Blackwork

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery with a fun theme. I am a needle-worker so I enjoyed reading about a needlework shop owner. The mystery was okay. I thought the motive was rather dumb, but I guess there isn't any really good motive for murder if you think about it. The methodology was interesting and I enjoyed reading about the cast of characters. I will definitely continue the series, or in my case, go back and read book one.

I loved Monica Ferris' Blackwork. I picked it to read because of its Halloween theme. As I rely on giveaways for cozies I very rarely get to read one that comes after a previous one that I have read. This time I was already familiar with Betsy Devonshire and Godwin her store assistant. I loved getting back with old friends. Godwin has a new boyfriend so he wants Betsy’s opinion of him. Betsy has her hands full with her store and the annual Fall Festival with a Halloween theme.

There is a murder of course and Betsy sets out interviewing suspects and about everyone who knows them. I think this may put her in danger but she just says that she is very careful. I am afraid that she would have to be much more careful in real life! There are show more lots of suspects but only Betsy’s orderly manner can sift through them.

Leona Cunningham is suspected by some because she is a witch. She says that she doesn’t put hexes on people or cast bad spells but some people in the town think she did it. She practices Wicca and has her own microbrewery pub, The Barleywine. So we learn about different brews and the brewing process. We are also introduced the embroidery method of Blackwork, which as the book says looks like magic but just involves some trickery. Blackwork can look like lace so that makes it even more fun. This type of embroidery becomes crucial to solving the mystery. Humor abounds and it is fun to be invited into Betsy’s thoughts as she figures out who the murder is.

The selection of the murder weapon was very creative too. I wasn’t a bit disappointed in this cozy.

I highly recommend this embroidery cozy. show less

It's nearly Halloween, and Betsy Devonshire, owner of Excelsior's Crewel World, is serving on a committee organizing a Halloween parade. Recovering alcoholic Ryan McMurphy, who will drive an antique fire engine in the parade, attends a committee meeting at a microbrewery owned by a Wicca practitioner. Ryan falls off the wagon and his drunken behavior creates problems with a number of people. A few days later, Ryan is found dead in Shelley Donohue's craft room, where Shelley and her live-in boyfriend had allowed him to stay after Ryan's wife kicked him out of their home. Local gossip soon blames microbrewery owner Leona for Ryan's sudden death, claiming that Leona, a Wicca practitioner, cast a spell on him. Betsy wants to help her show more friend, Shelley, as well as defend Leona from unfounded accusations, so she sets out to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ryan's death.

I learned more about Wicca than I wanted to know in this book, and I wasn't all that interested in the descriptions of the microbrewery, either, since I don't drink alcoholic beverages. The Halloween theme was fun, and I particularly enjoyed the description of the poetry party thrown by Godwin's new friend, Rafael. I also liked learning about blackwork, a type of embroidery I wasn't familiar with before I was introduced to it in this book. Ferris continues to come up with new ideas for this long-running series. The method for the murder is one of the more creative ones in the series, and I think this will end up as one of the more memorable books from the series.

Recommended for most cozy fans. show less

It's nearly Halloween, and Ryan McMurphy accuses stitcher and beer-maker Leona Cunningham of witchcraft. He soon ends up dead. Although many of the townspeople believe Leona put a hex on Ryan, Betsy is convinced that Leona's Wiccan beliefs would only be used for good. I did not enjoy the plot involving Wicca and witchcraft. I think this mystery could have been just as effective with the method used for killing without that element marring my enjoyment of the novel. I've enjoyed previous installments in the series, but if the author continues to feature pagan practices, I will abandon the series. The method utilized in the murder and the motive were interesting and unusual for a cozy mystery.

This is the 13th in the Needlecraft Mysteries featuring Betsy Devonshire, the middle-aged owner of the Crewel World needlework shop. The series is set in modern day, Excelsior, Minnesota.

Imagine a witch, micro-brew beer, a small town with gossips, a Halloween parade, and a locked room mystery. We have all that right here.

The town drunk, Ryan, falls off the wagon and loudly taunts the town's only Wicca practitioner, Leona who co-owns a micro-brew pub in town. Within a week Ryan is found dead and people initially think it was his long-time drinking problem that got him. But turns out that his death is rather suspicious and somebody has started a crusade to pin it on Leona. Leona goes to kindly Betsy and asks her to please find out who is show more spreading the nasty rumors about her.

In classic cozy fashion Ryan had made several enemies who could have hated the drunk enough to kill him. But he was in a locked room with no evidence of how he was killed nor any hint of a murder weapon. The Medical Examiner puts it down as natural causes. But there is a murderer on the loose and Betsy starts out on the trail, first figuring out the murder weapon then starts on who had access along with a reason to hate the mean and vindictive drunk.

This is a classic cozy with a locked room puzzle. I liked the murder weapon, it was creative and very effective. The plot is not an edge-of-your-seat ordeal but I thought moved along nicely. I enjoyed reading a mystery where the sleuth didn't have to make excuses and have contrived reasons for investigating, she just did it. I know there are readers who want it to be really plausible why the sleuth gets involved. I get frustrated over that, since the whole point I am reading is for this person to get on with nosing around. So a note of warning, if you expect an excuse for your sleuth to be poking around you won't get it here. Betsy just jumps in and the town has come to expect it.

I will say that for a cozy it didn't seem to have developed the characters to the usual expectation. Typically a cozy is heavy on the world building, developing a community that the reader feels enveloped in. I suspect that is why cozies are so popular - they are downright addicting. I was drawn into the story and enjoyed Betsy and her store employee Godwin but I can't say I felt strongly about the supporting cast. There is the Monday Bunch, a group of needle crafters who meet at the shop every Monday. But I didn't feel they were buddies I will miss. I can't speak for the previous books that might have had this sense more strongly. Incidentally, the title "Blackwork" refers to a type of needlework that plays into the story.

I appreciated the evenhanded treatment of the character Leona and her Wicca faith while the main character Betsy attends church faithfully. Ms. Ferris obviously did her homework to fairly represent Leona and it was well done. Kudos I think are in order there. Some readers may be upset by that topic while others will find this a safe way to find out some tidbits about Wicca from a distance.

The great reveal I thought was imaginative - including a chase scene during a hectic and confusing parade. I have to say I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and have become a fan. I am eagerly awaiting the next book to get to know the characters better.

To read the complete review, go here:
http://mysterysuspence.blogspot.com/2010/10/review-blackwork.html show less

Amateur sleuth Betsy Devonshire returns for the 13th installment of the Needlecraft Mystery series, which is appropriately a Halloween tale. The town of Excelsior is making preparations for the Halloween parade when one of the town's more unsavory characters, Ryan McMurphy, ends up dead without a mark on his body. People immediately point to Leona Cunningham, owner of a microbrewery and a practicing Wiccan, as the murderer.

When Leona steadfastly proclaims her innocence and asks Betsy for help, Betsy just has to get involved. The problem is that the victim wasn't exactly well liked. Betsy must carefully sift through the long list of suspects before solving the murder.

The Bottom Line: "Blackwork" is a quick, easy, and fun weekend read. show more You can pick this one up and get right into it without having read the previous books. Ferris' portrayal of the gay character Godwin is a bit too cute and stereotyped; hopefully, this will change in the future. Nonetheless, "Blackwork" is an enjoyable read. This book is recommended for mystery buffs and crafters who enjoy reading cozies.

This review is also posted at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog: http://minibookbytes.blogspot.com/ show less

Nice and light mystery read with a little needlework on the side. Interesting characters and character development and unique chase scene towards the end.