Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780425279441
Berkley Publishing
302 Pages
$7.99; $7.99 Amazon
May 3, 2016
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Knitting and crocheting books are selling like crazy at the bookstore where Molly works, so to keep the customers coming, she sets up a series of classes where the Tarzana Hookers can pass on their skills to others: a Yarn University. The only problem is the teacher of the most popular seminar - Sheila - is getting a massive case of stage fright about being in front of a crowd.
To ease Sheila's nerves, the Hookers plan a practice class at crocheter CeeCee's mansion. But before the lesson begins, Molly and the gang stumble upon a dead body in the apartment above CeeCee's garage. Now, Molly must unravel the clues to find a killer quickly -- or school might be out forever...
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Molly Pink is Event Coordinator and Assistant Manager at Shedd & Royal's Bookstore in Tarzana. She's trying to put together Yarn University, where people can learn different types of crochet. Unfortunately, one of the Tarzana Hookers, as the club calls itself, is having a bad case of stage fright. Sheila is shy anyway, but her projects are so lovely that Molly has convinced her to teach a class. When they decide to do a "practice class" over at their friend CeeCee's mansion, they come across a body in the apartment above the garage.
Molly is once again drawn into a murder investigation, to no surprise of Homicide Detective Barry Greenberg, who once had a relationship with her; and to the delight of Mason Fields, her current boyfriend and celebrity defense attorney. Mason was injured in a car accident, and is now itching to get back into the game, as it were.
When Molly finds the body, she notices a clue no one else does, but while it doesn't mean anything yet, she can't get it out of her mind. But she has other things to worry about: Mason's ex-wife and daughter are staying with him, and they don't want her anywhere near him (while he wants her there); Adele is driving everyone crazy with her wedding preparations (though no date has been set); and other problems concerning her best friend Dinah, and Barry.
But Molly still wants to do her job well, so tries to put it out of her mind, yet can't. Her innate curiosity is driving her to figure things out, and she enlists not only the help of Dinah, but also Barb, a woman whom she met through CeeCee and has decided she wants to be a member of the club. While Molly's problems escalate, so does her certainty that this young woman was murdered by someone she knows, but she can't prove it. And if she doesn't figure it out soon, she won't have to worry about anything else...
I have read every book in the series so far, and have gone with Molly from the loss of her husband to where she is now. I won't lie and say I've enjoyed every book (I haven't) but I have delighted in spending time with Molly in this one. She's struggling to organize her life (yeah, sure) and of course, isn't able to have everything the way she'd like. She's too busy trying to solve another murder (with help, of course) and stay out of the eye of Barry, who doesn't like her investigating. She's also trying to navigate her new relationship with Mason, but his ex-wife and daughter Brooklyn keep getting in the way. What Molly needs is a vacation (when?).
So we watch as she does her best, gleaning clues along the way and trying to be supportive to her friends. It's an interesting combination, and there is plenty going on to keep one interested. While I can't like her son Peter (who could be kinder and more understanding to the woman who raised him), there are others who stand by her side, and it's nice to see.
In the end, when everything starts to come together, it's a climax you don't expect and one that is surprising as well, which is how it should be. It's satisfying and makes for a pleasant reading experience. Recommended.
More on Betty Hechtman's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/betty-hechtman/
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