Book 14, 2019

Knot the Usual Suspects by Molly MacRae

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Since bad weather and worse roads kept me home AGAIN, I spent the day finishing the book Knot the Usual Suspects by Molly MacRae. It's part of the author's "Haunted Yarn Shop" mystery series, with main character Kath Rutledge.

Kath and the members of her TGIF group (Thank Goodness It's Fiber) are gearing up for the annual Handmade Blue Plum craft fair. They are planning a clandestine yarn bombing of their small town on the eve of the craft fair. In the meantime, Kath's employee and friend, Ardis, is excited when Hugh McPhee returns to town. He was one of her favorite students when he lived in Blue Plum, and she is anxious to learn what he's been up to. Unfortunately, someone murders Hugh that very night.

Kath and the rest of TGIF get involved when they find out that Hugh had Ardis' name on a piece of paper, and she is questioned by the police. They put their sleuthing, brainstorming, and questioning skills to work as they strive to unravel the mystery of who may have wanted Hugh dead. When someone else in town is murdered, there is a renewed sense of urgency among both the police and the TGIF group.

Reading serial books is almost like returning to a real, beloved place. The setting is familiar, and you can reconnect with characters, both beloved and reviled. Kath is a mature, steady person, and I enjoy her interactions with her resident ghost, Geneva. It's also fun to spend time with the rest of the TGIF group, and even the obnoxious Spivey Twins are good for some comic relief. The plot moved along at a good pace, interspersed with real life; not everything was about the investigation.

Favorite line: "...I feel a sense of duty to the posse, to this town, and to anyone who finds himself dead in his kilt..."

Not my favorite in this series, but still very good. Four stars.