Friday, January 22, 2021

By Hook or By Crook (Crochet Mystery #3)

Author:  Betty Hechtman
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425228388
Berkley Publishing
272 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
June 2, 2009

⭐⭐⭐


Molly Pink's crochet group has a new mystery on their hands when they find a paper bag that contains a note that speaks of remorse, a diary entry of the sorrow of parting, and a complicated piece of filet crochet that offers an obscure clue in pictures.  Things get even more complicated when they find the talented crocheter -- murdered by a box of poisoned marzipan apples.

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Molly Pink is a forty-something widow who's been hired as an events coordinator at a local bookstore.  One day while finishing an outdoor sale for charity, Molly discovers a paper bag has been left that contains pictures done in filet crochet.  Curious enough to want to find the owner and what it all means, she sets out to do so.  But when she does find the woman, it's too late: she's already dead, and Molly has figured out the murder weapon.

But the police aren't taking her seriously, so she keeps searching to figure out the clues -- with the help of her crocheting friends.  On top of this, her parents have come to visit and turned her home into a music studio, and she's having second thoughts about her relationship with homicide detective Barry Greenberg.  But her main concern is who killed the woman and why...and will she stay alive long enough to figure it out?

This is the third book in the series and I've always had concerns about some things, but now they've come further into the forefront.  First off, Molly is concerned with her relationship with Barry because as a homicide detective, he's always out of town.  Why?  He's not a private investigator.  Homicide detectives don't travel from town to town investigating murders.  They work with other investigators in other towns, and unless it's necessary, they don't go from city to city for days on end.  Is he the only homicide detective in the state?  PI's travel; not so much homicide detectives.  You can learn that from any cop show on Discovery ID.  I get that they are always on the go in their own town, but they don't regularly travel out of state like Barry does -- and I also think the "surprise" pulled on Molly was an excuse and not a reason to break up, but more of a plot twist by the author to give us a reason to think they should.  Not buying that, either, considering he was never around enough for them to talk.

Honestly, I don't understand Molly's reluctance about relationships.  It's been said many times over that once you've had a great relationship, it's easier to go into another one than if you've had a bad one; and Molly's marriage was good, so why wouldn't she want marriage again?  Just my opinion, is all...

I also can't stand Adele and am really hoping she'll be the next victim.  The only thing more abhorrent than a love triangle is the 'evil nemesis' that pops up in books from time to time.  It's not needed to make a good book, and usually takes the pleasure out of reading it...and Molly has two: Adele and Detective Heather.  Seriously?

I will say that I like Molly's rapport with Dinah, and I think the mystery was done well.  There were clues throughout and trying to put them together was interesting, while watching how Molly went about it.  When she figured out who the murderer was and the reason why, it seemed believable, even though I can never understand how one person can kill another and just walk away from it.  Ah, well.

As it is, I will read the next in the series to see if Molly gets her life together.  At least the mysteries are good.



More on Betty Hechtman's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/betty-hechtman/

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