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48th out of 105 books
—
154 voters
Dropped Dead Stitch (A Knitting Mystery #7)
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the knitters of Fort Connor, Colorado, who are furiously working on their holiday projects. Juliet, the town's "little brown wren" librarian, is known for her beautiful handmade Christmas capes, and she has extra reason to be joyful this year—she's in love. But as soon as she finds happiness, death finds her.
Suspicion falls o...more
Suspicion falls o...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
June 2nd 2009
by Berkley Hardcover
(first published 2009)
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A fun (if you can call rape and murder "fun") and quick read. I like cozy murder mysteries and this one was fairly good. Kelly Flynn lives in the small town of Fort Connor, Colorado, and works as a self-employed accountant after leaving Corporate America back east. Since moving to Colorado, she also becomes a knitter and an inadvertent amateur detective. One of Kelly Flynn's close friends, Jennifer, is raped after being followed home from a bar she frequents. Jennifer doesn't tell the police, as...more
The latest Maggie Sefton novel is a lot like the rest of them: not at all intellectual, but nonetheless compelling. It's like junk food, tasty but no nutrition or substance. This author does some annoying things, like repeat the same phrases over and over and over and ooooover. The author may have read some of her critics' advice, and she has eliminated some previous annoying phrases. Unfortunately, she has simply replaced them with other annoying phrases.
I missed the characters of Hilda and Liz...more
I missed the characters of Hilda and Liz...more
The plot was okay -- no surprises, and not particularly interesting. I hated the dialogue and didn't care for the young people in the book. An example of the dialogue is when people are talking with one another, such as a conversation between Kelly and Steve. Kelly says something like, "Well, Steve, you know blah, blah, blah," and he answers in kind using her name. The book doesn't really give a sense of location, even in the mountain retreat. I didn't feel as if I was there. And the yarn store...more
This seventh novel in the Knitting Mystery series centers on the aftereffects of sexual battery, especially as these effects involve a death and the main character's best friend. As in Sefton's last novel, most of the action takes place "in the wings" and is merely recounted to the main character (Kelly) and, therefore, to the reader. It's an example of why writers are told to "show, don't tell" if they want to really engage their readers. In this case, Sefton missed several opportunities to sho...more
It was an amusing read-quick and not something that I had to pay attention to in order to understand. The author adds unnecessary things at times, like a few of the scenes or some of the descriptions. Like, I don't need to know the steps of how someone does a Google search. I do them every day, I know how it's done. Some of the knitting actions also felt gratuitous, like "she added another row". I suppose it's a time marker, but it felt out of place. The author has different phrasing quirks that...more
This guy met Kelly and was dead within 48 hours! She's a veritable Typhoid Kelly. Granted, he had that header coming to him, though it's implied throughout that anyone who walks less than an absolutely straight and narrow path around Kelly more or less deserves what s/he gets, and that's pretty offputting. Established: if anyone in Fort Connor is even remotely interesting to be around, death is imminent unless they enroll in a 12-step program and start knitting lessons.
Nevertheless, I'm finding...more
Nevertheless, I'm finding...more
This book was not very good, I'm sorry to say. The way multiple separate people (including a therapist) directly confronted the rapist was very unconvincing to me (and probably not a good idea!). The therapist in this book (like all therapists in books) had... let's just say "unusual" professional boundaries. The characters were all just a little too nice and worked out all each other's problems without much friction; and the 6-page description of a group of friends playing a board game together...more
I went back to Fort Connor, Colorado! Kelly and the gang were at it again and of course found a dead body at a dude ranch and were involved in solving the mystery. Kelly and Steve are still not married, but are living together as are the rest of the knitting gang. There was a wedding though, Mimi, owner of the knitting shop and Burt the retired cop who hangs out at the Lampspun knitting shop and is a spinner of the yarns that Mimi buys. Burt also is Kelly's link to the police who helps her solve...more
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I figured I couldn't go wrong with a knitting mystery, but it was pretty blah. The characters lacked depth and I had some nitpicky complaints, like the main character going on and on about how she shouldn't be eating pancakes and will have to run to make up for it (seriously, stereotypical diet talk in books is a pet peeve of mine) and then spends the rest of the book downing microbrews and eating pizza. I was also bugged by some proofing errors -- it's piqued my interest, not peaked. The plot i...more
I love mysteries.
