Tag: Betty Hechtman

REVIEW NOW ADDED.

Death Among the Stitches (A Crochet and Crumpets Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Indiana
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House; Main edition (January 7, 2025)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448312930
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448312931
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D9M8RV6X

Meet Annie Hart: newly inherited yarn and tea shop owner and reluctant amateur sleuth.

Annie Hart, daughter of Bryan Hart – talent agent to the stars – spends her life getting roped into whatever new task her father needs her to do for his VIP clients. So when she inherits a yarn shop in the small Indiana town of Franklin, she is curious to see what it feels like to have something that is solely hers!

But when her arrival is greeted by the local law enforcement, Annie senses things are not quite as they seem in this idyllic town . . . everyone knows everybody in Franklin yet when it comes to the death of the shop’s previous owner, nobody seems sure of anything!

Annie soon discovers that Eleanor Danton was in fact murdered, strangled with her own yarn . . . invigorated by her need to find out the truth, and feeling somehow at home with the friendly bunch of local yarn artists who frequent the shop, she sets out to finding the killer. Much can be achieved over a cuppa and a yarn . . .

Readers who love super cosy culinary mysteries will eat up this new charming cosy mystery series.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Bryan Hart is the talent agent to the stars and he employs his daughter Annie Sara Hart to help him keep his clients happy. She has been “working” with a VIP’s daughter, Gray since they were in Girl Scouts together. Of late, she has been working at the daughter’s store as “support staff” meaning she did everything.

Now Annie Sara has inherited a yarn shop just outside of Franklin, Indiana that her uncle purchased to turn into a restaurant before he died. She plans to go there for a week to tie up loose ends, put the place up for sale, and return to California.

Franklin is a typical small town where everyone knows everyone and their business. She finds out the previous owner of the yarn shop died but no one wants to talk about it. Then she learned that Eleanor Danton was murdered and her death was blamed on an unknown summer tourist. Annie Sara finds herself intrigued by the mystery of the woman’s death and as she meets her new neighbors she decides to try to find the truth.  But the truth could get her killed!

In this first Crochet and Crumpets Mystery Ms. Hechtman introduces readers to an eclectic group of characters. Annie Sara is truly on her own in Franklin but her father does call often to encourage her to hurry up and come home. She meets several Franklin, Indiana residents including Jenny who owns the local bakery, and her son, Toby. Toby is an excellent baker and has Down syndrome. He is sweet and so kind and gives excellent customer service. He is so proud of the wonderful things he bakes, that he can barely wait for Annie Sara to try his cinnamon rolls.

We also meet Don Spenser, a friendly local mechanic who aids Annie Sara when her rental car breaks down. Poor Patty gets migraines but she is an awesome cake baker and decorator but she is a perfectionist so there always seems to be a cake with a wonky flower or letter that needs to be eaten. Jenny, Toby, and Patty are all part of a knitting group that used to meet at Annie Sara’s store. As the story continues we meet the rest of the group and other Franklin residents. All felt true to life but we have just scratched the surface of the people of Franklin, Annie Sara, and Gray.  Eleanor had a special cat named Jack. He was able to return to the shop with Annie Sara there and they became quick friends.

I was surprised when Gray came to town with orders from her mother to lose weight. She even had packaged meals delivered and a pair of jeans Gray had to fit into to come home. This was Gray’s first time being out from under her mother’s thumb and she blossomed.

The mystery of Eleanor Danton’s death was always on Annie Sara’s mind. She was trying to determine who she could trust to help her find the truth. The store being vandalized gave Annie Sara plenty of work to do before she could put the place up for sale. The knitting group was happy to help but the store was vandalized again leading Annie Sara to believe she was getting some information that made the killer uncomfortable enough to act. The mystery had more depth than I expected. The motive was unclear until a huge clue was revealed. But it wasn’t until Annie Sara made a keen observation that all the clues fell into place for both of us.

I expected the ending but was surprised by how long it took Annie Sara to make a final decision. I think there are going to be some fireworks ahead.

Death Among the Stitches has laid a great foundation for this series. Ms Hechtman has left plenty of room for the characters to grow as the series continues. This was an entertaining whodunit that leaves me eager for book two to find out what happens next!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the Severn House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About the Author

Despite completing a Fine Arts degree, all Betty Hechtman ever wanted to be was a writer. She wrote a weekly column in her college newspaper and later wrote magazine and newspaper pieces, along with short stories and a prize-winning screenplay. Betty had her first novel published in 2006. Since then she has had 20 books published across two cozy mystery series centered on another one of her loves – yarn craft. She lives with her family in Southern California.

Find more about Betty on her
Website  Facebook

Also written by Betty Hechtman

Betty also writes the Crochet Mysteries. You can find them HERE.

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