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Last Wool and Testament (A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery #1)
by
Molly MacRae (Goodreads Author)
Kath Rutledge is about to learn the true meaning of TGIF—Thank Goodness It’s Fiber.…
That’s the name of the spunky group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Ivy McClellan, Kath’s beloved grandmother. Though Ivy has recently passed on, themembers still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver’s Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that’s only the fi...more
That’s the name of the spunky group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Ivy McClellan, Kath’s beloved grandmother. Though Ivy has recently passed on, themembers still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver’s Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that’s only the fi...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
September 4th 2012
by Signet
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Cozy mysteries are sort of like comfort food: I head for one of them when I don't want to think a lot, or I'm in need of some relaxation. I don't really expect them to be super deep or thought provoking. I just want to read something entertaining. Cozies are comfortable, undemanding, conducive to contentment.
This book definitely fits that description. With a couple words of caution. Character development is minimal at best. There are lots of characters with nothing much to distinguish them one f...more
This book definitely fits that description. With a couple words of caution. Character development is minimal at best. There are lots of characters with nothing much to distinguish them one f...more
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Dawn
I thoroughly enjoyed Last Wool and Testament. The setting is a small town called Blue Plum. It’s a town where everyone knows everyone’s business.
Kath is our main character. She’s pretty sassy; she’s just plain likeable. She returns to Blue Plum to take care of her grandmother’s estate. We learn about Ivy through Kath’s memories. We follow Kath while she runs across almost everyone in town for one reason or another. Each character is quirky, making them stand ou...more
I thoroughly enjoyed Last Wool and Testament. The setting is a small town called Blue Plum. It’s a town where everyone knows everyone’s business.
Kath is our main character. She’s pretty sassy; she’s just plain likeable. She returns to Blue Plum to take care of her grandmother’s estate. We learn about Ivy through Kath’s memories. We follow Kath while she runs across almost everyone in town for one reason or another. Each character is quirky, making them stand ou...more
I simply adored this new series. My problem? It was too short. Honestly, I wish this was one occasion that I found I was reading number six of... so that I could go and get the previous ones...
Kath Rutledge, Ms. Rutledge to the local police force of Blue Plum, Tennessee, runs afoul of the local constabulary as she rushes to her Granny's burial. As she blubbers this out to the Officer, he asks, "Crazy Ivy?" Naturally all sensibilities are offended and Kath proceeds to 'dress down' (a favorite mil...more
Kath Rutledge, Ms. Rutledge to the local police force of Blue Plum, Tennessee, runs afoul of the local constabulary as she rushes to her Granny's burial. As she blubbers this out to the Officer, he asks, "Crazy Ivy?" Naturally all sensibilities are offended and Kath proceeds to 'dress down' (a favorite mil...more
I LOVED Last Wool and Testament! Kath Rutledge returns home to Blue Plum, TN for her Grandmother Ivy McClellan's burial. She no more then gets back to town when she has a run in with a local deputy for speeding to make it to the burial on time. Everything goes down hill from there. She's in for many surprises! She receives a letter from her grandmother with news she did not expect& she finds she is locked out of her grandmother's house. A friend offer's her a house to stay in as long as she...more
This wasn't so much a bad book, than it wasn't a good book. The premise is that a young woman returns to a small town in Tennessee for the funeral of her grandmother, who raised her. As her only living relative, she is set to inherit the house her grandmother lived in, as well as the business/shop she owned, which is a knitting/weaving/yarn shop. It had some potential, as a nice cozy mystery and also about knitting, which I often enjoy, but it just never got there.
Kath, the main character, is up...more
Kath, the main character, is up...more
TGIF - Thank Goodness It's Fiber! That's the the name of a group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Kath Rutledge's grandmother Ivy. Sadly Ivy just recently passed away and Kath has come home to Blue Plum, Tennessee to see to decide what to do with her grandmother's shop, The Weaver's Cat, and settle all her other affairs. Little did she know that her grandmother was the prime suspect in a recent murder. Kath needs to clear Ivy's name and she has a help from a very surprising specter. Se...more
I don't consider myself a paranormal reader, but when I see the words "yarn shop" I'm drawn in like a moth to a flame. So here was my dilemma with this book--a ghost in a yarn shop! Thankfully the yarn shop won out and I had the pleasure of reading a wonderful book. Last Wool had the typical cozy set up, but that is why I love reading them so much. Kath's love interest has not been established yet, but I'm sure it will be soon!! I never try to guess who did it, I just let the book take me where...more
Don't get me wrong. This was a good read, but I just couldn't bring myself to give it four stars because of the lack of character development. Not only was the ghost character just "there" for the majority of her existence in the book, but there was no history or background development. I wouldn't be picky if the novel wasn't promoted as "A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery." The ghost ends up in the yarn shop, but does not begin there. Furthermore, the author sets up the story as though the main charac...more
While I usually avoid books featuring the supernatural, this new series is by MOLLY MACRAE, which means it will be unusual and quirky. I loved her two stand-alones, and while this may water down some of her stylistic flourish for a mass audience, I still loved it. Kath must hurry home from a job for her grandmother's funeral, but she learns quickly that a lot of people in the small town of Blue Plum did not esteem and love her grandmother as she did, including an up-tight deputy sheriff. And why...more
Excellent start to a new series! Fun characters and lots of mystery. The plot had a lot going for it - a few twists, a couple of red herrings and a culprit I didn't totally see coming (although I wasn't as surprised as I probably should have been).
