Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Berkley (1999), Paperback, 256 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: The art of needlecraft requires patience, discipline, and creativity. So too does the art of detection. Just ask Betsy Devonshire, who's learning that life in a small-town needlecraft shop can reveal an unexpected knack for knitting-and a hidden talent for unraveling crime. When Betsy Devonshire arrived in Excelsior, Minnesota, all she wanted was to visit her sister Margot and get her life in order. She never dreamed her sister would give her a place to stay and a job at her needlecraft shop. In fact, things had never looked so good-until Margot was murdered. In a town this friendly, it's hard to imagine who could have committed such a horrible act, but Betsy has a few ideas. There's an ex-employee who wants to start her own needlework store. And there's the landlord who wanted Margot out. Now Betsy's putting together a list of motives and suspects to figure out this killer's pattern of crime..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Brandie
Interesting book and a very quick read. My first thoughts were of the title Crewel World and wondered if it would transpose into Cruel World in the novel. I will say, I think for the main character, she went from a sort of cruel world (but not really) into a very good place.
The ending was a bit
I would read a novel by Monica Ferris again if I needed some light, easy reading!
The ending was a bit
Show More
predictable, but I still enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed it mostly because I was knitting as I read it (which I thought was a very appropriate thing to do!)I would read a novel by Monica Ferris again if I needed some light, easy reading!
Show Less
LibraryThing member glenda1710
A light murder mystery set around the owner of a needlecraft shop and her detecting. An easy read.
LibraryThing member ovistine
Another knitting-type mystery, this one focusing mainly on needlepoint. A good, engaging little read!
LibraryThing member Talbin
Crewel World, by Monica Ferris, is a light mystery set in "small town" Minnesota. Betsy Devonshire has just divorced and travels from California to Minnesota to stay with her sister, Margot Berglund. Margot runs a little needlework shop in Excelsior, a suburb of Minneapolis. (While it may have been
This was a light-weight read that pretty much fits the definition of a "cozy" mystery (amateur sleuth, small town, gossipy friends - think "Murder, She Wrote"). When I started it, I knew that it had a needlework theme. I cross stitch, so I thought it would be fun. What I didn't know was that the book is set in the Twin Cities, which was a bit of an extra added bonus - it's always fun to read about places you know. Overall, though, this is not a series I'm likely to continue. The mystery was pretty transparent, the characters were okay but not that intriguing, and honestly, Ferris dropped a few too many "localisms", even for this local. Plus, I think I like more grit and grime with my murder mysteries - this one read a little too much like a one-hour TV drama for my taste.
Show More
a small town 75 years ago, today Excelsior is most definitely a suburb - and a rich one, at that). When Margot is murdered in her shop, the police characterize it as a burglary gone bad. But Betsy senses there is more to Margot's death and starts asking questions.This was a light-weight read that pretty much fits the definition of a "cozy" mystery (amateur sleuth, small town, gossipy friends - think "Murder, She Wrote"). When I started it, I knew that it had a needlework theme. I cross stitch, so I thought it would be fun. What I didn't know was that the book is set in the Twin Cities, which was a bit of an extra added bonus - it's always fun to read about places you know. Overall, though, this is not a series I'm likely to continue. The mystery was pretty transparent, the characters were okay but not that intriguing, and honestly, Ferris dropped a few too many "localisms", even for this local. Plus, I think I like more grit and grime with my murder mysteries - this one read a little too much like a one-hour TV drama for my taste.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sdunford
a decidedly light-weight but enjoyable read
LibraryThing member khoov00
I really love this series. They are a little bit fluffy as a mystery series but very enjoyable and a fast read. The characters are engaging and at the end of each book I find I really want to know what happens to them next. The plots are fun and easy to follow. I recommend them to anyone who just
Show More
wants some light mystery reading without all of the gore. Show Less
LibraryThing member turtlesleap
Mystery lite. Betsy Devonshire needs a new beginning for her life and visits her sister in Minnesota to think things over and decide on her best course of action. Her sister, who owns a needlework shop, is killed shortly after her arrival and Betsy takes on the dual task of finding the killer and
Show More
keeping the shop going. A very light read but entertaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member cfk
When Betsy's life falls apart at age 55, she sucks up her pride and asks her younger sister, Margot, for temporary shelter. Margot is the owner of Crewel World, a busy and successful needlework shop in the small town of Excelsior, MN.
