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Molly Pink and her crochet group, the Tarzana Hookers, get a crash course in murder—from the national bestselling author of For Better or Worsted …

Molly and her friends can’t wait to get people hooked on crochet at the annual SoCal Knit Style Show.  This year, for the first time ever, the knitting show also features crochet, including crochet classes and a crochet competition.

The show’s organizer is K. D. Kirby, publisher of several knitting magazines and owner of an elite Beverly Hills yarn store. Concern when K.D. doesn’t show up for the opening reception turns into shock when she’s found dead in her hotel suite.

Suspicion falls on Adele, one of the Tarzana Hookers who locked horns with K.D., and whose handmade crochet hook is found at the murder scene. Certain that Adele’s been framed, Molly starts her own investigation, hoping to get their pal off the hook, and find a killer before another guest checks out…

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 4, 2014

71 people are currently reading
921 people want to read

About the author

Betty Hechtman

33 books713 followers
I grew up on the south side of Chicago and in a very busy weekend, got married, graduated college and moved to Los Angeles.

Although my degree is in Fine Arts, all I ever wanted to be was a writer and I've been doing it in one form or another for as long as I can remember. My shining moments in elementary and high school always involved stories or poetry I'd written. I wrote news stories and a weekly column in my college newspaper. My first job out of college was working on the newsletter of a finance company. I worked for a public relations firm and wrote press releases and biographies. Later I wrote proposals for video projects and television shows that went through various stages of development.

I tried writing screenplays and wrote three. I sold one and another was a winner in a Writers' Digest contest.

I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom and did all kinds of volunteering at my son's schools including editing and writing several newsletters.

I wrote essays and small pieces that ran in the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News and Woman's Day among others. My short romantic and mystery fiction appeared in Woman's World, and Futures magazine.

From time I was a thirteen-year-old babysitter cooking for the kids I babysat, I dreamed of writing a book about babysitting. It took a little longer than I'd expected, but BLUE SCHWARTZ AND NEFERTITI'S NECKLACE was published in 2006.

My affair with crochet began in Las Vegas. I had always had a fascination with crochet, particularly granny squares, but thought there was some magic involved with making them that was beyond me. And then everything changed that day in Vegas when I saw the kids' kit in FAO Schwartz. If the instructions were easy enough for kids, I thought they might work for me.

My first granny square was missing a corner, but when I tried again, all four corners were there. I was in awe of my own accomplishment. I had found the magic. I went granny square crazy until pretty soon I didn't need directions anymore. Then I learned there were more squares than just basic grannies and I made squares with sunflowers in the middle and other patterns. I moved beyond squares and made flowers, hearts, bookmarks and more.

I was in love with crochet and began to make scarves, purses, afghans, and shawls. I started carrying my hooks everywhere. A plane trip became a pile of granny square wash cloths, or part of a shawl. A vacation in Hawaii turned into a tote bag.

And now I get to write about it...

** Sourced from authors website

Series:
* A Crochet Mystery
* Yarn Retreat

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5 stars
265 (29%)
4 stars
385 (43%)
3 stars
203 (22%)
2 stars
33 (3%)
1 star
5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
457 reviews3 followers
December 6, 2014
I loved the mystery, hated the ending.
Profile Image for Diane.
453 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2019
Not really a spoiler, but this ends with a cliffhanger. Not her typical ending.
The crochet mysteries are enjoyable fluff, great when that’s what you need.
The Linzer torte cookie recipe in the back of the book sounds tasty. Wish she had pictures of the crochet project. Have a hard time visualizing the ‘stash buster wrap’ which I mistakenly read as ‘bustier’ which makes no sense at all!
Profile Image for Betsy.
1,126 reviews144 followers
March 10, 2015
Why do the heroines of cozy mysteries have to be boring busybodies? Molly Pink and her "French toast sister", Adele, are the pits. I could barely finish the book.
Profile Image for Kitty Jay.
340 reviews29 followers
November 20, 2022
Another good one

Another solid addition, though the "solve" on this one fell a bit flat for readers who enjoy putting the clues together for themselves.
Profile Image for Sam Riner.
768 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2025
I swear to goodness if the author is pulling another "I finally choose this guy!" just for the cliffhanger to imply that "Oh no, the other one got hurt and now I'm unsure again!" I'm taking a star away from this book.
Profile Image for Jason.
2,375 reviews13 followers
July 15, 2025
As a cross-stitcher and needlepoint on plastic canvas crafter I really appreciated the "hook" of this series. I did find it a little slow moving and some plot points were repeated and made too obvious for my personal liking, but overall a fun read, interesting mystery and a whole host of quirky characters.
Profile Image for Denise.
190 reviews92 followers
November 19, 2020
Knot Guilty (Crochet Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman
Betty Hechtman
Knot Guilty

