November 2012 Mystery Books & Reviews

Review

For fans of: Sally Goldenbaum

Sweet Briar librarian Victoria “Tori” Sinclair has her hands full organizing the Holiday Book Extravaganza, planning her upcoming wedding, and trying to prevent Maime Wellington from replacing the town’s traditional holiday decorations with ones more at home on the Las Vegas Strip. The last thing she needs is another project to distract her. But when Charlotte Devereaux, a founding member of the Sweet Briar Ladies Sewing Circle, dies and leaves behind clues that suggest her husband didn’t actually walk out on her five years ago, but was murdered, Tori can’t help but become involved in the investigation. The police seem convinced that the woman was responsible for her husband’s death and are content to leave it at that, but that theory doesn’t sit quite right with Tori. Can she solve the crime and catch the real killer, or is the truth destined to die with Charlotte and her husband?

Let it Sew is the seventh of Elizabeth Lynn Casey’s Southern Sewing Circle mysteries, and it’s her best to date. It’s a very sentimental tale – more so than I normally prefer to read – but I enjoyed every single page. The pace is quick, the mystery is captivating, and thanks to Casey’s stellar cast of characters, the sweet is tempered with plenty of sass.

Gossip, secrets, lies, jealousy, infidelity, and revenge – Let it Sew has all of these and more. But if you want to know the truth, the most compelling thing about the book is the sewing circle. I love reading the Southern Sewing Circle mysteries because I genuinely love spending time with the characters. Few authors write characters over the age of 50, and those who do tend to make those characters weak, boring, and insultingly naïve. Casey bucks this trend, and she does so with gusto and glee. The members of the Sweet Briar Ladies Sewing Circle – almost all in their 60s, 70s, and 80s – are full of spunk, wit, charm, and intelligence, and they’re so beautifully drawn that you find yourself missing their company in between books. Sure, Tori is a winsome heroine and an intrepid sleuth, but though she’s only in her thirties, she’s by far the tamest and least interesting of the group. Margaret Louise may have a litter of grandchildren, but she’s also riotously funny and is a force of nature. She may fit the definition of a spinster, but there are few things on earth that could stop man-eating Leona when she has her sights set on a new conquest. Dixie may have been forced into retirement when Tori was hired as head librarian, but if anything, she’s even busier now than she was five years ago. And cantankerous octogenarian Rose’s hilariously antagonistic love-hate relationship with Leona is far more entertaining than any cat fight you’ll see on an episode of Maury Povich or Jersey Shore.

If I had one complaint about this book, it would be that the final solution is a little too neat and relies a little too heavily on coincidence; that said, however, I read the entire thing in one breathless sitting, and I never once saw the ending coming, so the quibble’s a minor one.

If you’re looking for a great read that’s full of holiday spirit, look no further than Elizabeth Lynn Casey’s spectacular Let it Sew. It’s a tightly plotted, thoroughly engrossing tale that yes, is about a murder, but is also about family, friends, charity, thanksgiving, remembrance, tradition, and deep and abiding friendships that can stand the tests of time.

Reviewed by Kat