Yossi “Crusher” Levy has waited patiently for Martha Rose to agree to marriage. Now, Martha is ready to get married but there’s just one catch… a big one. It turns out Crusher is already married. In his mind, he was merely helping an old friend named Hadas who got pregnant out of wedlock. Unfortunately, getting a divorce or an annulment isn’t as easy as it should be as Hadas is coming to town with Crusher’s sister, Fanya. Trouble is definitely afoot as Hadas is hiding something else. Hadas goes missing soon after her arrival and now Martha has another mystery to solve if she wants any chance of a marriage with Crusher.

Martha is an easy character to like. Not only is she older than many of our usual cozy mystery heroines, but she also has a strong religious faith that is integrated into the story line. Mary Marks also shows us Martha’s own struggles, including her fibromyalgia flare ups that give her issues such as muscle and joint pain. My heart ached for Martha throughout most of KNOT READY FOR MURDER as she repeatedly compared herself, negatively I might add, to Hadas.

KNOT READY FOR MURDER is the 9th book in A Quilting Mystery series. While most of the books in this series stand alone, I would strongly recommend reading at least one or two prior books to understand the strength of the love between Crusher and Mary. Otherwise, the reader will just be infuriated and want to throw something at Crusher for his deception about his first marriage. I have to admit that even after reading the whole series to this point, I was furious with Crusher initially for it and very hurt for Martha. KNOT READY FOR MURDER is one of the more emotionally charged books in A Quilting Mystery series, but is well worth it in the end.