All things considered, being that I did not read books 1-8, this was enjoyable. Knot Guilty is #9 in the Crochet Mystery Series and was very easily read as a stand-alone book. Now I'm sure that if I had read the previous 8 books, I would be more informed and invested in the ongoing story line and characters, however this book and I'm sure the rest in the series is easy to read and follow along. In this book, we are immersed into the hectic and hilarious world of a knitter's convention, that has for the first time allowed the step-child "Crochet" to enter its' illustrious ranks. High handed shenanigans and shameless self-promotion ensue all in the name of crochet, until a seemingly tragic death at the hotel that hosts the convention turns into suspicious circumstances. The hunt begins for the real killer before one of the "hookers" (as in crochet hooks) ends up behind bars for the murder. Let me just say that I totally didn't see the killer coming at the end and there were a lot of twists and turns while searching and ultimately finding the truth. If you are looking for a fun feel good read with a twist of intrigue, this series might be for you, however, unlike me, you may want to start with the beginning of the series. Or maybe not, if you are a maverick like me (not really though). Enjoy!
Profile Image for Lisa Ks Book Reviews.
842 reviews139 followers
November 2, 2015
KNOT GUILTY is a well stitched story in a series that has already hooked so many readers.

Author Betty Hecthman’s Crochet Mystery series has needled its way into the hearts of thousands of readers, and this book certainly shows why. Well written as always, with a clever plot, KNOT GUILTY had me guessing the whole way through until a reveal that totally outwitted me.

Author Hechtman didn’t end KNOT GUILTY with a neat finishing flourish. No, she leave readers with a cliff hanger that had me gasping and begging the book fairies to add a few more chapters! Come on book ten, SEAMS LIKE MURDER. May 2016 is just too far away!

For those readers new to the series, chapter one does a lot to bring you up to speed on the happenings in the life of protagonist Molly Pink, her crochet group the Tarzana Hookers, and other key characters from the series. So no worries of feeling lost.

Check out the back of the book for crochet patterns and yummy recipes!
Profile Image for Sallee.
660 reviews29 followers
February 6, 2016
I have read others in this series and they were enjoyable as was this one. The main character, Molly has come to terms with her love life and has chosen the man with whom she want a relationship. The story's plot centers around a knitting show that has added crochet to its vendors for the first time and the person who is the show's organizer, K.D. Kirby. When she is found dead in her hotel room there are plenty of suspects to go around and Molly even finds one of her crochet group members looked at as a likely suspect.
The plot is tightly knit (no pun intended) and Molly finds herself impelled to investigate to help her friend. A little bit of romance here and there lighten up the story. A very good and quick read.
379 reviews1 follower
November 8, 2016
I enjoy the whole series. The characters have become well developed and seem to like a group I would like to join. The endings connect the books together very well. I also like the patterns and recipes at the end f the books.
Profile Image for Diane J. Caldarulo.
66 reviews1 follower
January 1, 2015
Knot guilty

Great read nice plot. Moves well. I love the characters. The author writes a good series where you feel the league's are your friends
Profile Image for Manda.
378 reviews11 followers
June 1, 2025
I absolutely loved this right until the end 😭😭😭😭😭 must immediately read the next 😭
Profile Image for JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book).
1,395 reviews27 followers
February 21, 2021
Molly Pink works as an event coordinator for a local bookstore. She's a widow, with several pets and two grown sons. Things are moving around her, as she's tasked with running the booth for the bookstore at a trade show. She's got help (if you can call it that) from her co-worker Adele, and friends in her crochet group at the store.

She's also decided that celebrity attorney Mason Fields is the man she wants in her life, but so far, they've both been busy with their careers and haven't found any time to spend together. But since one of his clients is in trouble and at the show, he manages to get a few minutes now and again to see her.

The person organizing the show is K.D. Kirby, a self-absorbed publisher of knitting magazines and owner of an upscale yarn store that has a "knitting salon" in which her wealthy customers sit and knit together. She's not fond of crochet, and isn't fond of Adele, whose over-the-top style is being put forth in the booth, and they have an argument regarding it.

When Molly goes to meet K.D. a while later, she finds her dead, and is immediately drawn into the investigation when she discovers that the police have their eyes on Adele as the main suspect. When Adele begs her for help, she can't turn her down; but at least she has her best friend Dinah as her 'Watson' to Molly's 'Holmes.'

The more Molly investigates, the more she discovers that K.D. had plenty of enemies. More than enough people wanted her out of the way, and any one of them had the opportunity to go to K.D.'s suite and kill her. The only thing Molly can't figure out is the exact timeline that would free Adele. But when she gets closer to answers, someone is watching her, and it might be Molly whose life is now hanging by a thread...

