Wednesday, September 05, 2007



I'm awash in this mystery series about a woman who runs a needlework shop and sleuths out about one murderer every two or three months. If you can get over the crowded schedule, I'd say these are the best fiber themed books out there. They're light summer reading, mind you, but DE-lightful reading just the same.

Thematic fiction can be really dreadful, especially some of the needlework/knitting/fiber ones. Too sweet to stomach, too pat and tidy for even the most fairy-est princess among us. Making them a mystery leavens the dough a good bit. As I read through the series, I can see Ms. Ferris' literary skill develop. With any hobby there is a lot of jargon and for the most part our author weaves them into the plots with enough subtlety to keep the action moving. Not unlike Stealing with Style, by Emyl Jenkins, which I reviewed a couple weeks ago, this is a series that has actually gotten me a little more interested in some of the other beautiful fiber crafts.

There are a lot of them in the series, which does present a believability issue, for if I had half a dozen murders in my life in one year, or even three - well - I don't know if I'd be quite sane. I can make the literary leap but it takes a lot of spring.

1 comment:

Kucki68 said...

Are you aware of Earlene Fowler's mysteries named after patchwork patterns? They are good light reads, too.