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The KNITTING BONES of the title are quite literal; Betsy Devonshire, heroine of the long-running Needlecraft Mystery series, breaks her ankle in a horse riding accident in the first chapter. Although sidelined from sales, Betsy still finds herself caught up in sleuthing. A sizeable charity donation from the Embroiderer’s Guild to the Heart Coalition has gone missing, along with the man who accepted the check. His wife begs Betsy to investigate, as the police are treating it as fraud and flight, while she is convinced that something much darker has happened to both husband and check. Fans of Crewel World employee Godwin will be thrilled by this book, because he not only runs the store but much of the investigation as well. He’s incredibly excited to find the first real clues that Bob Germaine wasn’t the solid businessman everyone thinks he is – Bob had a whole new life under a different name. Counterbalancing the Betsy and Godwin story are the passages from the point of view of low-level thief Tony Milan. Tony doesn’t really remember the accident that put him in the hospital with his arm, leg, and skull fractured. He’s dependant upon others to tell him what happened. But no matter what they say, he knows for sure that the clothing and jewelry they give back to him as he checks out was never his in the first place. But whose was it, and how did he end up with it? And most frustratingly, what happened to that juicy check he was going to intercept on its way to his employers, the Heart Coalition? Ferris is stepping outside the standard crafting mystery in this one, writing what is best described as a cozy conspiracy thriller. Too full of crafting exposition to be ranked as a hardboiled, but far more intricate than the usual character cozy, KNITTING BONES successfully hits a middle ground, delivering a book that’s perfect for the reader who wants something more than fluffy but isn’t in the mood for anything too grim. Although a certain amount of the plot hinges on the fact that Tony isn’t the sharpest needle in the pincushion, there are plenty of reversals and twists that keep the story from being straightforward or too easy to guess, even though Ferris plays fair and gives you all the clues you need to play the home game. KNITTING BONES can serve as a good introduction to Betsy’s world for new fans as well as current readers of the Needlecraft Mysteries. And it would be a lovely present for sewing enthusiasts who want a change from cute, quirky, silly characters or strum, drang, and bloodspatter.
Reviewed by Linnea Dodson, October 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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