The Barnes & Noble Review
Truth seems hopelessly entangled with deception in this fascinating new needlework mystery by Monica Ferris. When a talented sculptor is murdered at a craft fair, Betsy Devonshire, owner of the Crewel Word needlework shop, is busy working at the fair's information booth, practically on the scene yet completely out of the loop. But Betsy's reputation for choosing all the right threads to pull in an investigation soon puts her in the center of the crime's unexpectedly complex pattern. One valued customer asks for Betsy's help in proving that the troubled youth accused of the crime is innocent, despite all the evidence to the contrary, while another insists on entrusting her with scraps of information the authorities seem too eager to dismiss. Discovering the truth means piecing together clues gathered from the dead man's family and friends and interweaving them with confidences from a friend on the police force who's troubled by the possibility that this crime is not as simple as the detective in charge of the case wants to believe. Soon, Wendy starts stitching together a strong case for justice, despite the danger of tampering with the unknown murderer's diabolically deadly design. Sue Stone