Sins and Needles (A Needlecraft Mystery)

by Monica Ferris

Book Overview

Owner of the Crewel World needlework shop and part-time sleuth, Betsy Devonshire must help clear Jan Henderson's name when her wealthy aunt is found dead, courtesy of a double-zero knitting needle.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425216365
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Berkley
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.8" x 4.1"

Customer Reviews

Fun to be in Excelsior though fiction.

I'm not going to tell you the story, that's why you read books. I will tell you that having family in Excelsior, MN makes this series especially fun for me to read. I know most of the areas they are talking about although not as clearly as the writer does. I was pretty sure who the bad guy was going to be because everyone else didn't seem to have enough motive but it was fun getting to the end and there were some interesting turns. As always the new characters were fun to try to figure out and the old characters, nice to revisit. I didn't really want anyone to be the guilty party because they were mostly nice people but I was glad the villain was who it was. I wouldn't mind a follow up on this story because a family connection that was the center of the mystery held real promise. If you have enjoyed the other books in this series you will not be disappointed with this addition. There aren't deep or serious, just fun to read.

Delighted by Monica Ferris again

What to say about such a good book. I you are a Monica Ferris' fan you must own this book. When you finish reading the only thing you want is another of Monica Ferris' book. Mystery, crime and humour at its best.

Good Read!

this is probably the best book so far. There was more detail and more suspense than some of the others. I really enjoyed this one. the last couple have left something to be desired but this one more than made up for it. I think the whole story was much better written. It almost felt like she had taken more time with Sins and Needles. Good read.

Another great entry in the series.

This is one of my favorite series, but after reading the reviews I opened it with some trepidation. I think that it is as good as always: the complex plot, the dry humor, the mixed feelings of the characters. The characters are, as usual, well-developed. I hope that some of these characters will at least be featured as minor characters in future books. Characters who reappear, even if only intermittently, add to the fullness and reality of the author's universe. I kept promising myself to put it down at the end of the chapter, and ended up reading it through. One of the things that I like about this book is that it does deal with people and their work, one of the most ignored themes in literature, except for artists and detectives. In this book, the characters discuss the realities of running one's own business. I was very amused in an earlier book when Betsy went from being a tenant complaining about the poor maintenance by a greedy landlord to being the landlord who had to pay for repairs. The people also have a relatively realistic view of money: they like having it, even if they wouldn't necessarily do almost anything to get it. I get very tired of books about wealthy people of leisure, or at least an oddly undemanding job, with an apparently inexhaustible private income. In this book, except for Betsy and Godwin, the regular cast of characters make only cameo appearances. In itself, I don't find this a problem, although of course I want to see the regulars again, I thoroughly enjoyed these characters. I am a trifle disappointed that there wasn't a book between this one and the last with a subplot centering on Jill and her new baby, but I don't consider it to be a flaw of this book, per se. The reviews make it clear that the gang is not all here; readers can choose for themselves.

well stitched cozy

In Excelsior, Minnesota, the elderly and wealthy Edyth Hanraty, was apparently recently murdered. Most locals, especially the police, assume the eccentric multimillionaire was killed for her money; thus suspicion points towards Edyth's great niece, Jan, who is expected to inherit much of her fortune. Betsy Devonshire knows Jan, who frequents her store Crewel World, a needlework shop. The shopkeeper cannot believe that the kind and caring Jan would murder her relative to inherit early though she admits greed is a strong motive and Jan had the opportunities. Betsy, who enjoys solving a mystery as much as being proprietor of Crewel World, begins to investigate in an effort to prove Jan is innocent. She quickly finds a host of other family suspects with the motives of greed and envy. Betsy looks closer at Jan's mother, uncle and a newcomer from Texas claiming to be the prime suspect's long missing sibling. This is a terrific entry in one the better cozies on the market today as the suspects are fully developed so that the audience struggles to decide who would commit murder. The story line is fast-paced with Betsy doing what she does best, solving a homicide. Fans will appreciate her efforts as she embroiders the case one stitch at a time. Harriet Klausner