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EMBROIDERED TRUTHS is the ninth of the Needlecraft Mystery series by Monica Ferris featuring amateur sleuth Betsy Devonshire, the accidental owner of Crewel World, a store in Minnesota. In this episode Godwin, Betsy's 28-year-old store manager, arrives for work in distress one morning because his partner John, a successful lawyer, has thrown him out again. Betsy is getting a little tired of the rigmarole but tries to reassure Godwin that he can stay in her apartment and that, as before, John will relent and things will return to normal. Godwin is not convinced, because this time he has no idea why John was cross with him. A couple of days later he receives a call from John's law firm asking if he knows where John is, as he hasn't attended the office. Godwin persuades Betsy to go to John's house with him to investigate, and when they arrive they find John's murdered body, evidence of a recent visitor, and that some jewellery is missing. The police soon settle on Godwin as the prime suspect and haul him off to jail, leaving Betsy to try to clear his name. The shop regulars rally round to run the store leaving Betsy free to investigate full time, with input from John's brother and her policewoman friend Jill. She also calls on a teenage friend Gary who is good with computers and finds that there was a side to John's life of which Godwin was unaware. On a trip to the law firm she also runs into a customer, Susan Lavery, who proves to be a formidable ally when it comes to getting the low-down on the business. The cozy plot is swift moving and intriguing, and for knitters and needle crafters there are the usual smattering of designer names to follow up, and the occasional tip to absorb. As well as the familiar faces, there are some promising new characters that will hopefully feature in future books. I did have a couple of moments when I became concerned that the characters were taking their craft work a bit too seriously and needed a reality check, or a swift clip round the ear, though. Nevertheless, this was a strong entry in the series and a very enjoyable diversion.
Reviewed by Bridget Bolton, September 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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