Margot's murder initially throws Betsy into a total
Margot's murder initially throws Betsy into a total
Show More
tailspin--overwhelmed by grief and self-doubt, she is brought back from the edge by her sister's friends and goes on to solve the mystery. Show Less
LibraryThing member Minne2
Enjoyed the needlework and MN references. Forgot I read it before starting my book journal in 2002
LibraryThing member dreamingbear
Even though I'd only read it for the first time about a year ago, it was still delightfully twisty and turny. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting the rest of this series, slowly but surely.
LibraryThing member pussreboots
Crewel World is the first in the Needlecraft Mystery series and probably the last one I'll read. It's supposedly a cozy mystery but I found it one of the most depressing books I've read this year. Usually in a cozy the death of a character isn't the focus of the book except to provide impetus for
Roughly speaking, Crewel World is divided into thirds. The first third introduces the characters, especially the sisters: Margot and Betsy and the town of Excelsior, Minnesota. The second and most depressing third focuses on Margot's death (not a spoiler as it's mentioned on the back of the book) and the harsh reality of the clean-up from a violent death.
In the final third, Crewel World finally falls into being a cozy mystery. While trying to figure out what to do with the store and her life, Betsy begins to realize that something isn't right with how the murder is being investigated. In learning how to run her sister's store, she sees what the police are missing.
My favorite pieces of the book were the beginning and the ending thirds. Betsy's depression after her sister's death is so well written that I was on the verge of tears while reading through the planning of the funeral. I just don't know if I want to grow that emotional roller coaster on future books in this series.
Show More
the main character to solve the crime. Here, though, the tragedy of the death was the central focus for a large chunk of the novel.Roughly speaking, Crewel World is divided into thirds. The first third introduces the characters, especially the sisters: Margot and Betsy and the town of Excelsior, Minnesota. The second and most depressing third focuses on Margot's death (not a spoiler as it's mentioned on the back of the book) and the harsh reality of the clean-up from a violent death.
In the final third, Crewel World finally falls into being a cozy mystery. While trying to figure out what to do with the store and her life, Betsy begins to realize that something isn't right with how the murder is being investigated. In learning how to run her sister's store, she sees what the police are missing.
My favorite pieces of the book were the beginning and the ending thirds. Betsy's depression after her sister's death is so well written that I was on the verge of tears while reading through the planning of the funeral. I just don't know if I want to grow that emotional roller coaster on future books in this series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kittyjay
Crewel World by Monica Ferris is yet another crafting cozy mystery, this time based around the world of needlecraft. In this series, we meet Margot, the demure fifty-some-odd woman who runs a quaint needlepoint shop in Excelsior, Minnesota called Crewel World. When her sister Betsy divorces a
Ferris is a more than satisfactory writer, with a fluidity to her prose that makes it comfortable and a pleasure to read. Additionally, she takes a few chances with the traditional formula that pay off. Here we have a mystery that is actually possible for the reader to solve beforehand, showing at least a modicum of forethought and plotting, as well as an interesting take on main characters. Ordinarily these cozy mysteries feature an attractive thirty-something woman who charms her way into the hunky fireman/police officer/short order cook/etc., but Betsy and Margot are both well into middle-age - if not past it - and their flirtations are confined to age-appropriate targets. There's a staid maturity to their interactions that was refreshing.
Additionally, it was interesting to see her begin with Margot so heavily and build that interaction, only to have the focus shifted to Betsy. I did think she possibly spent a little too much time building that interaction, as it wasn't really until page 72 that things began happening. She probably could have cut quite a bit while still establishing the characters and the town, but as a risk, it paid off.
I also had the pleasure of reading this while spending a vacation in - of all places - Woodbury, Minnesota, and was tickled to find so many familiar names and areas sprinkled throughout the book. Though I am by no means an expert in Minnesota - it was only my second time up there - at least enough was correct for me to recognize, so I imagine a little more than the general research was done.
The only problem I had with the book was that Ferris hasn't quite got a grasp on realistic characterization. Some of the characters, like Mickels, was so over-the-top that I felt I was watching a Scrooge McDuck cartoon, not reading a mystery novel. Even Betsy's characterization could feel inconsistent - at one moment she would be nigh hysterical, at others dogged and persistent.
Still, the chances Ferris took and the excellent prose more than made up for any deficiencies in characterization, and I expect the future books in the series will only improve.
