Review: By Hook or By Crook by Betty Hechtman

By Hook or By Crook by Betty Hechtman

Berkley Prime Crime

June 2009

Format: Paperback, 272 pages

First line: Nobody noticed the bag at first.

From the back cover: Yarnaholic Molly Pink has become known in Tarzana, California, for her sleuthing skills, thanks to the help of her crochet group. But the latest mystery may be too much for these stitchers to unravel…

There’s nothing the Tarzana Hookers love more than doing a good deed. They’re so preoccupied with crocheting and selling scarves, teddy bears, and blankets to raise money for the local park that they don’t even notice the brown paper bag at the end of the table – until it’s too late to find its owner.

Unable to resist a good mystery, they open the bag and find a note that speaks of remorse, a diary entry of the sorrow of parting and a complicated piece of filet crochet that offers an obscure clue in pictures. The Hookers decide to leave the detective work up to Molly, but by the time she discovers the talented crocheter’s identity, the mystery person has been murdered by a box of poisoned marzipan apples. Now Molly needs the help of her fellow stitchers, before the killer has time to create a deadly pattern of murder…

My thoughts: This is the third book in Betty Hechtman’s Crochet Mystery series and I thought it was pretty good. I love this series because of the main character, Molly Pink – she works in a bookstore, is an avid crocheter, and most recently has become an amateur sleuth!

This time around, Molly is tasked with figuring out who left a brown paper bag on the table where the Tarzana Hookers were selling items. Upon discovering what’s inside the bag, she is able to determine who left it, but when she goes to return the bag, she finds the woman dead. The only good thing is that this time she is not considered a subject as she has with previous cases.

As Molly tries to solve the mystery of the woman’s death, there are many unexpected twists and turns thrown in. There’s also a lot of humor, both dealing with the case and not, as is the case when Molly’s parents show up and basically take over her house for rehearsals for her mother’s singing group reunion. There’s also a little bit of romance and of course, the crocheting. I had never heard of filet crocheting before reading this and will definitely be looking into it.

I like reading this series because it’s light and fun and I love the crocheting tips and patterns that are included. Do you crochet? Does reading about a craft or project ever inspire you to try it? If you read cozy mysteries, do you pick based on the author or the hobby that the character is involved in?

(I purchased this book.)

Books in this series: 

1. Hooked on Murder                       5.  You Better Knot Die
2. Dead Men Don’t Crochet             6.  Behind the Seams
3. By Hook or By Crook                   7.   If Hooks Could Kill – due out Nov 2012
4. A Stitch in Crime