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Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery #1
Last Wool and Testament: A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery, Book 1
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, the members still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver’s Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that’s only the first in a series of surprises when Kath returns to the small town of Blue Plum, Tennessee, to settle her grandmother’s affairs.
There’s been a murder, and it turns out her grandmother was the prime suspect. Before she can begin to clear Ivy’s name, Kath encounters a looming presence in the form of a gloomy ghost. It turns out the specter has just as much interest in solving the murder as Kath. So, with a little help from the members of TGIF—and a stubborn spirit from beyond—she sets out to unravel the clues and hook the real killer.…
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, the members still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver’s Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that’s only the first in a series of surprises when Kath returns to the small town of Blue Plum, Tennessee, to settle her grandmother’s affairs.
There’s been a murder, and it turns out her grandmother was the prime suspect. Before she can begin to clear Ivy’s name, Kath encounters a looming presence in the form of a gloomy ghost. It turns out the specter has just as much interest in solving the murder as Kath. So, with a little help from the members of TGIF—and a stubborn spirit from beyond—she sets out to unravel the clues and hook the real killer.…
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First published September 4, 2012
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About the author
Molly MacRae
23 books838 followersMolly 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 public library.
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 public library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
December 24, 2014
The moment I began reading the first page; I could tell I was discovering a favourite author! Molly MacRae's narration gallops at a comfortable canter. There are sharply-described sensations and details such that you feel you are in the story and laugh uproariously. They are properly-placed. This whole novel is sprinkled with flavour and flows. In mystery more than in any genre, most of the writing should carry us towards the plot and it does. Even with premise needing to be set, my enthusiasm didn’t wane.
A lady investigates why her Grandma appears to have lost the title to her house. She must also decide if she will return to her roots, or reprise her textile restoration career. It is hinted that her Grandma is a witch, an ancestry she must have inherited but I expect this subject will the treatise of other novels. I praise "Last Wool And Testament" for being a well-written mystery and also for introducing a ghost with the stupefied reaction a person should have, in the face of etherealness! The bafflement of seeing a ghost is done justice, even if this is one of the most hilarious books I have ever read.
My favourite part, which I chortle about time and time again, is when Kath meets her lawyer's elderly receptionist. She is warned that the water has been turned off but that she will still be offered coffee or another beverage, because the lawyer has a huge water bottle in his office. When she begins her appointment and the lawyer offers coffee, Kath's inner thoughts splintered me with laughter. She remarked that she didn't want a beverage but that she couldn't help peering around the room for the giant water bottle that had impressed the receptionist! I can't buy Molly's succeeding volumes fast enough.
A lady investigates why her Grandma appears to have lost the title to her house. She must also decide if she will return to her roots, or reprise her textile restoration career. It is hinted that her Grandma is a witch, an ancestry she must have inherited but I expect this subject will the treatise of other novels. I praise "Last Wool And Testament" for being a well-written mystery and also for introducing a ghost with the stupefied reaction a person should have, in the face of etherealness! The bafflement of seeing a ghost is done justice, even if this is one of the most hilarious books I have ever read.
My favourite part, which I chortle about time and time again, is when Kath meets her lawyer's elderly receptionist. She is warned that the water has been turned off but that she will still be offered coffee or another beverage, because the lawyer has a huge water bottle in his office. When she begins her appointment and the lawyer offers coffee, Kath's inner thoughts splintered me with laughter. She remarked that she didn't want a beverage but that she couldn't help peering around the room for the giant water bottle that had impressed the receptionist! I can't buy Molly's succeeding volumes fast enough.
November 29, 2017
This review is disjointed because I was reviewing as I read. I'm really getting exasperated with the cozies I've been reading, because they seem to mistake "cozy" for "disjointed" and "illogical."
Deputy Dunbar was an unbelievably odd character. First the odd rudeness - rudeness isn't surprising, but the fact that he wouldn't explain when asked point blank questions is. I mean, he basically acted as if he was sleeping while she talked. And then asked her out after all that? And implying her dead grandmother is involved in murder? . Telling her the vandalism was weird and fitting with her grandmother's nickname as "Crazy Ivy?" Um. Talk about unprofessional. Where is the sheriff in all this?
