LAST WOOL AND TESTAMENT opens with Kath Rutledge barreling
at high speed toward her grandmother Ivy McLellan's
funeral.
As Kath tries to deal with the death of the woman closest
to
her heart, she discovers nothing is as it should have been.
When she finally makes her way to her grandmother's cottage
she discovers the locks changed and a notice from the owner
that she needs to clear her grandmother's belongings before
new tenants arrive. Kath was certain the cottage was part
of
Ivy's estate, and had no knowledge it had changed hands.
Although a cruel twist, this is far from the last surprise
left by the death of her grandmother. In a letter Ivy left,
she tells Kath that, with her death, Kath is likely to
inherit her powers as "a bit of a witch". To top things
off,
local law enforcement are looking into the possibility that
Ivy may have poisoned an old man before she died. Kath
turns
to the friends Ivy made through her beautiful fiber shop
for
help in untangling the mess left by her grandmother's
death.
This first in the Haunted Yarn Shop mystery series
is
a clear winner. Unlike some cozy mystery heroines, Kath
Rutledge doesn't suffer from what I call Too Stupid to Live
Syndrome. On the contrary she is an intelligent textile
restoration professional who is simply overwhelmed by
circumstance. Her motives for pursuing the solution to the
mysteries are clear and understandable. Molly MacRae has
filled LAST WOOL AND TESTAMENT with likeable and quirky
characters worthy of respect with the possible exception of
the Spivey twins, who encapsulate the worst characteristics
of distant yet pushy relatives and are a great addition to
the book.
MacRae weaves a tangled puzzle whose ending I
just couldn't have guessed. The paranormal elements are
light enough in tone that even those who do not enjoy ghost
stories will greatly like the book. LAST WOOL AND
TESTAMENT is a thoroughly
satisfying and entertaining read and I am very much looking
forward to book two, due out in Summer 2013.
I also tried one of the recipes (the Rosemary Olive Oil
Cake
with Dark Chocolate) in the back of the book to great
success, and later today will cast on for the hat pattern
provided.
Kath Rutledge is about to learn the true meaning of TGIF—
Thank Goodness It’s Fiber.… That’s the name of the spunky
group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Ivy
McClellan, Kath’s beloved grandmother. Though Ivy has
recently passed on, the members still meet regularly at her
fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver’s Cat, which Kath has now
inherited. But that’s only the first in a series of
surprises when Kath returns to the small town of Blue Plum,
Tennessee, to settle her grandmother’s affairs.
There’s been a murder, and it turns out her grandmother was
the prime suspect. Before she can begin to clear Ivy’s
name, Kath encounters a looming presence in the form of a
gloomy ghost. It turns out the specter has just as much
interest in solving the murder as Kath. So, with a little
help from the members of TGIF—and a stubborn spirit from
beyond—she sets out to unravel the clues and hook the real
killer.…
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