When adoptee Lucille Jones comes to town researching her roots, Betsy Devonshire notices that she bears a remarkable resemblance to local Jan Henderson. Betsy introduces the look-alikes and they quickly hit it off. But then Jan's wealthy great-aunt is found dead, helped to her grave by a stiff metal wire—a double-zero knitting needle, in fact. Just like the kind Jan knits with.
Lucille begs Betsy to help clear her new friend's name. And while going through her aunt's effects, Jan finds an old pillow lined with an embroidered map of Lake Minnetonka. Betsy intends to follow the threads. Who knows—it could just possibly lead to buried treasure. Or, perhaps, to a secret that someone will kill to keep buried.
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"This is one of the better of the books by Monica Ferris that I have read recently. There were still some errors that annoyed me and some places where she got into a lot of detail for no apparent reason. I don't really think we needed such a detailed description of one character's sewing box, including measurements. It's the only time it appears in the book, so it's not like it was important. Very odd. I'm thinking that I liked this one more because it centered around knitting and I don't knit. That and I liked the descriptions of the antiques and such. I love old things, especially old houses, and the story line just held my interest much more than it has in the past couple of her books."
— Jennifer (4 out of 5 stars)
“The brisk plot and well-developed characters make this complex novel one of the stronger entries in this cozy series.”
— Publishers Weekly" This series is a lightweight listen, nice as a background to other activities, but the narrator was changed for this book. The new narrator is not able to give life to the characters and it is impossible to know who is talking unless you have been paying attention, as she reads in the same monotone for each character. I think this book would have been more enjoyable with the original narrator. "
— Ida, 3/19/2023" I didn't care for this as much as previous books in the series. "
— Lorinda, 2/18/2014" WOW!! when I think of how I had wanted to stop reading this series after the 2nd book.........this storyline was soooo intriguing I forgot that it was a needlecraft mystery series. EXCELLENT! "
— Laura, 2/11/2014" Lucille comes to town looking for relatives, and one of the possibles turns up murdered "
— Debbie, 2/4/2014" This one didn't have as much about the needlework shop, but there were a couple of chapters with descriptions of antiques in the house of the victim, a rich and aged great-aunt, that were very good. And you really got to know the family of the victim, some of whom were suspects, naturally. "
— Vicki, 1/28/2014" cute and entertaining. very light good listening "
— Jharkey, 1/28/2014" Having a love for needle crafts, I found this book a nice escape from everyday life. Murder mystery, bizzare Will, hidden map, in depth description of antiques & stitchery made this book quite the page turner. Monica Ferris did a fine job at not giving away who did it until the very end. "
— Christine, 1/20/2014" Entertaining Needlework mystery, complete with knitting, cross stitch and a 'yarn'! Book tape for sure, as it doesn't require a lot of attention to stay on track...and it doesn't warrant our rare reading time. "
— Cindy, 1/17/2014" a fun read...however a bit too wordy.A mystery revolving around a murder and a group of people who belong to a knitting group. "
— lynn, 1/17/2014" An easy reading mystery. Set in Minnesota, a needle craft shop owner doubles as a private investigator. In this book a particularly unfair will sets up a scene for murder, as does a long lost person from the past. "
— Kristen, 12/30/2013" I was 250 pages into this mystery before I figures out I'd already read it. That CAN'T be a good sign. I like these books as junk food reading well enough; just need to keep better track of them apparently! "
— Jennifer, 12/18/2013" This was one of my favorites of this series. I thought I had the murderer pegged, but it wasn't the one I original picked, so it kept me in the dark a little longer than some mysteries. "
— Joy, 12/1/2013" Reading anything with knitting theme. Describes knitting socks in detail and includes a knitted flag pattern. "
— Sandy, 11/16/2013" Betsy and Godwin were minor characters that appeared seldom, which is odd in a series. This could almost stand alone. It was a little odd. "
— Cece, 11/6/2013" OK. Good fluff reading. Not that much mystery. "
— Cara, 10/18/2013" It appeared on my desk. Tried to knit the pattern from it but didn't like it or know what to do with it - a knitting flag. "
— Mary, 10/4/2013" Dude...a Double Pointed Needle as murder weapon? Brilliant. "
— Sandra, 7/4/2013" Solid Betsy Devonshire/Crewel World episode. Read one review that complained that Betsy wasn't as prominent as in most. True but I don't think that is a bad thing. Characters are well developed and story developments nicely reflect the social conditions at various times in the past. "
— Mary, 6/23/2013" A relaxing, quick read, good snowstorm reading. I solved all of the story's questions within the first few chapters but the story is average. One negative: the details repeat and repeat. "
— Colleen, 4/10/2013" Sins and Needles (Needlecraft Mystery) by Monica Ferris (2007) "
— Leigh, 3/23/2013" Since I enjoy knitting, I found this book fun to read. "
— Barbara, 9/2/2012" I think my mum in Australia would like this series.I liked how the storyline played out in this book it was well writen. "
— Deb, 7/12/2011" I always enjoy Monica Ferris. She kept me guessing right up to when she said who dun it! "
— Artha, 6/30/2011" Beware of strangers claiming to be adopted and trying to solve answers of their heritage. "
— Mary, 2/1/2011" I love Monica Ferris' needlework mysteries and I enjoyed this one as much as the rest. The patterns at the back are always a great motivator to buy the book :) "
— Patti, 1/30/2011" Cute --- almost too cute. I think I like to knit more than I like to listen to stories about knitters. "
— Rebecca, 7/18/2010" Entertaining; liked the twist of Goddy being Betsy's "legs." "
— Cindy, 6/1/2010" Betsy Devonshire has to solve a mystery but is immobilized by a broken leg. So she has to rely on her best employee and enthusiastic novice sleuth, Godwin. Interesting little puzzle. "
— Mary, 4/1/2009" This was a disappointing book. The main character breaks a leg and is confined through most of it in her apartment. She has her assistant do most of the sleuthing, so there's a lot of repetition. Plus, there are many point of view shifts, which I found annoying. "
— Grey853, 3/24/2009" Finished: September 19, 2009 <br/> <br/>Book #63 in the 52 Books in 52 Week Ravelry Challenge. <br/> <br/>I really enjoyed this book. This series keeps getting better with each book. "
— Nancy, 3/1/2009" This was an OK book. It's an easy read. Some of the details of the story are a bit too weird to be believable. "
— Sandy, 1/23/2009" I always enjoy this cozy mystery series. Especially since I use to teach needle crafts at one time. "
— Marla, 1/5/2009" Betsy does it again...with reasonable thinking and good questions, she is able to sort through the mystery and you can too. I am reading all of Monica Ferris' books in order because I like her style and they are very quick reads...2 days each. "
— Natalie, 11/15/2008Monica Ferris is the USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series under various pseudonyms. She lives in Minnesota.
Connie Crawford teaches and directs at Brown University and Perishable Theatre in Providence. She is an experienced audiobook narrator and her television appearances include Saturday Night Live and The Guiding Light. She loves working with horses and actors to develop more effective means of communication.