Again with abrupt illogical happenings - she is freaked out by a person that comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder, but in the preceding paragraph, the person called out to her several times as approaching. I consider this poor writing - since it's told in first person, she shouldn't have noticed him calling out while she was so preoccupied. Later, she says the tapestry is personal but not valuable, but in the next sentence Ardis says that her pieces sold for good money.
I get that the Spivey cousins were annoying jerks, but even so it didn't make sense that they would come into a class and immediately ask who knew about their cousin's supposed affair with the lawyer. That's just not how people (even mean ones) bring things up.
Regarding the house, if they aren't sure of the ownership, why on earth move out of it? Should find out FIRST if the house really was sold. Even if it was, I guarantee it doesn't transfer that quickly to his heir, nor could her grandmother have been behind on rent that fast if the other guy died 2 weeks earlier. And you can't go around just arresting or detaining people because a house was broken into, if there is no evidence to suggest it is them. Besides which, if her grandmother's stuff is inside and she "broke into" the house, it's her stuff and she's still legally in possession of the home. Eviction doesn't just happen overnight when someone dies. Since she's supposed to be getting the stuff out and has no key, she can break in if she wants to.
The author throws around the fear of "slander" quite a bit. There isn't slander in saying negative things about people. To be sued for slander, it has to fall under specific conditions, which don't include saying somebody is a moron. Also, speculating whether or not someone is involved in something when you suspect them is not slander. Otherwise you could never investigate anyone.
The snakes were a complete WTF episode. "the strike was like lightning. The bite like fire. My scream would have been endless, but a gray cloud descended, surrounding me, driving the snake away." Um. Besides being crappy writing, she wasn't bitten. Most snakes wouldn't even try to bite her unless they were riled up, which this one shouldn't have been. And how is Carlin picking them up and petting them on the head? Just because you're a snake handler does not make you magically attuned to snakes - they aren't cats. Then Nicki is revealed to be an obsessive stalker (for no reason) and they blame the murders on her without evidence. Later you find that the snake handler gave the snakes to the lawyer to pay off his debt...um. So...he knows who is responsible for the murder...
Now that I've reached the end, I am more baffled than ever by the issue of the house ownership. Supposedly Max inherited it from Em, who was given the house by Ivy (though no one knew this?). Max said Ivy owed back rent and had found new renters that were taking possession in a few days. BUT...it turns out that Ivy's agreement (which is another mystery, since there was no real blackmail material) was that Em would have the house after Ivy died or decided to leave. No rental agreement, either. Since he predeceased her, the house never went to him. Therefore, the house couldn't go to Max ever. So why did he think it did? And after only two weeks, how was the estate figured out enough that he could take possession and evict people, not to mention claiming supposed back rent? None of this makes sense. Oh, and despite never finding Em's stash of material, he also was able to take up his blackmail scheme?
Calling a specific deputy instead of 911 is stupid (esp when you broke his nose earlier). So is the deputy for telling his poker buddy all about it, then going off to answer another call (where are these supposed other deputies?) without calling it in. Homer is getting blackmailed for a pretty silly reason - not that bigamy is silly, the explanation is lacking. It literally says that he barely graduated, moved away from hicksville, worked hard to put himself through school, then changed his name. Where in all that did he get married (and apparently have a kid)? Does his first wife think he's dead? And why does his second wife think she married a pedigreed guy if he has no family background? So many details are missing here. Not sure how he planned to shoot 6 women and get away with it -_- Debbie is a moron for claiming that Kath should be arrested for endangerment when his whole plan was already to shoot them. It is so frustrating when authors just toss little bits in there that make no sense.
Deputy Dunbar was an unbelievably odd character. First the odd rudeness - rudeness isn't surprising, but the fact that he wouldn't explain when asked point blank questions is. I mean, he basically acted as if he was sleeping while she talked. And then asked her out after all that? And implying her dead grandmother is involved in murder? . Telling her the vandalism was weird and fitting with her grandmother's nickname as "Crazy Ivy?" Um. Talk about unprofessional. Where is the sheriff in all this?
Again with abrupt illogical happenings - she is freaked out by a person that comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder, but in the preceding paragraph, the person called out to her several times as approaching. I consider this poor writing - since it's told in first person, she shouldn't have noticed him calling out while she was so preoccupied. Later, she says the tapestry is personal but not valuable, but in the next sentence Ardis says that her pieces sold for good money.