I have been reading this series intermittently for a few weeks, and so far I've had mixed feelings on it. While she's gone from a relationship with homicide detective Barry Greenberg, they broke up because his job came before her. Now she's entering a relationship with Mason Fields, who seems more stable, and Molly enjoys his company. So that's settled, right? Hmmm...

When Molly starts investigating who might have wanted K.D. dead, Adele figures that since Molly's on the case, she can go on with her life, which means she's not concerned with anything but Adele -- and her boyfriend Eric, who's a traffic cop. And, of course, his mother...

But with so many people at the show, she has problems narrowing down who might want the woman dead the most. Each person had their own reasons for wanting her out of the way, and Molly is determined to figure out who, if she can just stay under the radar from the police. But that's not going to be easy to do when Barry is shadowing Adele through the weekend, waiting to see if she's going to flee or stay put.

When Molly finally figures it out and the killer is revealed, I felt that there were clues throughout the book. I pretty much had figured out who the murderer was early on, but it was still interesting to wait and watch while Molly figured it out herself. When the ending comes and everything is put together, we discover that the motive is one of the tried-and-true throughout time, and will probably be so again. This book was easy to read in one sitting, and the ending, while leaving us curious, gives us something to look forward to in the next book. Recommended.
Profile Image for Saenya M..
41 reviews
November 27, 2024
I must say this particular part of the crochet mystery was not as bad. Still I don't know if I could have predicted. The person who killed kd, who was the organizer of this big market thing? That is there anymore, Molly? And the other Tarzana, hookers were a part of I don't know if I could have predicted the The person who killed her, which was a lady who was kind of upset about the fact that she was never treated fairly by Katie, her spot that she normally would have for the market was taken by the Tarzana hookers. She was in debt to a bunch of bingo. Related issues, I mean, I would have never guessed that was the person who killed it. I definitely knew Adele, which is one of the Tarzana hookers, was not the killer. But the one thing that I liked about this book is that it kind of developed this interesting progression of Molly and Mason, possibly getting into a relationship, I mean, for most of the what book they couldn't even see each other. They got to meet up for one little minute and said okay, we really want to have something serious, not something casual and then At the end of the book, when Molly was gonna be driving off with him to go on some kind of vacation. It seems like his Mercedes or his vehicle flipped over and possibly it was fatal. I don't know, but that's not how I wanted it to end. I mean, yes, Barry, the cop, you know, versus Mason, the lawyer and and now it seems like barry's interested in her again. I mean, he was at her house, talking to her about the case and everything. I really wanted to see what's going to happen with Molly and Mason, because I kind of already know what happened with Barry and Molly and she he clearly doesn't like him taking over her life and making plans for her and with her without even asking just doing stuff, oh and by the way. Adele got engaged, Eric. Um, and uh, proposed to her in mama Humphreys, which is Eric's mom, of course, was not a big fan of it. We found out a good bit of things too about me. KD and Ruby, who's Paxton's mom or Grandma? Who who provides yarn and stuff for Shannon? Royal books and more but yeah, overall, I thought this book was kind of interesting. I don't like the cliffhanger that we don't know what's going on with Mason. Or if he flipped over, I thought something was wrong with barry, but me said no, not nation, I really wanted to know what was gonna happen with them.So I guess I'll have to read the next book to find out
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kristina .
1,324 reviews74 followers
April 22, 2024
This may be my favorite of the series thus-far!

Amateur sleuth Molly Pink somehow once again finds herself in front of a dead body- this time that of KD Kirby, a name synonymous with high-brow knitting as she is the head of a popular magazine empire catering to the craft. With no shortage of suspects for the murder, Molly has no choice but to investigate on her own when the police narrow their search on one of the members of the Tarzan Hookers crochet group.

The plot focuses less on Molly's personal relationships and waning love triangle (which feels ridiculous for a middle-aged woman) and more on the mystery at hand. There was also far more crochet and yarn featured, as the main event is a fictitious version of Vogue Knitting Live. I pegged the murderer early on, but still had a great time reading about all of the antics of the crochet group.

The cliffhanger ending was also fabulous, but leads me to believe a strong romance subplot will be back in next book in the series.

