Friday, February 8, 2013

Blackwork

Author: Monica Ferris
Genre: Mystery
4 Stars

Betsy Devonshire owns a needlework shop in Excelsior, Minnesota. It's Halloween, and a practitioner of Wicca, Leona Cunningham, is blamed because a bunch of 'accidents' have happened in town. When a man is killed, everyone thinks she is the murderer. But Betsy thinks someone is setting her up, so, having had success in solving murders before, decides to solve this one, too.
 
Again, I initially read this book because it takes place around Halloween (I'm reading books according to the holiday season). I have never read anything of hers, but always meant to, and knew I would get around to it eventually. It was a pretty decent read, if a trifle boring in places (I could care less how beer is made and there were descriptions of different types throughout). I guess if you care about the types and their names, then this would be important to you, but to me, not so much.

I also thought it was odd that there was a bar in this town that served only beer (which is brewed on premises). That's it. Just beer, no mixed drinks or wine. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like beer, but I wouldn't think that a bar could stand on its own without at least serving wine. It would seem that the bar is only catering to one type of clientele - the beer drinker. Yet Betsy is not a beer drinker, but goes there for lunch, which seems odd. I'd rather go to a restaurant than a bar, where it must surely smell like beer, for lunch. But to each his own. I guess there are a lot of people in this town who like beer, but I sure don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about Minnesota. It's a cultured state, and more than just a bunch of beer drinkers.

I won't (and never will on this site) give clues to the identity of the killer, but I figured out how the murder was done before she did, and it was interesting to see her figure it out.

The chart at the end was a nice touch for myself and other crafters.

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