I get that the Spivey cousins were annoying jerks, but even so it didn't make sense that they would come into a class and immediately ask who knew about their cousin's supposed affair with the lawyer. That's just not how people (even mean ones) bring things up.
Regarding the house, if they aren't sure of the ownership, why on earth move out of it? Should find out FIRST if the house really was sold. Even if it was, I guarantee it doesn't transfer that quickly to his heir, nor could her grandmother have been behind on rent that fast if the other guy died 2 weeks earlier. And you can't go around just arresting or detaining people because a house was broken into, if there is no evidence to suggest it is them. Besides which, if her grandmother's stuff is inside and she "broke into" the house, it's her stuff and she's still legally in possession of the home. Eviction doesn't just happen overnight when someone dies. Since she's supposed to be getting the stuff out and has no key, she can break in if she wants to.
The author throws around the fear of "slander" quite a bit. There isn't slander in saying negative things about people. To be sued for slander, it has to fall under specific conditions, which don't include saying somebody is a moron. Also, speculating whether or not someone is involved in something when you suspect them is not slander. Otherwise you could never investigate anyone.
The snakes were a complete WTF episode. "the strike was like lightning. The bite like fire. My scream would have been endless, but a gray cloud descended, surrounding me, driving the snake away." Um. Besides being crappy writing, she wasn't bitten. Most snakes wouldn't even try to bite her unless they were riled up, which this one shouldn't have been. And how is Carlin picking them up and petting them on the head? Just because you're a snake handler does not make you magically attuned to snakes - they aren't cats. Then Nicki is revealed to be an obsessive stalker (for no reason) and they blame the murders on her without evidence. Later you find that the snake handler gave the snakes to the lawyer to pay off his debt...um. So...he knows who is responsible for the murder...
Now that I've reached the end, I am more baffled than ever by the issue of the house ownership. Supposedly Max inherited it from Em, who was given the house by Ivy (though no one knew this?). Max said Ivy owed back rent and had found new renters that were taking possession in a few days. BUT...it turns out that Ivy's agreement (which is another mystery, since there was no real blackmail material) was that Em would have the house after Ivy died or decided to leave. No rental agreement, either. Since he predeceased her, the house never went to him. Therefore, the house couldn't go to Max ever. So why did he think it did? And after only two weeks, how was the estate figured out enough that he could take possession and evict people, not to mention claiming supposed back rent? None of this makes sense. Oh, and despite never finding Em's stash of material, he also was able to take up his blackmail scheme?
Calling a specific deputy instead of 911 is stupid (esp when you broke his nose earlier). So is the deputy for telling his poker buddy all about it, then going off to answer another call (where are these supposed other deputies?) without calling it in. Homer is getting blackmailed for a pretty silly reason - not that bigamy is silly, the explanation is lacking. It literally says that he barely graduated, moved away from hicksville, worked hard to put himself through school, then changed his name. Where in all that did he get married (and apparently have a kid)? Does his first wife think he's dead? And why does his second wife think she married a pedigreed guy if he has no family background? So many details are missing here. Not sure how he planned to shoot 6 women and get away with it -_- Debbie is a moron for claiming that Kath should be arrested for endangerment when his whole plan was already to shoot them. It is so frustrating when authors just toss little bits in there that make no sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2022
3.5 stars
January 19, 2018
This is the first in the Haunted Yarnshop series. It is a fun little mystery. I had figured out who the bad guy was but getting there with Kath’s posse was fun. Geneva, the resident ghost, is going to be an interesting character. I definitely am going to keep up with the series.
April 2, 2023
A cute but overall underwhelming whodunnit with an obvious twist.
I had high hopes for the cozy mystery vibes with this one, but I found it quite boring and didn’t enjoy the paranormal element at all.
This wasn’t my cup of tea, but I’m sure others will love it!
Trigger/Content Warnings: death, stalking
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I had high hopes for the cozy mystery vibes with this one, but I found it quite boring and didn’t enjoy the paranormal element at all.
This wasn’t my cup of tea, but I’m sure others will love it!
Trigger/Content Warnings: death, stalking
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
September 16, 2012
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 military term,) the Officer. I was laughing my head off as I truly felt her pain of loss.
