Author: Betty Hechtman
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781683315650; 978168337982
Crooked Lane Books
336 Pages
$4.94; $15.95; $12.99 Amazon
May 8, 2018
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Molly Pink and the Tarzana Hookers are busy crocheting baby blankets for charity, but before long, they're tangled up in a mystery that may be their unraveling. The Hookers are a tight-knit group, but some of the members harbor secret aspirations. Adele dreams of becoming an actress, and her acting coach has filled her head with promises of a career as a crochet show host. Elise Belmont has earned her real estate license and is itching to show her first house. But when the house's tenant turns up dead from a pink squirrel cocktail laced with cyanide, the Hookers could be in double trouble.
It turns out that the dead man was Adele's acting coach, Timothy Clark. And Molly gets wound up in the case after accidentally leaving a scarf she designed at the murder scene. Detective Barry Greenberg, one of Molly's exes, quickly stitches together that the scarf is hers. Lawyer Mason Fields (another of Molly's exes) has her head swimming in legalese. For Molly, the only way out is by learning who really killed Timothy, and why.
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Molly Pink is assistant manager at Shedd & Royal Books & More. She's also their event coordinator, and a member of the Tarzana Hookers, a group of women who crochet together, usually making gifts for charity. Her friend Elise Belmont confides that she has secretly gotten her real estate license -- because her husband Logan didn't want her to, thinking it might ruin his reputation as a realtor -- and wants to sell a house so she can show him that she's just as good as he is. Conveniently, another friend (and both members of the hookers) Adele wants a home where she and her new husband can have some privacy away from his mother, because the three live in a condo together.
So Elise has a house she wants to show Adele, and Adele insists that Molly come along. The three head out to an exclusive neighborhood, and shortly after arriving, Elise hustles them out because she received a text from her husband stating that he was going to show homes, and she's afraid that this will be the first one on the list. However, in the rush, Molly's custom-made scarf (by her) is left behind. And when Logan discovers the dead body of the owner, Timothy Clark, in the downstairs, it now becomes a crime scene.
When Detective Barry Greenberg -- Molly's ex -- realizes the scarf is hers, he tries to get her to admit it, but she won't, because she's promised Elise that she won't mention the visit to anyone. Now she's stuck in the middle of another murder investigation, tap dancing around Barry, and asking another ex, criminal attorney Mason Fields, for help. Then Molly starts receiving threatening notes, and she knows someone is watching her. But are they real or just someone trying to get her to stop asking questions? Unless Molly's careful, she might find that she's the next one in line to die...
This is the tenth book in the series, and I have read each one of them. While some have been better than most, I did find that I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Yes, it was definitely filled with Molly still trying to figure out if she wants a relationship or not, but having read them all, I understand her reasonings. If others haven't, I understand their confusion. While I absolutely hate love triangles, at least this wasn't exactly filled with that.
What I didn't like about the book is Molly's family just deciding to come over whenever they wanted and turn her house into a rehearsal hall. She has enough problems at her home as it is. Also, she should have gotten Barry's key when they broke up, and the worst is Adele - who somehow has gotten more annoying as the books go on. Enough with the over-the-top crochet outfits. Even I, a woman who loves to crochet, wouldn't even think of wearing it as everyday wear. You actually would look ridiculous. Also, why was Elise's husband calling her to tell her that he was showing a home? Did he do this on a regular basis? Check in with her every time he had a client? It seemed odd...
At any rate, other than this, the book was interesting enough to keep me reading, and there were some fun scenes throughout. But it seemed that some characters were bashing marriage, and I didn't understand that at all. Marriage is compromise and respect for the other person, and you have to learn how to give and take. If you don't do that, nothing about it will work at all. Hopefully, her characters will learn how to do this.
As you can tell, this wasn't one of my favorites of the series but it was still very good. However, as others have stated, the ending was odder than other books, with Molly telling us the fate of the people in the acting classes that Timothy gave (as if we really care about it) and the murderer came out of left field. I prefer that we at least get a few clues here and there. All in all, a nice cozy if you want to relax, but nothing too involved. There are also crochet patterns in the back for those who are interested.
I received a copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Betty Hechtman's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/betty-hechtman/
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