Thai Die

I am still trying to figure out the first sentence of this book, and I have to say the confusion it engendered when I read it lingered through much of the book. I enjoyed the book, for the most part, but there were a number of characters in it who weren't very well identified and left me scratching my head as to who they were. I have read all of the other books in this series and enjoyed them a great deal, but this book did not really live up to the others.

Set in Minnesota, the book features Betsy Devonshire, owner of a needlework shop called Crewel World. As I recall, the other books in the series featured more discussion of needlework in its infinite variations, whereas it was more of a side note in this book.

One of Betsy's friends show more has been to Thailand and comes home to show off her purchases. She also has brought along a package as a favor to a fellow American she met while there. Delivery of this package leads to several murders and attempted murders, all of which involve Betsy in efforts to solve the crimes. Some of the loose ends were not tied up adequately for me, but perhaps I am just being too picky. Although I was able to deduce who the murderer was about halfway through the book, it was nice to see the culprit brought to justice.

Overall this was a pretty good book, but if someone is new to the series, they should start with one of the older books because they are better written. show less

Doris Valentine, one of Crewel World's Monday Bunch, returns from a month-long trip to Thailand with lots of colorful fabric and silk floss, and, tucked into a corner of her suitcase, a replica of an unusual Buddha statue she's been asked to deliver to an antique dealer in St. Paul. Soon after Doris delivers the statue, the dealer is murdered, and Doris's apartment is trashed. Doris continues to be a target of an unknown person, but amateur sleuth Betsy Devonshire can't figure out what Doris has that this person is after. This case will try the limits of Betsy's sleuthing abilities.

This book is one of the weaker efforts in this series. The mystery is convoluted, and the plot seems to get away from Ferris at some points. Readers familiar show more with the series will enjoy seeing more of the Monday Bunch in this book, and may also like the connection with a much earlier book in the series. There are better books in this series, and readers new to the series shouldn't start with this one. show less

I started reading this series years ago, because of "meeting" Ms. Ferris via rec.crafts.textiles.needlework . It's odd to think of how much has changed since then—I don't even have a dedicated usenet client installed any more! Still, I still stitch, and I still enjoy the little handwork bits throughout Ferris' novels.Unfortunately, the digressions into minutia on other topics (do I care where Goddy picked up an expression? Honestly, no) gets annoying. If there had been one more sentence about Lars' Stanley Steamer, I might have thrown the book across the room.Still, these books are much brighter in tone than so much of what I read that they make a nice break here and there. The free patterns at the back of each book certainly don't show more hurt, either. show less

Betsy's friend Doris has returned from a trip to Thailand. Among the items that she brings back is a statue of the Buddha which she is to deliver to an antique shop in the Twin Cities that has a buyer for the item. When Doris, apartment is trashed after delivering the statue and the antique shop dealer turns up dead, Betsy sets out to investigate. The "who" was not difficult to figure out. I wish that Godwin had played a bigger role in this installment. I also believe that Ferris should have never taken Jill off the police force. Her presence was missed in this installment. I enjoyed this work, but it was not as captivating as earlier novels in the series.

(Edited to correct a possessive that was accidentally omitted.)

In Thai Die, Betsy Devonshire's customer, Doris Valentine, comes back from a vacation in Thailand. She shows off silk she bought there. She also has a box she brought back as a favor. The rest of the Monday bunch insist on seeing what she'll be handing over to an antique store in St. Paul. The photographer from the local newspaper who is there to get the story uses only the picture he takes of the beautifully carved reproduction Buddha. (I listened, but I don't recall either Officer Mike or Betsy remembering that its photo was in the paper when the St. Paul police need to know about it.)

The statuette was wrapped in a dirty rag that Doris throws away. Betsy rescues it. Doris duly delivers the statuette. What follows is murder, attempted show more murder, scary situations, and a lot no one in the Monday bunch bargained for. The visit with the woman who spins yarn directly from her giant angora rabbit was a nice interlude.

No, I didn't suspect the killer, although I did get to feel annoyed when Betsy and friends weren't figuring out some things that seemed really obvious. I enjoyed the climax. The afterword was very interesting.

Yes, cat lovers, Betsy's cat (Sophie? Sophia?) does have a few scenes. show less

Betsy takes a back seat in this newest book featuring her shop, Crewel World. Instead, Betsy's tenant, Doris Valentine becomes the catalyst for a series of robbery attempts and murders, after she returns from a trip to Singapore, tourist baubles in hand. Although Betsy's inquisitive mind stillhelps crack the case, I missed her usual style of sleuthing.

Unfortunately, the publisher gives away the entire story on the dust jacket. I read the dust jacket and thought that information must come to light early on...so I kept waiting and waiting for something I didn't already know. I've enjoyed the other books in this series, so I'm sure my disappointment this time comes from already knowing the twist.