Kath proceeds to find nothing is as she thought. Her Granny's house has been nefariously stolen, she has less than a week to remove all furnishings. The housing Kath is offered (free...always worry,) is the site of a local homicide, and the entire mess comes with a resident Ghost that has a talent...melancholy wailing!
The story is a murder mystery, perhaps three? There is also something going on with burglaries at the house under contention, Granny's belongings are missing. Nutty twin cousins to drive Kath nuttier than she feels she is becoming, and due to budget cuts, Kath loses her job and must rely on Grandmother's fabric store, "The Weaver's Cat."
I, again must say, simply adored this debut novel of what I hope is a record setting series. I laughed, felt annoyed, wanted justice, and loved the characters. Especially the haunt.
Run out and get this book. It is one you will wish to keep in your private library. I'm so glad I have the print version.
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 military term,) the Officer. I was laughing my head off as I truly felt her pain of loss.
Kath proceeds to find nothing is as she thought. Her Granny's house has been nefariously stolen, she has less than a week to remove all furnishings. The housing Kath is offered (free...always worry,) is the site of a local homicide, and the entire mess comes with a resident Ghost that has a talent...melancholy wailing!
The story is a murder mystery, perhaps three? There is also something going on with burglaries at the house under contention, Granny's belongings are missing. Nutty twin cousins to drive Kath nuttier than she feels she is becoming, and due to budget cuts, Kath loses her job and must rely on Grandmother's fabric store, "The Weaver's Cat."
I, again must say, simply adored this debut novel of what I hope is a record setting series. I laughed, felt annoyed, wanted justice, and loved the characters. Especially the haunt.
Run out and get this book. It is one you will wish to keep in your private library. I'm so glad I have the print version.
November 1, 2014
Witches, ghosts, blackmail and murders. The bodies pile up and like so many novels with a yarn or knitting theme, those themes are superficial and barely explored. After 4 bodies, I couldn't keep track although just as I was thinking that, 90 minutes from the end, the author gives a quick summary of everything that has happened. I was so distracted listening to the end of the novel I didn't even know who was guilty and didn't care.
June 20, 2019
Kath had no idea when she came home for her Granny's funeral that she'd have to fight to prove ownership of her Granny's house, let alone inherit a lonely ghost who was convinced that she'd killed the cottage's previous owner. I'm hoping that the camaraderie of the members of TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fiber) club at the fiber shop gets more like what I'm used to in some of the knitting and crochet books. The ladies are all nice to Kath, and they did get together to solve the case. I'm sure it's just going to take getting used to a different group of them. I did like Ardis who took Kath under her wing. She was Granny's manager who had worked closely with her. Geneva, the ghost cracked me up! She really came in useful more than once, but it was hard for Kath not to talk to her when others were around--only Kath could see and talk to her. I did like how they sleuthed out the clues at the end with Geneva's help. The showdown was fairly quick but good. I had honestly guessed the killer fairly early on, but maybe I'm just getting better at this, lol.
September 20, 2012
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 nose.
After the funeral, Kath goes to her grandmother's popular fiber and fabric shop, the Weaver's Cat, where many of Ivy's friends have gathered to honor her memory. Most of those attending belong to a group of fiber and needlework artists known as TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fiber). Afterwards Kath goes to her grandmother's cottage, fully expecting to stay there while she wraps up Ivy's affairs. However, the locks have been changed. It seems that Ivy didn't own her home, and the new owner has it locked up tighter than a drum until he gets the rent he's owed. Or so he says.
An acquaintance gives Kath an alternate place to stay, and it's not until the next day that she learns that the previous tenant, Emmett Cobb, was murdered-- and Kath's grandmother is the prime suspect. Even though this cake doesn't need any icing, Kath gets it anyway: the cabin where she's staying has another occupant-- a gloomy ghost who is just as motivated as Kath when it comes to finding Emmett Cobb's killer.
Life in a small town in east Tennessee is lovingly described in Last Wool and Testament, as are its residents. MacRae has the perfect setting and a wonderful cast for her new series, and if you aren't exactly a fan of paranormal mysteries, feel free to give this one a try anyway. The paranormal angle is done with a very light touch, and the ghost is more of a monumental pain in the neck than she is otherworldly.
