fan for life.

CD Length: 40:21

Tracks:

1. At This Table

2. Away in a Manger (Sweet Melody)

3. O Come All Ye Faithful (Adore Him)

4. Mary Had a Little Lamb

5. Joy to the World/Sweet Little Baby Boy

6. The Night that Love was Born

7. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

8. Amen/Go Tell it on the Mountain

9. Good Christian Men, Rejoice (Born to Reign)

10. The First Noel

December 4th's Sunday/Monday Post

Time to start another week, and I'm going to kick it off with a Sunday/Monday post, where I will be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
Mailbox Monday
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I missed last week's post due to Thanksgiving.  I was out of town enjoying time with my family.  My niece and nephew were sick at the start of my trip, which was a bummer.  We did have them join us for dinner via Facetime - from one part of the house to another.  Fortunately, they were feeling better by the end of my trip, so I got to spend a little time with them.

I drove home last Sunday.  I left early in the morning, which was a bummer, but it worked out well.  I sailed back home and got in early afternoon.  Seeing the traffic on the other side of the drive the last couple of hours made me glad I'd left as early as I did.  There were plenty of cars going my way, but at least we were moving.

This week at work, we started fiscal year end.  Somehow, we survived, although it was a very busy.  There's more fun to come this week as we will officially close the books on Monday, then comes the extra reporting, also under a time crunch.

At one point they were predicting some serious rain for us late this week and this weekend.  Okay, only probably an inch and a half, but still.  Sadly, that has mostly fizzled.  On the plus side, it meant I could go out paddle boarding this morning.  Lower 60's a sunny with hardly any wind.  In other words, a wonderful day for paddling.

I haven't gotten any more decorating done.  When I was working, I was reading or doing blog stuff.  I'm hoping to get to some of that tonight.  But it makes me glad I got as much done before I left for Thanksgiving as I did.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Disney Pin Review: Meteor Cycle Company
Monday - Ornament Review: Constance R. Goodwyn
Tuesday - Book Review: Bake Offed by Maya Corrigan
Wednesday - November 2022 Reading Summary
Thursday - Book Review: Knits, Knots, and Knives by Emmie Caldwell
Friday - Book Review: "W" is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Music Review: At This Table by Selah
Monday - Ornament Review: Up and Away
Tuesday - Book Review: City of Fortune by Victoria Thompson
Wednesday - TV Show Review: Magpie Murders
Thursday - Book Review: A Streetcar Named Murder by T. G. Herren
Friday - Friday Post
Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

I know it's been two weeks, but I don't have an excessively big book haul to talk about.  Between the holiday and the week at work, I didn't get a ton of book shopping in.  Not that I don't have some books to talk about.

For example, my pre-order of Death by Smoothie by Laura Levine arrived.  This is the latest in her Jaine Austen mystery series, which is always a hoot.  Can't wait to get to it.

I also got an ARC of Intrigue in Istanbul by Erica Ruth Neubauer, the fourth in her historical fiction series.  I've enjoyed the first three, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the characters here.

Finally, I grabbed a Kindle freebie.  I've been eying An Education in Murder by Patty Joy for a while.  I couldn't pass up free, could I?

What I'm Reading:

I'm ahead on my reading for December.  In fact, I'm so far ahead, I'm going to get into Stellalune by Shannon Messenger.  This is a middle grade fantasy novel, and the ninth in the series.  I can't wait to see what happens to the characters here.  But it's over 700 pages, so I will be working on this one all week.

That's it for me this week.  Hope you have a good one.

December 3rd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Two weeks worth of TV to cover.  It's what happens when most of the shows you watch are on Wednesdays.

The Santa Clauses (11/23) – This was the best episode so far.  Clearly, now that they have moved beyond the set up, they can get to the real story.  I hope the second half of the season continues to build on this momentum.

Survivor (11/23) – Sorry to see Noelle leave, especially after such an epic come back in the reward challenge.  But I completely understand why she was voted out.  I would have done that as well.

The Amazing Race (11/23) – Surprised the twins are still in this.  Not upset, mind you, but surprised.  I guess we’ll see if they make it to the finale.  I would not have done well with the tight rope walking challenge.  But it looks like everyone made it in one, which is impressive.

Lego Masters (11/23) – I’m shocked Austin and Justin left with Nick and Stacy being in the bottom two again.  I can see the judge’s comments on both of their builds.  I’m definitely rooting for brothers Brendan and Greg at this point, although I truly love all the teams left.

Lego Masters (11/24) – And that is why I love Lego Masters so much.  The teams are competitors, but they have also formed bonds.  I loved how everyone was comforting Emily and Liam when the timer went off.  And how everyone was affected when they were eliminated.  I wasn’t surprised they were eliminated, but I was sorry to see that happen since I really do like them.  And Nick and Stacy survived another week in the bottom two.

The Santa Clauses (11/30) – They can’t leave us there!  This show now has Santa Clause 2 vibes where we’ve got someone destroying Christmas at the North Pole as Scott is back in the real world.  I’m very curious to see where they are going to go with it.  But I’m glad I stuck it out.

Stargirl (11/30) – What?  I actually started saying that at the last commercial break.  So many things clicked into place with that reveal.  But that cliffhanger?  It’s going to be a very long week.  And I loved the quieter character moments, like Courtney’s monolog about Pat.  When the show is working, it works wonderfully.  Which means, yes, I am a little worried this is wind up disappointing me.  But so far their finales have all been good.

Survivor (11/30) – Sammi was definitely right to play his shot in the dark.  Would have been very interesting to see what would have happened had he been save.  Amazing watching that challenge unfold and the dual winners.  Very much deserved, glad the producers gave it to them both.