A lot of the story line about Kath's grandmother's legacy was left unanswered, so I believe it will probably be an over arching plot line throughout the series, which will be ok if the author gives us enough during each book to make us feel like progr...more
A lot of the story line about Kath's grandmother's legacy was left unanswered, so I believe it will probably be an over arching plot line throughout the series, which will be ok if the author gives us enough during each book to make us feel like progr...more
LAST WOOL AND TESTAMENT: is the first in the Haunted Yarn Shop Cozy Mystery series. Kath Rutledge has returned to the small town of Blue Plum, Tennessee for her grandmother's funeral. Some of the town people called her grandmother Crazy Ivy. She owned the Weaver's Cat, a fabric and fiber shop. Seems that Kath's grandmother was the prime suspect in a murder. I read this cozy quickly. Like all good cozy mysteries this one has its fair share of quirky characters. But I thought the best thing about...more
This was an okay cozy mystery for me. It had a slow start, and I couldn't get into the story until at least the half-way point. Once I did, I thought he mystery itself was good, and the culprit was not easy to figure out.
When Kath Rutledge's grandmother dies, she heads back to Blue Plum, Tennessee, for the funeral and to settle the estate. Kath is Grandma Ivy's only heir, so she expects to get the yarn shop and the home on Lavender Street in the will. But, surprise! Nothing is ever easy. Not onl...more
When Kath Rutledge's grandmother dies, she heads back to Blue Plum, Tennessee, for the funeral and to settle the estate. Kath is Grandma Ivy's only heir, so she expects to get the yarn shop and the home on Lavender Street in the will. But, surprise! Nothing is ever easy. Not onl...more
Horrible writing, and I am not someone to complain about writing. I had to reread stuff because I did not understand what the author was saying, especially when she was trying to allude to something instead of just spitting it out. Part of the mystery totally made sense, but the second part, well.....it was a bit of a jump, there wasn't enough lead up or enough clues to get you to that point except to have her just say "and the butler did it!". I don't think I will read more of this series. The...more
First Line: It wasn't how I'd planned to spend my thirty-ninth birthday, driving like a crazed woman from Richmond, Virginia, to a cemetery in the mountains of east Tennessee.
Kath Rutledge, textile preservationist for the state of Illinois, is driving like a crazed woman because she's trying not to miss the funeral of her beloved grandmother, Ivy McClellan. She almost doesn't make it, thanks to Cole Dunbar, who unfortunately is the type of police officer anyone would dearly love to punch in the...more
Kath Rutledge, textile preservationist for the state of Illinois, is driving like a crazed woman because she's trying not to miss the funeral of her beloved grandmother, Ivy McClellan. She almost doesn't make it, thanks to Cole Dunbar, who unfortunately is the type of police officer anyone would dearly love to punch in the...more
Molly MacRae's characters and settings true to the place she writes about. It's a great first book in a series that I hope will continue for a long time. Kath comes home to her granny's funeral and meets many colorful and not always nice people living in the town of Blue Plum, Tennessee. There is evil afoot in the book from the beginning and it will take a wise person to figure out the who-done-it before the end of the book. If you like working with yarns, East Tennessee, ghosts or just like rea...more
This was a fun book filled with mystery, mayhem and a little comical relief in the form a spirit who would not go away. The people of Blue Plum are an interesting lot and I can’t wait to know more about them, from Kath to Ten to Ardis and even Geneva.
