Kelly Flynn has been enjoying motherhood and avoiding murder, but when a friend’s life is cut short, she enlists the Lambspun knitters to catch a heartless killer in the last Knitting Mystery novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Only Skein Deep.Kelly is happily busy with her son, Jack, now a rambunctious four-year-old preschooler. Jack keeps his mom on her toes and drinking all the … on her toes and drinking all the coffee she can handle at Pete’s Porch Café. Kelly’s friendly waitress Julie is hoping to become an accountant. She makes sure she keeps Kelly caffeinated and up-to-date on her career progress.
Kelly splits her free time between Pete’s and Lambspun, where her fellow knitters love hearing all about Jack’s latest exploits. They’ve also been taking a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about crimes that Kelly had a hand in solving over the years. But the Lambspun crew is horrified when a very present-day murder occurs in their midst–and Julie is the victim.
With her sleuthing instincts on full alert, Kelly starts asking questions. The well-liked waitress may have had enemies no one knew about, or she could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kelly and her friends at Lambspun soon learn that the answers are knottier and more shocking than they ever dreamed…
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The last entry in this charming cozy series!
For most of the book the previous cases solved by Kelly are reviewed by way of other characters telling a new character about them. For me, who has read them all, it was boring. I quickly began to wonder if this wrap up signaled the end of the series and I was right. Too bad! Maggie Sexton had created a cast of very likeable knitters and I will miss them.
Love all the books in this series. I just wish it wasn’t so long in between books.
Dyeing Up Loose Ends by Maggie Sefton is the sixteenth tale in A Knitting Mystery series. Kelly Flynn is married to Steve and her son, Jack is now a boisterous four-year-old in Fort Connor, Colorado. Kelly spends her days at Pete’s Porch Café and Lampspun working on her client’s accounts and enjoys evenings with her family and close friends. Julie, one of the waitresses at the café, takes accounting classes at the local university and is currently having some issues with her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriends and her money grubbing brother. One morning Jennifer and Pete arrive at the café to find Julie’s car already in the parking lot. It looks like Julie has worked her last shift. They find Julie dead in her car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Kelly and the Lambspun crew have another theory and they set about untangling the clues. In between, the group has a wedding to organize for two special people. Join the Lampspun crew one last time in Dyeing Up Loose Ends.
All our favorite characters from A Knitting Mystery series returns in Dyeing Up Loose Ends. The book has a nice, steady pace and a conversational writing style that makes Dyeing Up Loose Ends easy to read. A Knitting Mystery series used to be one of my favorites and I could not wait for each new installment. The last couple of books, though, have felt like they were done by someone else. They lack the same depth and complexity of the earlier books in the series. Most of Dyeing Up Loose Ends is spent reminiscing (I ended up skimming through it since I have read every book in the series and I wonder if someone double checked their information). The various characters share recollections on the cases they have solved as well as discuss how Kelly came to Fort Connor, inherited her various properties, her accounting business, how Kelly met Steve, and how they other characters paired up and married. The murder mystery was simple and there was little investigating. Identifying the guilty party was a snap. There are cozy moments as Kelly spends time with her friends, a lot of eating, time with the children, a wedding, and time spent at Lambspun. There are lovely descriptions of yarn included in the story and I laughed at Carl’s continued determination to catch a squirrel (my dogs have given up). I believe this is the end of A Knitting Mystery series. I just wish the author had decided to go out as she started the series. If, like me, you have read all the books in this series, then you will want to read Dyeing Up Loose Ends (to find out what happens to the various characters). For those who are new to the series, I suggest starting with Knit One, Kill Two.
Loved this book! Very bittersweet. I was so sad to learn that this was the last one in the series. This series is so much fun and I love how you feel like you’re a part of Kelly’s group of friends. There was a lot of reminiscing throughout the book, both about past murders and other things that occurred throughout the series. Of course, there is then a current day murder involving one of the waitresses at the café attached to Lambspun. Kelly and her friends then solve one last murder together. I enjoyed how everything was really wrapped up in this book. I am so sad to see it end, but I can always re-read the books in the series to keep these characters around.
Author Maggie Sefton is a wonderful writer. Her books are always fast reads for me because I can’t seem to stop turning the pages.
Over the first half of, DYEING UP LOOSE ENDS, consists of the characters reminiscing. With most of the talk centering on protagonist, Kelly Finn’s past cases. This is a great (if not a bit too long) reminder for longtime readers of the series, and a wonderful way for new readers to catch up on things.
The whodunit itself, was short and fast. Maybe a little too so. I would love to have seen Ms. Sefton delve into that storyline a bit more. The victim, Julie, seemed to have had a bright future.
DYEING UP LOOSE ENDS will make a nice addition to any Maggie Sefton fan’s collection.