Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!!
I am thrilled to welcome Betty Hechtman here today!!
Cool Off With Casey
By
Betty Hechtman
There’s nothing better on a sweltering summer day than to escape into Casey Feldstein’s world on California’s Monterey peninsula. The weather is cool year round with white skies and creeping fingers of fog. It makes you want to grab a fleece jacket and go for a bracing walk on the silky sand beach across the road from Vista Del Mar, the moody hotel and conference center where Casey puts on her yarn retreats.
If you want to get away from it all, there isn’t a better place than Vista Del Mar. The Arts and Crafts style buildings are over 100 years old and built with lots of dark wood and local stone. The buildings are sprinkled over 100 acres of sloping grounds dotted with tall, narrow Monterey pines and Monterey cypress trees shaped by the wind. You won’t find any manicured lawns here. The grounds have been allowed to grow wild. If a tree falls, it is left to decompose naturally. Rumor has it that it is the same if an animal dies. Maybe a body, too, who knows? Situated on a small peninsula jutting into the Pacific ocean, it literally is the end of the earth.
What a perfect place to hold a yarn retreat. A group of people with a common interest gather there to spend time on their craft and learn something new. There is always the smell of wood smoke in the air. All the guest room buildings have living room-like lobbies furnished with overstuffed chairs that surround a glowing fireplace. Just the place to gather with some friends, take out your knitting and talk about murder.
In Silence of the Lamb’s Wool Casey has arranged for a retreat that starts with the shearing of some sheep and ends with the knitting of a shawlette, making for a very busy weekend. It only gets more complicated when a key player in the retreat turns up dead and leaves Casey in the lurch.
Lucky for Casey some of her first time retreaters have come back. Her best friend and boss, Lucinda Thornkill is there to help, even if the manager of Vista Del Mar is still trying to give Casey a hard time.
Even with all that is going on, Casey manages to continue her nightly baking of desserts at the Blue Door Restaurant and keeps the coffee spots in the town of Cadbury by the Sea supplied with her delicious freshly made muffins, though she is shocked when one of the muffins turns out to be a clue.
And the two men in her life – will her ex, Dr. Sammy win her back with his bagful of tricks, or will Dane, the adorable cop down the street, ever get to first base with her?
Want to truly feel apart of the story? There is a pattern for the shawlette and recipes for some of Casey’s specialties included.
Enjoy!
~Betty
About The Author
Silence of the Lamb’s Wool is the second book in the national bestselling Yarn Retreat series that features dessert chef Casey Feldstein who puts on yarn retreats at a slightly sinister hotel and conference center on California’s Monterey peninsula. Betty Hechtman also writes the national bestselling Crochet mystery series. All books in both series include patterns and recipes. She says it is like a dream come true to be able mix her love of mystery with her love of making things. She grew up in Chicago and has a degree in Fine Art. In addition she has studied everything from improv comedy to magic. She has written newspaper and magazine pieces, short stories and scripts. She lives in Southern California and Chicago and has yarn stashes in both cities.
For more information check out BettyHechtman.com, Facebook and her Friday blog for Killerhobbies.blogspot.com
Silence of the Lamb’s Wool
(A Yarn Retreat Mystery)
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
The Berkley Publishing Group (July 1, 2014)
Published by The Penguin Group
Cover Illustration by Patricia Casteleo
Cover Design by Rita Frangie
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425252581
E-Book File Size: 1476 KB
ASIN: B00HDMMF56
Dessert chef Casey Feldstein has learned one end of a knitting needle from the other after inheriting her aunt’s yarn retreat business, but a murder threatens to unravel her latest event . . .
Casey’s running a new retreat called “From Sheep to Shawl” at a resort on the atmospheric Monterey Peninsula. Participants will learn about sheepshearing, fixing up the fleece, and spinning, and will eventually knit a lovely shawl.
Nicole Welton has been hired to teach the fleece-to-fiber portion of the retreat. She’s an expert spinner, and her small shop in Cadbury by the Sea houses a beautiful assortment of spinning wheels and drop spindles. But when the new teacher fails to show up for class and is found lying dead on the boardwalk, it leaves everyone’s nerves frayed.
Now Casey has to knit together clues faster than she can count stitches before someone else at the retreat gets dropped . . .
Includes a knitting pattern and a recipe!
Casey’s retreat sounds like a lot of fun. Seeing the sheep getting sheared, cleaning and combing the fleece and spinning and then knitting with wool we made ourselves would be a blast. Too bad she had to face one roadblock after another including the death of the woman that was supposed to lead the whole retreat. Casey channels her aunt and does what she would have done and handled each problem head on, even chasing down a killer.
