Needlecraft Mystery
19 primary works • 21 total works
Book 1
Book 2
"Filled with great small-town characters...A great time!"Rendezvous
Book 3
"Entertaining...Fans of Jessica Fletcher will devour this book." --Rendezvous
Book 4
Unraveled Sleeve
Betsy Devonshire has settled into her new home in Excelsior, Minnesota, as owner of the town’s needlecraft shop. So why is she suffering from terrifying nightmares? She hasn’t a clue—but she thinks maybe it would help to get away for a while. With her friend Jill in tow, she heads north for a “stitch-in” at a remote, rustic lodge. But her nightmares only get worse—especially after she finds a dead woman no one else had seen. Then the body disappears—and she knows she won’t get any rest until she untangles the mysterious threads of the crime….
Book 5
A Murderous Yarn
Heavens to Betsy Devonshire! She never intended to get so caught up in this year’s antique car race. But as sponsor of one of the entrants, she can’t help but keep a close eye on the outcome—and it’s not pretty. One of the drivers never makes it to the finish line. His car is found exploded in flames. Now Betsy and her crafty friends must determine if it was an accident or the work of a jealous competitor. The answer may be in a piece of needlework, but pinning down a suspect won’t be easy…
Book 6
Betsy is still new enough to Excelsior, Minnesota, to not know a scandal when she causes one. So, when she hires Foster Johns to fix her roof, the resulting uproar has her needled. The whole town has pinned a five-year-old unsolved double murder on him. Betsy believes Johns when he says he isn’t guilty. But she’ll have to use every stitch of her sleuthing skills to tie up all the loose ends that will prove his innocence once and for all.
Book 7
Book 8
Part-time sleuth and full-time owner of the needlework shop Crewel World, Betsy Devonshire prepares for a chilling holiday season filled with mistletoe--and murder.
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
The stitchers of the Embroiderers Guild raised over twenty thousand dollars for charity—but the representative who accepted the check at the annual convention disappeared with it. It turns out that he’s the husband of the local chapter president, Allie Germaine, who insists on his innocence. But if Bob Germaine didn’t pocket the check, who did? And where is Bob now? Since needlework shop owner Betsy Devonshire has broken her leg horseback riding, solving the latest crime will have to be a group project...
FREE knitting pattern included!
Book 12
Book 13
It's Halloween-and Betsy Devonshire, owner of the Crewel World needlework shop and part-time sleuth, is haunted by murder...
In the town of Excelsior, Minnesota, Leona Cunningham, owner of a popular microbrewery, is a practitioner of Wicca, the nature-based religion often mistaken for black magic. But that doesn't bother the thirsty crowds. Then, after one too many pints, a local blames Leona for the series of "accidents" that have happened throughout town. When he ends up dead without a mark on his body, Leona's the main suspect. But Betsy's on the case, and that spells trouble for the killer.
Book 14
Book 15
When an elderly homeless woman is found dead on the shore of Lake Minnetonka, she’s wearing a blouse embroidered with her will, which bequeaths everything she owns to her niece, Emily Hame—a member of the Monday Bunch at Betsy Devonshire’s Crewel World needlework shop! But Emily’s aunt is the second homeless woman to be found dead in Excelsior, Minnesota. Is someone targeting the homeless, or is it related to a sizable inheritance? Emily seeks the help of her fellow needlecrafter Betsy to discover the common thread between the deaths—and to determine if a murderer may strike again…
Book 16
Betsy is a natural-born yarnsmith--so it's only fitting that some of her favorite items to stock come from the dye-works of Hailey Brent. Hailey makes hand-dyed knitting wool, silk, soy, and corn yarns. She uses only natural vegetable dyes, creating soft and beautiful colors. Which means her yarns are expensive, but well worth it.
Unfortunately, someone thinks they're worth killing for.
When Hailey's body is discovered shot dead in her workshop, Betsy discovers that there was a lot about Hailey she would have never guessed. Like her penchant for stealing other's property for her own use. Her use of dangerous additives to create her so-called all-natural fibers. And a scheming mind that had made her more than one enemy.
Now, Betsy must wring the truth from a bevy of colorful suspects. Because the truth just might mean the difference between living--and dyeing...
Book 17
Even though running Crewel World keeps Betsy plenty busy, a little extra cash on the side doesn’t hurt. So when the local senior complex, Watered Silk, asks her to teach a class on the tricky punch needle technique, Betsy jumps at the opportunity to win over some new customers.
Unfortunately, the business that Betsy drums up is not of the needlework variety. A young woman is found floating in Watered Silk’s therapy pool, and Betsy’s sleuthing skills are immediately called upon to figure out who drowned her. But the list of suspects is more twisted than any Betsy has encountered before. The young woman had three lovers—each with a motive for the murder.
It’s up to Betsy to sort out the snarl of romantic entanglements and find a killer, or the wrong man is bound to get pinned for a crime he didn’t commit…
FREE EMBROIDERY PATTERN INCLUDED
Book 18
Book 19
The Monday Bunch and other local knitters are participating in a fund-raising auction to save a community center, creating a growing pile of stuffed animals and toys right in front of the auctioneers as the audience bids. Among those contributing the most knitted goods is temperamental businesswoman Maddy Hanover—who keels over halfway through the event.
After she is pronounced DOA, an autopsy reveals that Maddy had been poisoned. But how? And by whom? One of the prime suspects is her ruthless business rival, Joe Mickels, who lost a bitterly contested property bid to Maddy.
When Mickels pleads his innocence to Betsy, she reluctantly believes him. But if Betsy is going to uncover the real murderer’s identity, she must first untangle the knots Maddy made in her relationships throughout her life…
FREE KNITTING PATTERN INCLUDED
CREWEL WORLD: When Betsy arrives in Excelsior, Minnesota, she winds up settling in—and taking a new job at her sister Margot’s needlework shop. It seems things are finally going her way—until Margot is murdered. In a town this friendly, no one seems like they could have done something so horrible. But Betsy isn’t going to rest until she finds her sister’s killer.
FRAMED IN LACE: The historic Hopkins ferry is raised from the bottom of a lake—and everyone is stunned when a skeleton is found on board. But the evidence is a bit soggy: the boat sank in 1949, the victim was a woman, and an unidentifiable lacelike fabric was found nearby. Still, with a little help from her needlecraft shop patrons, Betsy intends to sew up this mystery.
A STITCH IN TIME: Minnesota winters may be freezing, but Betsy’s heart is warmed when the best needle-workers in Excelsior volunteer to restore a damaged tapestry found in a church basement. Betsy even donates the materials for the project, hoping the publicity will boost her shop’s sales. But she soon realizes that her good intentions may have uncovered secrets that someone will kill to keep.