Wound Up in Murder by Betty Hetchman

While I have always been a reader, and pretty partial to mysteries, I had been in a TV watching phase and let my reading slip. There was one author that ended that and reminded me why I love a good mystery, that author is Betty Hetchman and since I found her, I have yet to spend a night watching TV. Wound Up in Murder is the third part in the Yarn Retreat Mystery series and it was as fabulous as the first two.

From the back of the book:

In the newest Yarn Retreat Mystery from the national bestselling author of Silence of the Lamb’s Wool, dessert chef Casey Feldstein continues to develop her hidden talents for knitting…and solving murders.

With two yarn retreats in the bag, Casey is looking forward to running her third one at Cadbury by the Sea’s Vista Del Mar hotel on the Monterey Peninsula. This time, each knitter will get a Mystery Bag of knitting materials to turn into a personal project.

But Casey gets tangled up in another retreat at the same hotel, when the organizer and his wife have a very public spat. As Casey is delivering her baked goods later that night, she finds the woman dead in the bushes with a magician’s silk scarf nearby—just like the scarf Casey’s ex-boyfriend, Sammy, used during his magic act at the retreat. As Sammy takes center stage as the prime suspect, Casey and her friends will have to stitch together the clues before the real killer pulls a disappearing act...

My thoughts:

Every part of this series makes me wish I lived somewhere close to a yarn retreat or that I traveled well. Could you imagine a retreat with your fellow yarn addicts? This part had the same awesome characters. As you may recall, I bonded with Casey because she is real, messes up, a reminds me of someone I would sit down and knit with, especially if she brought the muffins.  

The Vista Del Mar, where the retreat takes place, has really grown on me and so has Kevin the slightly unpleasant manager. I really like Sammy, Casey's friend/ex and since he was the one the bumbling detective was focused on, I was totally routing for Casey to figure this out. Of course, I always route for her... I was turning pages fast and furious, up all night, and bang, I never saw it coming. There was a very cool explanation that left me feeling satisfied and, as usual, longing for the next part. Of course, while you are waiting for the next part there are patterns and recipes to try in the back of the book.

If you are not reading this series, start, start now, grab them all while you are shopping and make sure you also grab the Crochet Mystery while you are at it - you can't go wrong with Betty Hechtman.

Take some time to browse the other great mysteries available from Berkley Prime Crime. While you are there, you can sign up for the newsletter so you never miss a new release. I must warn you though, after browsing my wish list is longer than I could probably read. You can also connect with them on Twitter where can happen across a fun giveaway as well. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.