Hospital Social Worker Clothilde “Hildy” Schneider runs a grief support group as part of her job. A new participant arrives and upends the group with her proclamation that her son died two weeks ago and that she wants the help of the group to find his killer. Sharon Cochran acknowledges that the cops believe the death was a suicide, but she disagrees and wants his murderer found. Hildy teams up with Sorenson Detective Bob Richmond to uncover what really happened to Toby.

I’m thrilled to see a social worker as the main character in a cozy mystery and had to pick up NEEDLED TO DEATH for that reason alone. I love that the opening directly addresses one of the jobs that social workers often do. Annelise Ryan demonstrates good insight into the workings of a grief group, and I particularly appreciate that Hildy herself recognizes when she allows the group to detour off the usually prescribed course of group work. One of my pet peeves is when a professional does something completely antithetical to their profession with no explanation. Instead, Annelise Ryan does an excellent job at explaining Hildy’s somewhat unorthodox approach to Sharon’s situation.

Annelise Ryan incorporates mental health into her story line quite well. Not only do we see the inner workings of a grief group from the professional’s standpoint, but we also see Hildy’s own awareness of her triggers. I like that Hildy sees a therapist of her own, particularly when she notices an increase in one of her quirks dating back to her childhood experiences. Annelise Ryan leaves so many avenues wide open about Hildy’s past, and I’m eager to see where she takes us in the future.

NEEDLED TO DEATH is the first book in the Helping Hands series and is a promising start to a new series. There is a bit of a romance triangle brewing, and I’m curious to see how it will play out in the next book. And oh, did I mention that Hildy has her very own therapy dog? I thoroughly enjoyed NEEDLED TO DEATH and am excited for the next book in the Helping Hands series!