Show More
philandering husband, she joins Margot and begins learning the ropes (threads?) of the the finer (needle)points of running a business.Ferris is a more than satisfactory writer, with a fluidity to her prose that makes it comfortable and a pleasure to read. Additionally, she takes a few chances with the traditional formula that pay off. Here we have a mystery that is actually possible for the reader to solve beforehand, showing at least a modicum of forethought and plotting, as well as an interesting take on main characters. Ordinarily these cozy mysteries feature an attractive thirty-something woman who charms her way into the hunky fireman/police officer/short order cook/etc., but Betsy and Margot are both well into middle-age - if not past it - and their flirtations are confined to age-appropriate targets. There's a staid maturity to their interactions that was refreshing.
I also had the pleasure of reading this while spending a vacation in - of all places - Woodbury, Minnesota, and was tickled to find so many familiar names and areas sprinkled throughout the book. Though I am by no means an expert in Minnesota - it was only my second time up there - at least enough was correct for me to recognize, so I imagine a little more than the general research was done.
The only problem I had with the book was that Ferris hasn't quite got a grasp on realistic characterization. Some of the characters, like Mickels, was so over-the-top that I felt I was watching a Scrooge McDuck cartoon, not reading a mystery novel. Even Betsy's characterization could feel inconsistent - at one moment she would be nigh hysterical, at others dogged and persistent.
Still, the chances Ferris took and the excellent prose more than made up for any deficiencies in characterization, and I expect the future books in the series will only improve.
Show Less
LibraryThing member readingover50
I thought this was a really good cozy mystery. I liked all the characters. I really liked Betsy and Margot, and their relationship. It was nice to see a loving sisterly relationship. I was very saddened by Margot's death, even though I new that it was going to happen. It is rare that a cozy mystery
I thought the actual mystery was well written. There were several suspects with valid motives for killing Margot, so it kept me guessing until the end. I liked that the story was set in a needle craft shop. Like Betsy, I am always surprised that this kind of shop stays in business, even though I enjoy cross stitching myself. But reading about true needle work enthusiasts was very interesting.
Show More
spends so much time getting to know the murder victim.I thought the actual mystery was well written. There were several suspects with valid motives for killing Margot, so it kept me guessing until the end. I liked that the story was set in a needle craft shop. Like Betsy, I am always surprised that this kind of shop stays in business, even though I enjoy cross stitching myself. But reading about true needle work enthusiasts was very interesting.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
Recently divorced, Betsy comes to the small town of Excelsior, Minnesota to stay with her sister, get back on her feet, and decide what she wants to do with her life. Unfortunately, her sister is murdered almost immediately, and Betsy is forced to take over her sister's small business, a shop
Betsy is assisted in the running of the store by Godwin, an effusive young man with quite a bit of expertise in this area, and in the investigation by the very midwestern Officer Jill.
This is the first in a series of mysteries featuring this character. I love the blending of knitting/embroidery with mysteries, and adore the setting of Excelsior, MN as I used to live nearby. I'm so pleased by the accuracy of this author when it concerns MN geography, as that's one of my biggest pet peeves when reading books (and watching shows/movies) set in places I'm geographically familiar with. I'm excited to read through all of these!
Show More
selling knitting and embroidery supplies, the titular Crewel World. She's also drawn into the investigation of her sister's death as she doesn't feel like the local law enforcement agency is doing a very good job. Betsy is assisted in the running of the store by Godwin, an effusive young man with quite a bit of expertise in this area, and in the investigation by the very midwestern Officer Jill.
This is the first in a series of mysteries featuring this character. I love the blending of knitting/embroidery with mysteries, and adore the setting of Excelsior, MN as I used to live nearby. I'm so pleased by the accuracy of this author when it concerns MN geography, as that's one of my biggest pet peeves when reading books (and watching shows/movies) set in places I'm geographically familiar with. I'm excited to read through all of these!
Show Less
LibraryThing member SheriAWilkinson
Crewel World (A Needlecraft Mystery, #1) by Monica Ferris
The story moves at a fast pace, with well developed characters and engaging dialog. An intersetsing plot set in the Midwest. A bit too much of crafting for my taste but I feel others may like it. Not bad for a cozy murser mystery.
The story moves at a fast pace, with well developed characters and engaging dialog. An intersetsing plot set in the Midwest. A bit too much of crafting for my taste but I feel others may like it. Not bad for a cozy murser mystery.
Language
Original publication date
1999
Physical description
256 p.; 6.94 inches
ISBN
0425167801 / 9780425167809
Local notes
Needlecraft Mystery, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery Ferris |