Betsy Devonshire is glad that Godwin DeLuc is back from vacation and so are her customers at Crewel World. He's witty, charming and smart, which are some of the reasons Betsy recently made him a partner in the cross stitch shop.

But all is not happy in paradise. Goddy's live-in lover, John Nye, has again thrown him out of the home they've shared for many years, following one of his mood swings. Betsy figures John will take Goddy back, eventually, since he's always done so in the past. She has Goddy move into her guest room in the meantime. But when his clothes arrive in a huge box on the store's doorstep, Betsy decides that John and Goddy need to talk. If it's truly the end, then there need to be explanations and closure of the relationship.

Upon arriving at John's home, Goddy realizes there's something wrong. At first, he thinks he's merely been replaced by another man, until John's lifeless body is found.

It isn't long before Goddy is arrested for John's murder, and Betsy is interviewing lawyers to represent her friend and business partner. She also realizes it's up to her to find out who really murdered John. As she uncovers corporate secrets, a secret past, she realizes John wasn't the man Goddy thought he was. Since Betsy is unable to bail Goddy out of jail, he spends his time teaching his jail house buddies how to make the most of their other talents. This leaves Betsy time to unearth fact from fiction and uncover the real John Nye from the public perception that everyone had of him. Time is running out, and Betsy can't afford to miss a stitch as a murderer is waiting for her to make one fatal error in judgment.

This latest installment of the Needlecraft Mysteries will tug at the strings of your heart, all the while unraveling your nerves, as Ferris weaves a tight plot with colorful characters. For those who like your mysteries on the cozy side, you won't want to miss this series.