The Amazing Race (11/30) – The sisters are still in it!  I’ve been saying for weeks they were going to leave at any point, and yet they made it to the final leg.  I don’t blame the team that gave up.  They knew they were in last, and the challenge wasn’t working for them.  As much as I love the water, I can see it, too.  I hate cold, so it would have been a real struggle for me to do that challenge, too.  As much fun as some of those challenges looked, how cold it would be is all I could think.

Book Review: “W” is for Wasted by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #23)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Kinsey and other familiar characters make this interesting

Cons: Plot wanders all over the place

The Bottom Line:

Homeless man with note

The plot needed more focus

But characters charm

Distracted Plot Wastes Time in This Book

I’m winding down the Kinsey Millhone series.  I’m actually still trying to figure out how I’ve almost reached the end since when I started, I thought it would be a long time before I got there.  I’ve finished up “W” is for Wasted, which I enjoyed despite the flaws.

Kinsey is a private investigator working in the California coastal town of Santa Teresa, a fictionalized version of Santa Barbara.  She’s facing a stretch with no clients over the next couple of weeks, which she isn’t quite sure how she will fill.  That is, until she gets a phone call from the coroner’s office.  A homeless man has died, and the coroner has no idea who he is.  The only thing they have to go on is Kinsey’s name and office number.  Who might he be?  Why did he have Kinsey’s contact information in his pocket?

This is a pretty interesting premise, and I was immediately hooked.  I enjoyed some of the early revelations as well.  Then the book took a detour.  It’s a logical detour given what came before.  And, as a fan of the series, I was interested in seeing what would happen.  But essentially, we had a sub-plot that took up the entire middle third of the book with no forward progress on the central mystery.  It introduced a few things that are never really resolved.  And the parts of this sub-plot that are resolved are wrapped up almost as an afterthought.

Those familiar with the series know that Kinsey narrates the stories first person for us.  In recent books, we’ve started having chapters from other characters’ third person point of view.  That happens again here.  While I didn’t like to switch since I was interested in what was going on with Kinsey, I do understand that this was most of what was driving the mystery forward for too much of the book.

And yes, there is a crime.  We get to it eventually.  By the time we do, it’s just a matter of seeing how Kinsey can figure out what we’ve already learned from the other chapters.  There are one or two things from this part that also get dropped in the rush to wrap things up.  Given how long this book is, that’s saying something.

Here’s the thing – despite the flaws, I did enjoy this book.  Mostly, that’s because I love Kinsey and the other supporting characters.  Yes, we see the regulars again, although one really only has a cameo.  Meanwhile, a couple recurring characters pop up, which was nice.

As always, Judy Kaye did a good job with the audiobook.  She does a great job of bringing the characters and story to life without becoming too much a part of things.  Frankly, I wonder if the fact that I was listening to this book instead of reading it kept me from being as frustrated by the slow-moving plot as I would have been otherwise.

I definitely wish the plot had been structured differently and the book were tightened overall.  I think fans of this series will still enjoy “W” is for Wasted.  However, if you are new to the series, I wouldn’t recommend you start here.

Looking for more?  Here are the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries in order.

Book Review: Knits, Knots, and Knives by Emmie Caldwell (Craft Fair Knitters Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Main characters and suspects, good mystery

Cons: A few things, but mostly minor

The Bottom Line:

Crafts, reenactment

Tempers flare into murder

Enjoyable book

Can Lia Knit Together the Clues from Another Knotty Murder?

The first two books in the Craft Fair Knitters Mysteries have really made me fall in love with Lia Geiger and her immediate family and friends.  So I was happy to rejoin her for Knits, Knots, and Knives, the third book in the series.

This particular weekend, the craft fair isn’t happening quite as usual.  The location where it is usually held is hosting a Civil War reenactment, and the barn has been set up to show the field hospital conditions.  That just means the crafter’s booths have been set up outside, and some of them, like Lia and her knitting friends, have been creating projects that tie in to the event.

However, the local reenactment group has developed conflicts of their own.  Local businessman Arden Sprouse has recently joined the group and taken over leadership.  Not all of his changes have been welcomed, however.  When the smoke of the day’s battle recreation clears, his dead body is found near the battleground.  Suspicion quickly falls on Lia’s neighbor, Jack.  But Lia knows he couldn’t have done it.  Can she prove it?

As I said at the beginning, I do like Lia and was looking forward to spending time with her again.  She’s a bit older, a widow, and has a grown daughter.  I really like their relationship and the dynamic that the older character brings to this cozy series.  There are another couple of series regulars I remembered, and I was happy to see them again.  Unfortunately, we don’t always get the reminders we need on who the minor characters in the series are, and there are a lot of them, from the fellow crafters with booths at the fair to Lia’s knitting friends.  Then again, they are minor characters, so it’s not critical to the story.

This wasn’t the case with the suspects.  I had no problem keeping them straight, and I found them very interesting.

The plot was strong as well.  I was fairly confused as to what was going on until we reached the end.  I did feel like the clue recaps could have been cut down, but that’s a minor complaint.  There were plenty of suspects, clues, and events to keep us entertained as we read.  I also enjoyed the sub-plots that really allowed for some good character development.

It was definitely fun to have the added twist of the reenactment in addition to the crafting fair.  I thought the two elements combined well in this book.

Knits, Knots, and Knives proves to be another enjoyable crafting themed cozy.  If you’ve been enjoying this series, you’ll be happy to revisit these characters.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.