Molly MacRae’s latest mystery, Knot the Usual Suspects, takes fabric to a whole new level. If murder wasn’t involved, the scheme that came out of the Weaver’s Cat would be funny. And, it’s still a charming linchpin for the story.
Blue Plum, Tennessee, is all set for the annual arts-and-crafts-fair, Handmade Blue Plum. As a business, the Weaver’s Cat can’t participate in the amateur endeavor. But, Kath Rutledge and her knitting group TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Fiber) have found a way to be involved. They have a hush-hush plan to yarn bomb Blue Plum the night before the event. They’re planning on a fun, attractive art event. They just didn’t plan on murder becoming a bigger disruption to Handmade Blue Plum.
Everyone downtown heard the bagpiper during the night. But, when the piper is killed, Kath’s small group comes together to ask questions. Her assistant, Ardis, had just had lunch with the man, her favorite student. But, other people in town seemed a little shocked to see him back in town. The yarn bombing around town seems like the perfect opportunity to prowl and ask a few questions. But, instead of finding answers, Kath finds another body.
Some of my favorite cozy mysteries include ghosts. And, Geneva, the Weaver’s Cat ghost, makes a great contribution to the solution of the mystery. She’s learning not to be quite so whiny after over a hundred years of death. Now, if she could just learn to communicate with her great-great-niece.
I’m very grateful for the character list at the beginning of Knot the Usual Suspects. With thirty-one characters to keep track of, I desperately needed that list. I enjoy MacRae’s mysteries, but this one was a little too character-heavy. Geneva would probably agree, since she wants to be the center of attention.
So, check in with Geneva and Kath in Blue Plum, Tennessee where Knot the Usual Suspects combines arts-and-crafts, a ghost, and murder, in a complicated story.
Molly MacRae’s website is www.mollymacrae.com
Knot the Usual Suspects by Molly MacRae. Obsidian. 2015. ISBN 9780451471314 (paperback), 337p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.