I enjoyed myself becoming acquainted with the cast of characters (well... with the exception of Cole Dunbar; I really did want to punch that guy in the nose), and my candidate for whodunit changed from time to time until close to the end when one character's behavior set off my inner alarm system.
I savored all the information about textiles throughout the book, and although I normally ignore patterns or recipes in the backs of cozy mysteries, I have to admit that-- although the knitting pattern for a baby/toddler's hat didn't do much for me, the recipe for Rosemary Watermelon Lemonade made my taste buds sit up and beg.
Good setting, good characters, good food... and fiber and fabric, too. Last Wool and Testament is a wonderful beginning to a new series.
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 nose.
After the funeral, Kath goes to her grandmother's popular fiber and fabric shop, the Weaver's Cat, where many of Ivy's friends have gathered to honor her memory. Most of those attending belong to a group of fiber and needlework artists known as TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fiber). Afterwards Kath goes to her grandmother's cottage, fully expecting to stay there while she wraps up Ivy's affairs. However, the locks have been changed. It seems that Ivy didn't own her home, and the new owner has it locked up tighter than a drum until he gets the rent he's owed. Or so he says.
An acquaintance gives Kath an alternate place to stay, and it's not until the next day that she learns that the previous tenant, Emmett Cobb, was murdered-- and Kath's grandmother is the prime suspect. Even though this cake doesn't need any icing, Kath gets it anyway: the cabin where she's staying has another occupant-- a gloomy ghost who is just as motivated as Kath when it comes to finding Emmett Cobb's killer.
Life in a small town in east Tennessee is lovingly described in Last Wool and Testament, as are its residents. MacRae has the perfect setting and a wonderful cast for her new series, and if you aren't exactly a fan of paranormal mysteries, feel free to give this one a try anyway. The paranormal angle is done with a very light touch, and the ghost is more of a monumental pain in the neck than she is otherworldly.
I enjoyed myself becoming acquainted with the cast of characters (well... with the exception of Cole Dunbar; I really did want to punch that guy in the nose), and my candidate for whodunit changed from time to time until close to the end when one character's behavior set off my inner alarm system.
I savored all the information about textiles throughout the book, and although I normally ignore patterns or recipes in the backs of cozy mysteries, I have to admit that-- although the knitting pattern for a baby/toddler's hat didn't do much for me, the recipe for Rosemary Watermelon Lemonade made my taste buds sit up and beg.
Good setting, good characters, good food... and fiber and fabric, too. Last Wool and Testament is a wonderful beginning to a new series.
January 16, 2016
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. Seems the ghost has just as much interest in solving the murder as Kath. So with her spirit sidekick and the members of TGIF Kath "sets out to unravel the clues and hook the real killer".
Dollycas's Thoughts
The residents of Blue Plum are so much fun, even the ones everybody can't see! In fact Geneva was my favorite character. Kath had quite a time with her and I loved every minute. She starts out very gloomy and depressed but by the end she is oh so happy. Well as happy as a ghost can be.
This was a complex mystery and I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong.
From Kath's speeding home as quickly as possible to get to the funeral until the final clue is unraveled the pages just keep turning. Molly MacRae has woven together a smart and witty whodunit for all of us to love.
This is a wonderful debut!!!
Dollycas's Thoughts
The residents of Blue Plum are so much fun, even the ones everybody can't see! In fact Geneva was my favorite character. Kath had quite a time with her and I loved every minute. She starts out very gloomy and depressed but by the end she is oh so happy. Well as happy as a ghost can be.
This was a complex mystery and I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong.
From Kath's speeding home as quickly as possible to get to the funeral until the final clue is unraveled the pages just keep turning. Molly MacRae has woven together a smart and witty whodunit for all of us to love.
This is a wonderful debut!!!
November 28, 2015
Full review: books-n-music.blogspot.com/2015/11/is-there-w.... I liked this. Didn't love it. I was a bit nervous it might be a bit too "romance," but it wasn't at all. I like the way the "ghost" character was written and handled. This just didn't strike me as a "great" book. Although I would read more in the series, there are way too many other books I would much rather read right now.
August 6, 2020
No descriptions of anything - not the yarn shop, the house, the cottage, the people, OR, most disappointingly, the yarns. The characters were without substance and the book was boring.
