Needlecraft Mysteries (Berkley Paperback)
8 total works
"Entertaining...Fans of Jessica Fletcher will devour this book." --Rendezvous
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…
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...
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.
Shop owner and part-time sleuth Betsy Devonshire has a knack for stumbling upon dead bodies?and it?s entangled her in more than one knotty situation. Here in one volume are three of Betsy?s adventures as a not-so-seamless investigator.
Includes Unraveled Sleeve, A Murderous Yarn, and Hanging by a Thread.