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A review by mystereity
But Knot for Me by Betty Hechtman
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If I had to sum up this book in one sentence, it would be superbly plotted, rich in detail, realistic and organic. I'd been meaning to get to this since I got it on NetGalley and I'm sorry I didn't move this farther up on my overloaded TBR list sooner! I hear a lot of good things about this series from my cozy mystery friends and when I saw this one, I knew I had to give it a try. I think I've tried every flavor of cozy mysteries except yarn cozies - well, until now! And I liked this one right from the first page; some writers have that amazing way of drawing you right into their world from the start and this one definitely did!
Casey is prepping for a yarn retreat at Vista Del Mar lodge and conference center when she's accosted by the manager, Kevin St. James, who tells her the inn is overbooked. Now, if I was Casey, I'd tell him to go out back and...well, use your imagination...but Casey is a lot nicer than me and was able to smooth the ruffled feathers so that self-help guru Jordan can run his fatally flawed retreat where he can torture people for money. As this is a cozy mystery, someone ends up dead, then another and Casey steps up to the bat to solve the mystery.
This is the first book I've read in the series, I really enjoyed it and I'm definitely going to go back and read the earlier books to learn more about the main characters, as most of the character development in this one went to the assorted retreat people, which I rather enjoyed. A lot of times you don't get to "meet" the victims before they're killed (which is true of the first death, but not the second) so having some context gave the crimes greater depth. I loved the surprise twist at the end when the culprit was apprehended (never saw it coming!) and I loved how it was all wrapped up. But what I liked best was the balance between the smaller side plots that added more depth to the story without detracting from the main plot, which moved quickly without sacrificing detail but not overloaded with what felt like filler. Just a great cozy mystery from start to finish with great characters, a rich plot and baked goods. Perfect!
Casey is prepping for a yarn retreat at Vista Del Mar lodge and conference center when she's accosted by the manager, Kevin St. James, who tells her the inn is overbooked. Now, if I was Casey, I'd tell him to go out back and...well, use your imagination...but Casey is a lot nicer than me and was able to smooth the ruffled feathers so that self-help guru Jordan can run his fatally flawed retreat where he can torture people for money. As this is a cozy mystery, someone ends up dead, then another and Casey steps up to the bat to solve the mystery.
This is the first book I've read in the series, I really enjoyed it and I'm definitely going to go back and read the earlier books to learn more about the main characters, as most of the character development in this one went to the assorted retreat people, which I rather enjoyed. A lot of times you don't get to "meet" the victims before they're killed (which is true of the first death, but not the second) so having some context gave the crimes greater depth. I loved the surprise twist at the end when the culprit was apprehended (never saw it coming!) and I loved how it was all wrapped up. But what I liked best was the balance between the smaller side plots that added more depth to the story without detracting from the main plot, which moved quickly without sacrificing detail but not overloaded with what felt like filler. Just a great cozy mystery from start to finish with great characters, a rich plot and baked goods. Perfect!