Review

CeeCee Collins is currently a hot name in Hollywood, and she has landed a coveted appearance on a popular talk show. Molly Pink and the rest of the Tarzana Hookers crocheting club go to the show’s taping to cheer their fellow club member on. The show goes well for CeeCee, which is surprising since she’s been ask to lead a cooking demo and she doesn’t cook! However, the show’s overbearing producer Robyn Freed collapses and dies after drinking a latte backstage. Unfortunately, CeeCee’s niece Nell, who works at the studio, is the one who gave Robyn the latte and is now a suspect in her murder. As a favor to CeeCee, Molly agrees to look into the murder even though her homicide detective boyfriend doesn’t approve.

Molly is a capable amateur sleuth and a character with which readers can identify. She is widowed with two grown sons, one of whom has returned to the nest. She enjoys her life and isn’t sure if she is ready to take the next step in marrying her on again, off again boyfriend, Barry. It doesn’t help that he is less than thrilled that she has agreed to investigate Robyn’s murder. There are times when Molly is tempted to bow out of the investigation, but she sticks with it out of loyalty to her friend CeeCee, even when Nell doesn’t always act grateful. With either her best friend Dinah or good friend Mason at her side, she makes a good detective. The mystery is interesting and is wrapped up nicely by the end of the book. I also like the talk show backdrop which adds some extra entertainment to the story.

While I like Molly, I don’t like how inconsistent she is in the way she deals with other people. I quickly started to lose patience with the way Molly lets Barry treat her. He disapproves of her friends, of her investigating, and even where she lives. He goes behind her back and makes important decisions for her, but it takes her forever to speak up to him. Perhaps if I had read prior books in this series I would feel differently, but Barry comes across as so controlling, it’s actually a little scary. While Molly puts off standing up to Barry, she doesn’t hesitate to repeatedly tell her boss she needs time off from the bookstore she works in order to work on the investigation. Then, she will turn around and let her obnoxious co-worker Adele make cutting remarks to her in front of their whole crochet group and never say a word. I wish she would show some of the courage she has facing suspects when she is dealing with her friends and loved ones.

Since I’m new to this series, I was a little confused by all the characters introduced at the beginning of the book. Dinah, CeeCee, and Adele are the only members of the crocheting club that I really got to know in this book. Background information is given about the other characters, but not enough for me to differentiate one character from the other. On the other hand, I adore Molly’s friend Mason, the lawyer to the stars! He is always there for Molly and lets her be herself. They make a great team and I’m hopeful, but not sure of the direction the author is taking their friendship.

I like that crocheting is central to the book and in solving the case. The book ends with a few basic crochet projects and a couple of recipes that were featured in the book. Readers who follow this series won’t want to miss this installment in order to catch up on new developments for Molly in the romance department. There is a major cliff-hanger at the end that definitely makes you wonder what will happen in Molly’s love life. New readers who enjoy Elizabeth Lynn Casey’s Southern Sewing Circle mysteries or the Needlecraft mysteries by Monica Ferris will enjoy this crochet-themed mystery.

Reviewed by Christine