Format: Book, owned physical
Rating: 4 stars
Book 66 of 2024
1,867 reviews1 follower
September 17, 2024
Molly and her friends can’t wait to get people hooked on crochet at the annual SoCal Knit Style Show. This year, for the first time ever, the knitting show also features crochet, including crochet classes and a crochet competition. The show’s organizer is K. D. Kirby, publisher of several knitting magazines and owner of an elite Beverly Hills yarn store. Concern when K.D. doesn’t show up for the opening reception turns into shock when she’s found dead in her hotel suite.[amazon synopsis]

And the prime suspect is Adele - especially since her crochet hook was found at the scene. Molly starts her own investigation into the murder. Adele is so very obnoxious and Molly falls for Adele's crap very time. However, a fun series overall. If you crochet and want new and interesting patterns, there are always a few in the back of the book.
Profile Image for Mayda.
3,837 reviews65 followers
March 11, 2020
Molly and the Hookers are attending a knitting show and helping out at Shedd’s crocheting booth, the first time crochet has made an appearance at this gathering of knitters. Of course, Adele is her pushy and obnoxious self, and becomes a suspect in a murder case when the show’s organizer is found dead. Adele fails to grasp the depth of the trouble she is in, being more concerned about her boyfriend and about convincing others of the important role of crochet. This may not be great literature, but it’s definitely a fun and entertaining tale. If you’ve read the series from the beginning, these characters have become like old friends, and each “visit” with them is an enjoyable one.
Profile Image for Barb Martin.
1,091 reviews36 followers
April 15, 2020
Molly Pink and the members of the Tarzana Hookers man the bookstore's booth at a yarn show where . . . you guessed it . . . someone turns up dead. This time, though, Barry is the investigating officer, and he's pretty convinced that Adele did the deed.

Molly ignores her job (It's the bookstore's booth, not the crochet group's. Nonetheless, Molly leaves the crochet group volunteers to handle the sales and the hands-on crochet lessons.) to investigate the murder and to put the moves on Mason. For some stupid reason, she has decided that he's the one for her.

I like the book series, but Molly's work ethic -- or lack, thereof -- really bothers me.

Now, I really want to make a shawl.
642 reviews9 followers
June 17, 2021
Having worked with my daughter at a Fiber Fest event, I found Hechtman's descriptions of the SoCal Knit Style Show interesting. Molly Pink and her friends and fellow crocheters, the Tarzana Hookers, are taking part in the show since this is the first year the show has included crochet. Throw in a murder with a former romantic interest investigating and the current romantic interest working a lawyer protecting his client, a celebrity who also becomes a suspect and Molly has a lot of loose ends to weave together but she does get to the solution.
Profile Image for Anna Hanson.
727 reviews1 follower
February 5, 2023
Show-off

Molly and the store have a booth at a yarn/knitting/crochet expo, a risky venture for the shop, but one they hope will pay off - literally. When the premier organizer of the event is murdered by electrocution from a hairdryer being thrown into her tub as she was soaking, it doesn’t take the police long to finger Adele as the suspect, given her over-the-top feeling about the virtues of crochet vs. knitting. Molly feels compelled to help her, annoying as she can be - and finds herself facing a killer she never expected.
Profile Image for Monica.
739 reviews13 followers
March 26, 2022
I enjoyed this book. I have friends that Knit and Crochet and reading this book which has both knitters and crochets was interesting. Molly Pink is the lead female who has a group called the Tarzana Hookers and they are ready to show the knitting world all about crochet. There is a murder and one of the members of Tarzana Hookers is a prime suspect. Molly finds herself investigating to help save her friend. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in this series.
489 reviews16 followers
March 22, 2020
Eye-rollingly improbable cheesy floof. But mostly fun to read. Ends on a cliff-hanger which is likely a lead-in to the next book.

I would (& have) read other books in this series, but not too close together. And I’m not into them enough to care if I read them in order. But it was easy & light, and it made me feel like crocheting.
Profile Image for Joan.
226 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2020
I skipped the last third of the book, flipped ahead and read the last ten pages just to find out who did it. Didn't care, won't remember by next week.
Fun to read about knitting and crochet but beyond that I don't get the appeal of cozy mysteries.
For those who read them and like them, I'm sure this was a fine example.
Profile Image for Kathi.
1,340 reviews4 followers
December 12, 2024
Minus one star for the cliffhanger ending, although book #10 is already in my library.

This one takes place over the course of a long weekend at a show for knit and yarn crafters. Molly's store has a booth and of course someone ends up dead. Adele is a suspect. Again. We still have the Mason vs Barry love interest competition as well.

Fun read.
Profile Image for Ryviera Shayne.
Author 1 book3 followers
April 21, 2025
Betty puts out another interesting mystery tied around the crochet vs knitters groups. This one I figured out. I caught the one clue! I am ordering the rest of the series and starting to look forward to her others series as well. There are some interesting twists with the characters, some of which I find tiresome... like Adele... and a few others but I'm 'hooked' enough to keep reading along!
Profile Image for Justine Bojarsky.
192 reviews1 follower
April 5, 2023
I love how the last few books have REALLY tied into each other. When the precious books are definitely more stand alone parts in a series these ones have flowed seamlessly. (See what I did there lol)

ANYWAYS THANK GOD that Molly has finally chosen Mason!!!!! JFC!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Connie Marx.
335 reviews1 follower
May 14, 2017
I really enjoy these mysteries, they are light reads... great for breaks at work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews

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