Brought to you by Guest reviewer Mary C

Synopsis:

Kath Rutledge’s grandmother left her a charming fiber and fabric shop, a close-knit group of needlework lovers, and a television-addicted ghost in the attic. She may also have inherited the special skills required to untangle a murder.

Always up for trying something new, Kath and her friends from the fiber and needlework group TGIF—Thank Goodness it’s Fiber—are visiting Cloud Hollow Farm for the day to learn the fine art of dyeing.  With spring in the air, the friends head out to greet the sheep.  But the sheep are more interested in something else—two bodies spread under a tall tree.  And one of those bodies is someone they know.

Kath’s friends nudge her to investigate, and no one is more adamant than Geneva, the ghost who loves to play assistant sleuth. But when Kath discovers another murder cut from the same cloth, she’s more determined than ever to hang a roving killer out to dry. (Goodreads)

 Review:

This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed revisiting the TGIF group in a small Tennessee town where Kath owns a fiber and fabric shop left to her by her grandmother.

While trying to learn the business at The Weaver Cat, she is also hunting for magical journals her grandmother hid for her, integrate with life in a small town, and contend with a moody, dramatic ghost who lives in her attic. I found Geneva, the ghost, to be a real hoot. Between her pestering for a TV to quench her appetite for detective stories, she drops delectable hints about her unknown past, pitches dramatic fits, and becomes addicted to audiobooks.

An outing to Debbie Keith’s farm to learn to dye wool is interrupted when two dead bodies are found amongst the sheep. These bodies appear to be a murder/suicide, but their deaths have bearings on several members of the group who aren’t as convinced as the police that this is an open-and-shut case. They also are tied to an old murder case in which one of the victims was believed to be involved. They prevail upon Kath who reluctantly agrees to investigate. I found Kath to use her common sense a little bit more than other heroines in this genre. She at least gave some thought before jumping into various scenarios, although a few of the times she could have thought harder. It did become difficult at times to keep track of the characters and their storyline. And, as always, there was the obligatory obnoxious deputy to spur the heroine on. It makes one wonder if there aren’t any nice deputies/sheriffs, detectives out there. Deputy Cole made me want to smack him. Deputy Cole’s sometimes burglar brother, Joe, is around to provide a possible love interest for Kath.

Overall, I liked this second outing of The Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries. I thought it was well written and had depth that some cozies lack. The mystery kept me guessing and I was surprised at part of the ending as there weren’t a lot of clues or red herrings to follow. I certainly look forward to reading the next book in this excellent series.