Book Review: Silence of the Lamb's Wool by Betty Hechtman

Casey Feldstein has her hands full yet again with baking, yarning and solving a murder. Casey is continuing on with yarn retreat business she inherited. While she didn't begin as a knitter nor crocheter she's learning more about yarn and enjoying the retreats. This new retreat will be fantastic as she plans to even include sheep shearing and spinning!! However when the retreat's teacher is found dead, and the death is declared a suicide, the retreat looks like it might just fall apart. It's up to Casey to pick up the pieces and solve the crime. With Casey at the helm it's going to be one yarn retreat no-one will forget.

I love to crochet so early on I picked up Betty Hechtman's crochet series and instantly became a fan for life! I like the way she weaves elements of crafting with the mystery so seemlessly. I always finish one of her mysteries satisfied that I've not only enjoyed the mystery but picked up for a tips for the crafter in me too!!

In this new series Casey is as beginner of a knitter as you can get. She doesn't even have a yarn stash (yet!)! She is enjoying running the retreats and learning along the way. She also has a insatiable curiousity! Part of the reason I enjoy following Casey's adventures is because I really like reading about each retreater's journey into knitting and crochet. They are all at different skill sets and through the story I almost feel like I'm right there, alongside them, taking part in the projects and building friendships in only a way that yarn can.

Yarning aside, Betty Hechtman delivers a delightful mystery in this latest instalment. What first appears to be suicide, clearly is murder and I enjoyed watching Casey put her "detective shoes" on and solve the crime. Fans of Betty Hectman's earlier mysteries won't be disappointed with this one. In my opinion, it's one of her best and I'm looking forward to seeing where she takes Casey and her friends next.

If you haven't read this series yet I highly recommend giving it a go. The mystery will delight you and afterwards you'll be itching to start a knitting or crochet project of your own!

Check out Betty Hechtman's books on Amazon.

Book Review: Yarn to Go by Betty Hechtman

Casey Feldstein isn't really the kind of girl that sticks to anything. Medical school, law school, working in a PI office, they all only lasted a short time. Now she's a dessert chef, living in the guest house of her Aunt Joan's house. However, when Joan is accidentally killed in a car accident, she must also add something else to her list - running a yarn retreat! Joan ran "Petite Retreats", fun weekend-long yarn retreats, and she had one all booked and now Casey must step in. She's not a knitter, but she does her best to honour her aunt's memory. With a dark cloud already over the weekend, especially with the accidental death of a knitter at the last retreat, Casey must not just step in, but also turn her hand at solving a crime too when one of the knitters if found dead.

I'm a knitter and a crocheter and I love reading mysteries that centre around yarn. This mystery was fun in many ways, but mostly it was fun seeing my favourite hobby through Casey's eyes, being that of a newbie. All the abbreviations and code names that I take for granted, like my "stash", ie. my yarn stash, are new to her. She soon learns a lot more than she ever though she wanted to know about yarn.

There are two deaths that have occurred even before I got into the first chapter. Those being Casey's aunt and Amanda Proctor, a knitter that died at the end of the last retreat. As they say accidents go in threes, and soon another dead body is added to the list. I guessed early on who the killer was and the motive behind it. This didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the mystery at all. I really liked Casey and the other ladies and gents (yes even men knit!) who attend the retreat, and it was fun to experience the yarn retreat with them.

Yarn to Go was a very fun first-in-a-new-series for me. I enjoyed this small town of Cadbury by the Sea. With Casey's love of baking and her growing interest in knitting, I know this is one series I will be keeping up with.