Didn't love this.
There were pages and pages and PAGES of the main character and her friends playing party games and drinking coffee and rec league softball and all kinds of stuff that never, but never had anything to do with the mystery. And to be honest, I've known enough spinners, weavers, and knitters to know that the main character would get slapped into next Tuesday for constantly fondling the skeins with her dirty, oily hands. You don't just wander into a yarn store from y...more
Didn't love this.
There were pages and pages and PAGES of the main character and her friends playing party games and drinking coffee and rec league softball and all kinds of stuff that never, but never had anything to do with the mystery. And to be honest, I've known enough spinners, weavers, and knitters to know that the main character would get slapped into next Tuesday for constantly fondling the skeins with her dirty, oily hands. You don't just wander into a yarn store from y...more
A quicky: only 185 pages on my e-reader and I finished it within 2 hours. It was a nice read. I always feel like coming home when I pick up one of Maggie Sefton's knitting cozy's. It makes me want to pick up my long time neglected knitting.
This one however was different. I think Miss Sefton tried to make a statement or needed to write about sexual abuse and made one of Kelly's friend a victim. Too bad it did not work out very well. It was too flat, no real depths or emotions that came up. Like...more
This one however was different. I think Miss Sefton tried to make a statement or needed to write about sexual abuse and made one of Kelly's friend a victim. Too bad it did not work out very well. It was too flat, no real depths or emotions that came up. Like...more
Very nice but extremely boring people do some boring things nicely for 250 pages. I keep trying this series, being bored silly, and yet trying again. I don't know why. None of the characters are interesting; the "mysteries" are usually stupid, frankly, and never constitute anything but a small interruption in the boring routines of the townfolk; and even the knitting details are subpar. Ribbon and fun fur yarns, really? Really? Argh. Here's hoping I don't attempt picking up another one of these....more
This is a murder mystery set in a town named Fort Connor, Colorado (Fort Collins). A woman,Jennifer, who has been a bit of bar fly is brutally raped and beaten by a man who follows her home after meeting her in a bar. The rest of the story is about finding out who did this to her and the resulting murder of the man. Did Jennifer or one of her friends murder this man? The story, characters, and dialouge all seem simplistic. Just wasn't deep enough to be a good mystery.
This series of mysteries attracted my attention because knitting/crocheting/other yarn crafts play a major role in the lives of the characters. I play with yarn. A lot. It seemed like a series of books I'd enjoy.
Well, sort of. The plot of the mysteries are mysterious enough and intriguing enough to keep the attention, but some of the dialogue is very unrealistic. People don't talk the way the characters do, in real life.
I remember now why I hadn't picked any of these up for quite a while. They'...more
Well, sort of. The plot of the mysteries are mysterious enough and intriguing enough to keep the attention, but some of the dialogue is very unrealistic. People don't talk the way the characters do, in real life.
I remember now why I hadn't picked any of these up for quite a while. They'...more
CPA Kelly and her waitress/real estate agent friend Jennifer are helping teach textile crafts at a workshop run by Jennifer's psychologist for women who have been sexually abused--a category that includes Jennifer. When the owner of the ranch where the workshop takes place turns out to be someone Jennifer knows, the friends find trouble, as police suspect Jennifer of a murder. Kelly is also concerned that the economic downturn is hurting her boyfriend Steve's construction business.
Kelly's friend Jennifer is a top notch knitter and a bit of a party girl. But she's always stayed one step ahead of trouble, until the night a stranger follows her home. As Jennifer recovers from the dangerous encounter, she looks to Kelly and their other close-knit friends for comfort and support. A retreat in the mountains, stitching and talking seems to be just what the doctor ordered. Surprise! The owner of the ranch turns out to be Jennifer's attacker and when he ends up dead - Jennifer is...more
Jennifer is raped and beaten by a man she met at a bar and followed her home (without her knowledge). She stops going to the bars and starts hanging out with her friends more. Steve is having trouble because his homes that he built are not selling, but friends agree to rent one towards ownership. Jennifer, Lisa and Kelly go up to a retreat for women who were sexually abused. They are teaching the women how to knit or crochet. When they arrive the owner of the ranch comes out and is the man that...more
This is another book in the lightweight mystery series about self-employed accountant/consultant, Kelly Flynn who lives next to The House of Lambspun wool shop/cafe. I enjoy this series because it is a quick read with a different slant on the cozy mystery. The plots are slim but there is a lot of description of knitting/crocheting/yarns to keep you reading. There is not a lot of character description but still its a good read.