The author did a good job in keeping me on my toes with the many directions she took to keep me guessing and turning the pages. With a likable cast of characters, a small town atmosphere and good dialogue, this is a pleasantly appealing debut series...more
The author did a good job in keeping me on my toes with the many directions she took to keep me guessing and turning the pages. With a likable cast of characters, a small town atmosphere and good dialogue, this is a pleasantly appealing debut series...more
3 1/2 stars. Kath Rutledge has come to Blue Plum, TN to attend her beloved grandmother, Ivy's funeral and to settle Ivy's business since she is the sole heir. She is in for a lot surprises during her visit including that she has lost her job, and her grandmother was being blackmailed. She also discovered that her sweet granny is a suspect in a murder. As she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding her grandmother she becomes acquainted or reacquainted with many of the residents of Blue Plum. Sh...more
I really liked this book and am anxiously waiting for the next of the Haunted Yarn shop mystery to be released to continue this story of Kath's new life.
This one started out as many seem to do--granddaughter headed to claim her inheritance after her grandmother dies suddenly. It became a well developing story of a brash, short redhead, old friends and a few new ones along with a ghost who has a likeable personality once she quits sobbing.
This one started out as many seem to do--granddaughter headed to claim her inheritance after her grandmother dies suddenly. It became a well developing story of a brash, short redhead, old friends and a few new ones along with a ghost who has a likeable personality once she quits sobbing.
This book suffers a bit from the first-in-the-series problem, in that it's got a lot of introductions to make, plus a mystery to flesh out, in not many pages. At first, I was skeptical--it seemed like there were way too many people and they weren't all that great--but it really worked toward the end of the book and made me more interested in the second in the series.
I enjoyed learning about Kath Rutledge and Blue Plum, TN and it's many characters. Kath comes to Blue Plum to handle her grandmother's estate and learns her grandmother considered herself a witch. There's just a touch of paranormal in the story, but it plays a major part in how Kath views her grandmother and herself. While this isn't exactly what I consider a cozy mystery, it was a good read and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
I love a good mystery but there were so many instances in this book I figured out immediately it was pretty disappointing. I doubt I will bother with any of the others in the series. That is unusual for me as I'm the type that has to know how it turns out. With this series I have no desire to bother. There was potential for a really great story, it is disappointing this was basically predictable and boring
An OK start to a new series, but with reservations. My main problem is with Kath, the main character - very annoying, sometimes rude, some dumb decisions and rash actions. She did improve as the book went along, so maybe her behavior was due to her stressful situation. I'll probably give the series another shot.
Started out slow but picked up really nice. The best character in the entire book was the Ghost. she was a trip. The book is worth reading just for the interaction with the Ghost.
I am looking foward to reading the next one by Molly Macrae.
I am looking foward to reading the next one by Molly Macrae.
Great beginning to the new haunted wool shop mysteries. My favorite character is the depressed ghost who helps the protagonist solve the murder. Full of delicious humor and wonderful details about Tennessee, food, yarn, and people's behavior. A must read!
Oct 21, 2012
Julia Wilson
added it
it was an ok book. I wish there had been more time spent at the shop, a romance, and some friends. I do believe the second book will be better. This was a good set up book. I also think that if I could have read it more consistently I would have liked it more.
I loved this new book by one of my favorite authors. It was fun seeing names I recognize in a different context. Kath returns to Blue Plum after the death of her grandmother and gets pulled into a series of murders and some supernatural influence.
Kath Rutledge grandmother dies. Strange things are afoot in Blue Plum the town where grandma Ivy lived. Kath was a bit hard to follow in places because she had so many things on her mind.
All in all a good story.
All in all a good story.
Great read, I'm looking forward to more books in this series. I really like Geneva the ghost as a side kick. I can't wait to see which brother turns out to be the love interest.
I am only deducting the one star b/c I think the book ran a bit too long and for the overuse of the nickname "Clod" for one of the characters :) Otherwise, this is a wonderful debut to what, I hope, is going to be a long series. It's funny, it's sharp, and it's smart. I also like the fact that Kath, the lead character, didn't automatically fall for the guy. And though there might be a love triangle, I already know which guy I am pulling for when/if she chooses one! Also, I think the ghost elemen...more
This was a decent first book in the series. I'm not big on crafting, but it has a ghost and a mystery. I'm sure I'll read the next one.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravelry Knitters: May 2013 Group Read - Last Wool and Testament | 12 | 54 | 7 hours, 30 min ago |
Molly MacRae spent twenty years in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Upper East Tennessee, where she managed The Book Place, an independent bookstore; may it rest in peace.
Before the lure of books hooked her, she was curator of the history museum in Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town.
MacRae lives with her family in Champaign, Illinois, where she connects children with books at the...more
More about Molly MacRae...
Before the lure of books hooked her, she was curator of the history museum in Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town.
MacRae lives with her family in Champaign, Illinois, where she connects children with books at the...more
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