Assistant professor Jessie Morton gets more than she bargains for when she signs on as apprentice basket weaver at the Myrtle Beach Renaissance Faire Village for the summer. Having decided to go for her PhD with a dissertation on the Proliferation of Medieval Crafts in Modern Times, spending the summer in the village becomes more than fun and research, especially after a body is found outside Wicked Weaves, with basket weaver Mary Shift's signature sweetgrass weave twisted around his neck.

Jessie knows that Mary isn't a murderer, but in a world where fact and fantasy, past and present blend seamlessly, proving Mary's innocence is a job requiring all of Jessie's intuitive abilities, and some help from her friends. There's no shortage of suspects, and Jessie and her friends must work quickly to discover the culprit before Mary is locked up for real.

Joyce and Jim Lavene's WICKED WEAVES is a creative, fascinating whodunit, transporting readers to a world of make-believe that entertains and educates as they weave a tale of mystery set in the world of the Renaissance faire. This well-crafted story kept me guessing to the end.