I really wanted to like this book. It is set in Colorado and there is a knitting shop but I struggled to get through the poor writing. There are too many main characters, the jumps from clue to clue and deductions are WAY too slow and not very logical. I had it figured out mid book and waited for Kelly, the main character who was supposed to have this "intuition" to catch on. Borring.
The subject matter of Maggie Sefton's knitting mystery series gets deeper with each new book. This one dealt with the matter of the healing process from sexual assault. There is of course the requisite murder but this time the assaulter appears to have been assaulted. The characters introduced in previous series books increase in depth and make one yearn for the next book of the series.
While not intellectual, or even possessing strong characterization and plots, I find this knitting shop series addictive. In fact, the description of the yarns and knitting projects has inspired me to take up needles myself and start a scarf.
This is the latest of the series and is as usual a fast read, guilty pleasure. It is perfect summer fluff fun.
This is the latest of the series and is as usual a fast read, guilty pleasure. It is perfect summer fluff fun.
This book reminded me much of prime-time television. It was a quick read and held my attention all the way through. The plot was interesting and the characters were well developed. Although it was book 7 out of 8 (so far), it was detached enough where reading the previous books didn't matter. All in all, it was an enjoyable read.
I think Kelly should just join the police department and get paid for all her sleuthing. It is getting a little tiresome that she can figure things out and the police can't. I'm also not sure about all the main characters being the number one suspect in a murder. Fort Connor also has an incredibly high violent crime rate. Why would anyone want to live there :-)
Because are set in a knitters world, I think I like reading about the shop and the fibers and the knitters rather than the who done it in this book. It's all to obvious to the reader as to who done it. The reason for the murder and the setting for it (non-knitting related) are interesting too.
Read this, missed marking it. Like all these books, when I am tired of reading deep books or dark books or boring books I came to Fort Collins where everyone is friends and Kelly will solve a murder of someone you don't know or care about. A great release mystery series for knitters.
I loved this book. I love this series but this one really stands out. In a very sensitive and beautiful way, this describes the aftermath of a sexual assault and the difference between victim and survivor. A beautifully crafted novel better than it's classification on "cozy".
Don't these people ever work - they are allways at the knit shop, eating & drinking, or off doing special knitting workshops or playing baseball - way too much time was spent in these activities to make the book's premise a stong one even though the main idea was a good subject.
These books are light and fluffy and silly, which I can usually swallow, and in fact is the reason I enjoy them. However, this book dealt with the sexual assault of one of the characters, and it was difficult to see it treated so ridiculously poorly. Ugh.
Finished: June 20, 2009
Book #20 for the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Ravelry Challenge.
Another mystery by Maggie Sefton. It kept me guessing. There were plenty of twist and turns in this novel. I really enjoy the character development in this series.
Book #20 for the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Ravelry Challenge.
Another mystery by Maggie Sefton. It kept me guessing. There were plenty of twist and turns in this novel. I really enjoy the character development in this series.
This one has a little more depth to it considering it deals with the aftermath of sexual assault and going on with your life. It was a nice background to the mystery though the denouement was a bit low key. One of the betters in the series.
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Aka Margaret Conlan
From author website:
"First, a little biographical information as introduction: Born in Richmond, VA, I grew up in Northern Virginia in Arlington, close to Washington, D.C. I attended university and received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature & Journalism, married, and started my family there. All four of my daughters are grown and established in careers of their own...more
More about Maggie Sefton...
From author website:
"First, a little biographical information as introduction: Born in Richmond, VA, I grew up in Northern Virginia in Arlington, close to Washington, D.C. I attended university and received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature & Journalism, married, and started my family there. All four of my daughters are grown and established in careers of their own...more
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