I really love these characters. Casey has landed on her feet pretty well and following in her aunt’s footsteps continuing the yarn retreats while challenging definitely keeps her busy. Even though her mother still thinks she needs to get a “real job”. What I really enjoyed was the friendships she continues to make. Three retreaters from the last retreat return in this story and they really step up and help Casey with this retreat. Her best friend Lucinda and her husband Tag are back too as is her ex. Dr. Sammy has moved to town and has found an unusual way to stay close to Casey.
Betty Hechtman has spun a fine mystery too. Was it suicide or murder? If it was murder who did it? She keeps trying to get her handsome neighbor who happens to be a cop to see things her way but she leaves each meeting with him either hot and bothered or furious that he is not taking her seriously.
If you are knitter you will want to grab your needles, if you are not you will wish you were. This is a captivating page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Thanks to the people at Penguin I have 2 copies to give away!
Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old
with a US or Canadian mailing address.
Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited.
You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.
Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.
Leave a comment for Betty for 5 Bonus Entries !
If you publicize the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.
Contest Will End July 30, 2014 at 11:59 PM CST
Winner Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winner Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar.
CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I love cozies and especially ones that center around crafts that I can’t do! Always makes me want to try so who knows…..I may learn to knit yet! LOL!
I’ve tried to knit many times, but just don’t have what it takes. I love to read about those who do it well. I’m going to lood for the first in this series. Thanks.
My Mom knits but I’ve never had any desire to learn.
thank you for the chance to win 🙂
I like to cook and crochet when I have the time 🙂 I stay real busy with my 5 children though. So extra time is both rare and precious. This sounds like an awesome read.
This one is on the list….. 🙂
What a captivating and special book. Thanks for this feature.
What a great review, I can’t wait to read the book.
Judging by your review this sounds like lots of fun. And 3 of my favorite things – baking, sewing and solving a mystery. What more could you ask for in one book?
This sounds like such a great book!
Sounds like fun. I would love to enter the contest, but the entry form isn’t working… it times out and won’t load.
James it pops right up for me. I will add you myself!!
I have never gone to a Yarn retreat. I would love to join these ladies. I love sheep. Can’t imagine looking at sheep and knitting too. Thanks for entering me in contest.
I live near Aislomar and its my favorite place in the world. So I adore this series!
I love your crochet series, I have read them all and look forward to the next. This new series about Asilomar is fun also. I have been there many times. Keep on writing, and I will keep on reading.
This sounds somewhat like my niece who has angora goats and Jakob sheep which she shears and sells the fleece.
This sounds great, I’ll have to get the first one. Knitting is something that I’ve always wanted to try, I have vague memories of my mom teaching a little to me when I was young and I remember enjoying it. Thanks for the chance to win.
The idea of a yarn retreat is fabulous!! The needlework store where I went for everything threads had Saturday get togethers which were great. No dead bodies but would love to read about the dead body in your book!!
I love the central coast area of California and the book sounds great. I like that there is a pattern and recipes included. I’d love to read it.
This sounds like an interesting series. Can’t wait to start it.
This book sounds good I can’t wait to read it. It’s definitely on my list I hope I get the chance to win a copy
Congratulations on your latest release Betty! I love your books and excited to start this new series of yours. I come from a long line of yarnies and hope to pass the craft on to my daughter and hopefully my son as well.
I would love to win this – enjoy the knitting series, and want to read this one, too!
I’ve been in the Monterey peninsula area probably really only once, even though we’ve lived in California a couple times. We were driving and went to Carmel and to Pebble Beach – just for a short time as we drove through one day. But, I have been to Cambria, and San Simeon which is on south down the coast.
Would love to read your Yarn Retreat series, Betty. I don’t knit or even crochet myself, but so appreciate the work of those who can do so. I used to do some crewel embrodiery and then some cross stitch, so recognize the skill that it takes. And I also appreciate the skill it takes to craft a good book, and mysteries especially. Thank you for writing good stories.
THis sounds like a great series! SO fun. 🙂
I’m not a knitter—but the shearing of sheep brings back childhood memories. I can still smell that freshly shorn wool.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail..com
sounds good.thanks for the chance
Love the cover and the title!
Betty, I am just curious if you had a mentor when you first began writing as a serious endeavor
I enjoy cozy mysteries.
Great series! Can’t wait to read this one!
Reading cozies and knitting are two of my favorite things. One day I’ll figure out how to do both at the same time.