Read
June 21, 2020This was sure!! A book!! It's current average rating of 3.7 is, I think, pretty fair!! I thought there was gonna be a shoehorned straight love interest which I was pretty cranky about, but it didn't happen! MacRae definitely left the door open for it in sequels, but there was no romance at all in this book which I appreciated!
I also liked how suspicious truly everyone in this story was. I think Artis from the beginning is above suspicion, but literally everyone else is Weird and everyone knows everything and Kath really can't trust anyone.
I think it is confusing that her grandmother's name is Ivy and her cousins are the Spiveys. Maybe it works better in print, but it was distracting to me.
There are definitely some moments where I have difficulty empathizing with Kath. Her reactions to a lot of situations was sometimes? Over the top? Obviously she's very emotional and going through a lot, but. There is no reason not to tell your friends that you lost your job in Illinois. She has a good consistent motivation throughout, I think, but alternates wildly between never telling anyone anything + asking her grandmother's whole knitting group to investigate with her? Which is just a little hard to follow.
There is a final twist that I did really enjoy. I think it was cowardly that her grandmother's dark secret was nothing in the end. Let granny be morally ambiguous!!!!!
Also?? There is a ghost in this book. It is unclear why this is true. The ghost accomplishes almost nothing that couldn't be written around or performed by a human. I guess it just makes it a little less scary for these things to be happening in a world where ghosts also exist? I dunno!
In general, this was a good first mystery! I started several others that were Pretty Racist on, like, page 1. This book never describes anyone's race to my recollection? Which isn't good but also: better!
Oh also????? "Thank goodness it's fiber" isn't a good or funny joke. I'm sorry!! You gotta AT LEAST say god.
I also liked how suspicious truly everyone in this story was. I think Artis from the beginning is above suspicion, but literally everyone else is Weird and everyone knows everything and Kath really can't trust anyone.
I think it is confusing that her grandmother's name is Ivy and her cousins are the Spiveys. Maybe it works better in print, but it was distracting to me.
There are definitely some moments where I have difficulty empathizing with Kath. Her reactions to a lot of situations was sometimes? Over the top? Obviously she's very emotional and going through a lot, but. There is no reason not to tell your friends that you lost your job in Illinois. She has a good consistent motivation throughout, I think, but alternates wildly between never telling anyone anything + asking her grandmother's whole knitting group to investigate with her? Which is just a little hard to follow.
There is a final twist that I did really enjoy. I think it was cowardly that her grandmother's dark secret was nothing in the end. Let granny be morally ambiguous!!!!!
Also?? There is a ghost in this book. It is unclear why this is true. The ghost accomplishes almost nothing that couldn't be written around or performed by a human. I guess it just makes it a little less scary for these things to be happening in a world where ghosts also exist? I dunno!
In general, this was a good first mystery! I started several others that were Pretty Racist on, like, page 1. This book never describes anyone's race to my recollection? Which isn't good but also: better!
Oh also????? "Thank goodness it's fiber" isn't a good or funny joke. I'm sorry!! You gotta AT LEAST say god.
September 14, 2012
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 reading good mysteries, you will enjoy this one.
September 25, 2012
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!
April 10, 2018
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June 23, 2024
The best thing about this cozy mystery was the narrator of the audiobook. The protagonist, Kath, was average. Most of the characters didn’t work for me, though I thought Geneva, the ghost was an interesting character even with all her whining. The plot jumped from one thing to another, even though the story seemed to be moving at a slow pace. I think the book would have been much better if Kath’s gran had still been alive. Those two characters working off each other with Geneva two cents worth would have made a much better book.
My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.
My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.
October 13, 2021
I wanted to like this book. It was set in East Tennessee and featured needlework. The characters are flat. The narrative fails to engage the reader. The paranormal angle is just too strange--even for an area with a lot of ghost stories. About 30% of the way into the book, I finally gave up.
July 25, 2024
Loved it!
February 4, 2021
A fun read but a lot of characters coming at you all at one time. Deputy Clod. Ghost Geneva. The Spivey twins. Darling Em.
