Sunday, November 04, 2012

Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae

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.

Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae
ISBN: 9780451237828
Signet © 2012
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Haunted Yarn Shop
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen

4 comments:

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed this book. I found it to be a little slow at first, but a good debut. I see that you are reading 'Death of a Schoolgirl' right now and I cannot wait to get my hands on that one. I will be looking forward to your review. I have it on hold at the library, but my library is so slow releasing new books. Ugh.

    Kimberlee
    http://girllostinabook.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Normally a slower pace doesn't bother me much with the first book in a series because there's a lot of ground to cover in setting the stage and so forth. That said, I have run across a couple debuts/firsts in series in which the pace was so slow it was glacial. If I remember correctly, I skipped to the end to find out how things turned out. Fortunately LW&T is definitely *not* one of those!

      I sat outside this afternoon and started reading Death of a Schoolgirl. When I came up for air, I was almost halfway through the book!

      Delete
  2. I love the clever titles of cozy mysteries. This sounds like another winner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a winner, Kathy-- and I'm with you... so many cozies have the absolute best titles. My brain would never be able to think up anything remotely as good!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!