A Farewell to Yarns

This will be the first Christmas since Jane Jeffry lost her husband in a car accident and she's determined to make it a good one for her three children, Mike, Katie, and Todd. Jane thinks she has everything under control (as much as anyone can during the holidays), even having time to crochet an afghan for an upcoming Christmas bazaar, but she is thrown for a loop when an old friend, Phyllis Wagner, tells Jane she is coming for a visit. Jane hasn't seen Phyllis in years and is wondering why Phyllis would want to spend Christmas with her instead of her rich and seemingly devoted husband. However, Jane gets an inkling of what is going on when Phyllis shows up with her long lost and extremely obnoxious son, Bobby. Phyllis settles in show more quickly, quickly buying a house in Jane's neighborhood, but is just as quickly murdered. There are plenty of suspects, including Bobby, Phyllis's husband Chet, and Chet's son John. A second murder narrows the list of suspects even further. Jane has been involved in murder investigations before and doesn't mind helping hunky detective Mel Van Dyne as he investigates this one.

"A Farewell to Yarns" is the delightful follow-up to Jill Churchill's first Jane Jeffry mystery Grime and Punishment (Jane Jeffrey Mystery Series #1). Jane continues to grow as a character - she can be strong willed yet find herself agreeing to open her house to someone she hasn't seen in years. Jane's friend Shelly Nowack also continues to grow as a character - she is a voice of reason when Jane isn't strong enough to do it herself and her helping Jane's kids plan a Christmas surprise for her was a great touch in the book. One of the things Churchill does best in the series is when she describes the world of the suburban housewife - most of the women in the series are stay at home mothers and I love the glimpses into their lives as Jane juggles carpooling for three children, volunteer activities, Christmas decorating, shopping, and crocheting an afghan for the bazaar. Mike's Christmas concert is a good example of how the small details make the book better. I also loved the details about the bazaar, especially when to came to pricing the items for sale. The minor characters are all well done especially Chet, Fiona and Albert Howard, Jane's "Uncle" Jim, and the always-delightful Suzie Williams. The romance between Jane and Mel is a nice, slow one, understandable because of the recent death of her husband, and it takes a step forward by the end of this book. The mystery is well plotted and had several intriguing twists, especially at the end, that will surprise readers.

"A Farewell to Yarns" is a well-done cozy mystery. show less

A Farewell to yarns by Jill Churchill. I haven’t read any other books in this series of ten books (listed inside the book) about Jane Jeffry. This is book two and is quite a good detective novel. The main story line is about a single mother dealing with life and setting up a church bazaar when she becomes involved in a murder mystery. I found it quite enjoyable and a slightly fun read.

I have read just about the entire Jane Jeffry Mystery series, but I had missed this, the second book. Being that I already knew things that happen years down the storyline, a lot of this book was very familiar. The mystery itself was new to me though. I had the suspects narrowed down to two, but wasn't sure who the killer was until it was revealed which is always a huge plus. I love the characters in this series and am glad that I went back to read this one.

Read part but didn't return to it.