August 29, 2013
Kath McClellan has just arrived in Blue Plum, Tennessee for the funeral of her beloved grandmother, Ivy. Ivy owned a fiber and fabric shop named The Weaver's Cat. The shop, along with Ivy's house, were bequeathed to Kath upon her grandmother's death. Only Kath soon finds out that there is a problem: the house isn't hers. Ivy deeded it to Emmett, a shady character in Blue Plum that nobody liked. But Emmett is dead, murdered; and Cole Dunbar, Deputy, has suggested to Kath that her grandmother poisoned him. What's worse, the house has passed on to Emmett's son Max, and he has changed the locks so that Kath can't retrieve any of her grandmother's belongings; which she needs to do soon, because Max is renting the house out in a few days.
None of this, of course, makes any sense to Kath, and when she goes to her grandmother's attorney, Homer, to find out about it, he knows nothing about the house being transferred. His advice is sound: let him handle it. After all, he was her grandmother's attorney, and he can find out information better than she can.
She agrees, yet still wants to know what happened, and why. So, she sets out to do some sleuthing on her own. With no place to go, she is offered temporary housing by Homer's wife Ruth, and finds that she has unexpected help: the ghost-in-residence that she (nor anyone else) knew lived in the cottage. The only downside to this is that she is the only one who can see and hear the ghost. I truly enjoyed this book, and liked the morose ghost, Geneva.
There were times when I was angry, as was Kath; and I feel that if a book can actually make me care, then it is a good book. Too often you read a book and even though you like it, you don't find yourself feeling a lot of emotion with it. Because of this, I'm looking forward to the next one involving Kath and her friends.
February 9, 2018
Kath is the main character of this book. No the Katherine, Not Kathy, Kath. Let me tell you I was feeling all sorts of emotions for Kath. The book is written very well that it was visually in my mind. I took my time with this cozy mystery. There were so many details and words in 315 pages of story. It felt like reading a novel instead of just any paper back. The characters were very colorful and visually correct in my mind. Living just a few hours from the area Blue Plum is located is also a neat feature. The book taught more about looming than just being another knitting mystery. I wanted more visuals of the CAT. The idea of magic was light and that is nice, but I want to see how Kath grows with her spirit seeing. I think there were other talents Granny had turned into secrets. Even though Blue Plum is small I wonder what other shops or businesses there are. A solid weaving of words, action, and tears. If I could give more than five stars I would.
May 23, 2015
Last Wool and Testament was an exciting glimpse into Blue Plum, Tennessee.
The characters were great, I really liked Kath, hated Clod, which is what the author wanted you to do, and was in-between about Joe.
The mystery was also wonderful, I had a slight inkling of who the killer was, but I didn't know for sure, but the reason for the murder blew me away, it was a surprise, but fit in perfectly with what the author was trying to convey. The author also left a few loose ends that I'll enjoy reading about in the next installment.
However, the beginning was a bit slow for my taste, it took like 75 pages before I really got into this book, and the ghost played a relatively minor role for most of the book. When I had picked this up I had expected the ghost to be right there with the MC for most of the story, but that wasn't the case.
Through those minor faults, however, this book was a good, riveting read that I devoured!
The characters were great, I really liked Kath, hated Clod, which is what the author wanted you to do, and was in-between about Joe.
The mystery was also wonderful, I had a slight inkling of who the killer was, but I didn't know for sure, but the reason for the murder blew me away, it was a surprise, but fit in perfectly with what the author was trying to convey. The author also left a few loose ends that I'll enjoy reading about in the next installment.
However, the beginning was a bit slow for my taste, it took like 75 pages before I really got into this book, and the ghost played a relatively minor role for most of the book. When I had picked this up I had expected the ghost to be right there with the MC for most of the story, but that wasn't the case.
Through those minor faults, however, this book was a good, riveting read that I devoured!
July 20, 2013
This book certainly fills a gap among cozy mysteries with its combination of paranormal elements and weaving, but the secondary characters are not very well developed and are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Add to the the fact that if you are reading it for weaving scenes or info, you'll be sorely disappointed and this mystery is just so-so
September 4, 2013
Oh what a great first book in a series! I was pulled into the story from the first sentence and hooked in until the last. :) And there is just enough unanswered questions to make me want to pick up the second book in the series right away!
