A Stitch in Time: 11/09/15

A Stitch in Time by Monica Ferris is the third of the Needlecraft Mysteries. It's nearly Christmas time and Betsy has her hands full. She just wants to survive the Christmas rush and be done with the year. Unfortunately the local church has found an old tapestry that's stirring up bad memories for a lot of the town and Betsy's thrust right into the middle of it.

Betsy's inclusion into the mystery was once again quite incidental and accidental. She's not like Jessica Fletcher (even though the blurb says she is). She doesn't go looking to help. She really just wants to learn how to run her store and hone her skills in a variety of different needlecraft styles.

This time though Betsy's inclusion by those who believe she can help (either for her ties to the needlecraft community, or for her previous luck in solving crimes) is putting her in danger. She ends up hospitalized.

In the middle of all this we also learn more about her life in San Diego. Something I'd somehow not noticed before is that she's in her 40s, unusual for a cosy mystery protagonist. Usually they're in their 20s or 30s, or they are of dowager age if they're following the Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher model.

With the appearance of Betsy's ex, I was afraid the Needlecraft Mystery series would be exploring the same grounds as the Goldy Bear Catering series, where the ex husband is actually physically abusive. Thankfully, though, that's not the plot twist here.

Four stars

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