Monday, November 18, 2019

Knot on Your Life by Betty Hechtman


First Line: "That was intense," I said, coming in the door to my kitchen.

A change of pace is in the cards for Casey Feldstein. Instead of the usual yarn retreat where she has to plan everything from soup to nuts, a client has requested a "birthday retreat" and told Casey of all the things she wanted to be included. Yes indeed, Casey is looking forward to a stress-free weekend, but she should know better. When she walks into Vista del Mar where the retreat is being held, the lobby is already jammed with people attending a mindfulness retreat and another for birdwatchers.

When Casey discovers the body of an attendee of the mindfulness retreat on the rocky shoreline of the resort, it doesn't take her long to suspect that the man's death was not an accident but a calculated murder. Now to prove it...

I continue to enjoy this cozy mystery series even though after seven books, I'm beginning to think that a real Vista del Mar resort might be bankrupt from all the murders that have taken place there. (Lethal word of mouth, don't you know-- and imagine the Yelp reviews.) The enjoyment arises from a wonderful California coast setting, a fun cast of characters, and a succession of intriguing mysteries to solve.

There's quite a bit of fun to be found while Casey tries to solve another murder. Where does one of her retreat members keep sneaking off to? Is learning to crochet really that easy? Will resort manager Kevin St. John get a chance to enforce his No Pets on the Premises rule? And how about that mindfulness retreat he put together? (Three raisins?!?) Other things that made me smile were the attempts Casey makes in order to keep her burgeoning romance a secret in her small town, and the fact that it seems as though everyone beats a path to the Blue Door Restaurant after hours to talk to her. How on earth does she manage to get her baking done?

And guess what? While I was having so much fun with the characters and the various situations, I found myself led astray by some very good misdirection in the mystery. All in all, Knot on Your Life is light and fun and a pleasure to read. More, please!


Knot on Your Life by Betty Hechtman
ASIN: B07ZS2FJPL
Beyond the Page Publishing © 2019
eBook, 275 pages

Cozy Mystery, #7 Yarn Retreat mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley


 

2 comments:

  1. This does sound like fun, Cathy. And I always like it when an author can keep a story light and fun, but still have enough 'meat' in the story to keep the reader's attention. And that misdirection takes talent!

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