July 4, 2019
Slow start but good read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot
February 1, 2021
I have never before read a "cozy mystery" before this book, and I had only learned about this particular sub-genre because of it. It definitely lives up to the cozy name--despite the fact that multiple people get murdered throughout the course of this book, the relationships between the main character Kath and the other townsfolk (particularly the girls from the yarn shop) and the small town setting gave me a strong feeling of familiarity and comfort even while they were investigating the murder. It doesn't help that yarn and crafting was such an important theme in the book, because I do a lot of crochet myself and dabble a bit in sewing.
The characters were great. Kath has such hilarious inner dialogue, and she is a good person who ends up being a bit more violent than she intends. I simply adore being in her head. The side characters were pretty great, though they don't appear for long enough stretches of time to get a real handle on who they are. I loved Mel and poor Joe/Ten best, and hope to see them get more developed in the next book(s). The ghost is also adorable, in a Moaning Myrtle kind of way. She's completely MISERABLE and she loves it, taking great pride and joy in describing how depressing it is to be a ghost. And she also loves television and audiobooks, because who doesn't?
There is a tiny, witchy subplot, I think, but it really isn't a focus, so I am intrigued to see if it is a thread that gets more light as the series progresses or if the presence of the ghost is itself the key factor of that subplot. Either way, I like the characters enough to want to see what else could happen in this little town whether or not that comes of anything.
In conclusion: I have been introduced to cozy mysteries, and now I want more, thanks to this lovely book. Not only will I definitely be reading the next entry in this series, but I will hunt down other cozies to read as well. I can't really say how this book fares against other cozy mysteries at large considering this is my first of this sub-genre, but I would definitely recommend it.
The characters were great. Kath has such hilarious inner dialogue, and she is a good person who ends up being a bit more violent than she intends. I simply adore being in her head. The side characters were pretty great, though they don't appear for long enough stretches of time to get a real handle on who they are. I loved Mel and poor Joe/Ten best, and hope to see them get more developed in the next book(s). The ghost is also adorable, in a Moaning Myrtle kind of way. She's completely MISERABLE and she loves it, taking great pride and joy in describing how depressing it is to be a ghost. And she also loves television and audiobooks, because who doesn't?
There is a tiny, witchy subplot, I think, but it really isn't a focus, so I am intrigued to see if it is a thread that gets more light as the series progresses or if the presence of the ghost is itself the key factor of that subplot. Either way, I like the characters enough to want to see what else could happen in this little town whether or not that comes of anything.
In conclusion: I have been introduced to cozy mysteries, and now I want more, thanks to this lovely book. Not only will I definitely be reading the next entry in this series, but I will hunt down other cozies to read as well. I can't really say how this book fares against other cozy mysteries at large considering this is my first of this sub-genre, but I would definitely recommend it.
April 22, 2018
I laughed, giggled, snickered, chuckled, chortled, snorted, and nearly choked a few times while reading this wonderful little cozy mystery! I have found a new writer that I love in Molly MacRae!! The main character's inner monologue sounds so much like the voice in my own head, it was a little unnerving. Her reaction to so many odd ball, off the wall, illogical, ridiculous circumstances was spot on! I love the little community of Blue Plum. The other characters are a ton of fun and Kath's interactions with them is unique to each person. The Spivey twins remind me of people I know (and obsessively avoid) and the ghost, well, that was just icing on the cupcake, people! With a gift for "waxing melancholic" and wailing dramatically while mourning the loss of her previous house tenant's tv, she's hilarious!! Very well written with an excellent mystery and super smooth flow, this has become one of my new favorite series and I'm eager to go out and purchase the rest soon!
February 11, 2019
This should probably be a three and a half rating. I liked it a little better than a three star might indicate but not up to a four. The author writes in a clever, humorous way and the pace is good. It moves right along. The setting is great for me since I'm familiar with the area and the author does it justice. The characters are fairly appealing although the ghost is annoying. Those are the positives. The major negative is that the plot is so formulaic. I don't know how many cozy mysteries run along the same vein but it seems like a lot. I may read another in the series just to see how it progresses.
September 5, 2024
I love the cozy atmosphere and the small-town feeling I get when reading this series. As a lover of the Tennessee hills and fiber crafts, this was right up my alley! Fun twists and an easy to follow but not always predictable storyline make this a treat to read or listen to!
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