A CRAFTER HOOKS A KILLER by Holly Quinn

"Who killed the Queen of Crafts?"

A Crafter Hooks a Killer

Posted: June 16, 2019

Sammy Kane is excited about her upcoming event for her store, Community Craft. Community Craft was started by her best friend, Kate Allen, who died tragically and unexpectedly. Sammy took over the store and is continuing to honor the memory of her best friend by promoting a sense of community and connection amongst the various artisans in Heartsford. This latest event promises to be high profile as the Queen of Crafts, author Jane Johnson, has a book signing scheduled through Community Craft. Unfortunately, Jane Johnson is soon found dead and it appears there is a connection between Jane's murder and Kate's death. Can Sammy, her cousin Heidi, and her sister Ellie continue their childhood S.H.E. detective team and uncover who the murderer is?

A CRAFTER HOOKS A KILLER is the second book in the Handcrafted Mystery series and can be read as a standalone. I'm unsure how much about Kate was mentioned in the first book, A CRAFTER KNITS A CLUE, but Holly Quinn ensures the reader has all the information needed to fully enjoy A CRAFTER HOOKS A KILLER. I particularly like how Holly Quinn shows us the bond of friendship Sammy shared with Kate.

I thought the concept of the S.H.E. detectives would be corny but instead it made the amateur sleuth aspect all the more believable. We get some insight into Sammy's younger years and it's easy to see how she would be intrigued by a murder that hits so close to home, even more so it appears the death of her best friend is connected. Holly Quinn makes following the clues enjoyable, even as we empathize with Sammy's grief.

I didn't want A CRAFTER HOOKS A KILLER to end! The town of Heartsford is so welcoming and I love the various craft-related events that anyone, even someone with no crafting skills, can enjoy and appreciate. Holly Quinn has created a delightful cozy series that readers will want to visit over and over again.

Book Summary

Sure to delight fans of Betty Hechtman and Maggie Sefton, A Crafter Hooks a Killer is the second installment in Holly Quinn's Handcrafted mysteries.

Community Craft proprietor Sammy Kane suspects that a tantalizing thread links the deaths of her best friend and a bestselling author. But can she weave together the clues?

Samantha "Sammy" Kane is settling into her new life in idyllic Heartsford, Wisconsin, running her late friend Kate Allen's craft shop, Community Craft when one early June day, bestselling crochet author Jane Johnson visits Heartsford. Captivated by Community Craft, Jane devotes a chapter in her new book, Behind the Seams, to the store. Sammy is honored, though satisfaction quickly turns to shock when she finds Jane strangled to death—her cold hands clutching a copy of her most recently published book, with the words "THE END" raggedly scratched into the cover.

Heavens to Etsy! Not only must Sammy contend with the author's inauspicious demise, she has to untie some knotty details from her own past. It turns out Kate's death was not what it seemed, and instead somehow hooked to Jane Johnson's demise. Handsome Detective Liam Nash is on the "skein", more than happy to see the shop owner again, if less than enamored by her sleuthing interventions. But this was Sammy's best friend—she has to know.

Fortunately, Sammy has a "lace" in the hole. As a child, she formed the S.H.E. detective team with her cousin, Heidi, and her sister, Ellie. Having already reconstituted their partnership, the S.H.E. team searches for a pattern behind the latest death. As the case starts to unravel, will Sammy and team be able to sidestep Liam quick enough to stitch together the clues?