Is Raspberry Hill haunted by more than old regrets and lost chances? Natalie Wolcott, one third potential beneficiary, is about to find out. When Grandma Rose passes away, she leaves her magnificent, if slightly sinister, mansion on the edge of town to her three estranged relatives who, according to the terms of the will, must live on site for one year, three months and four days for before they … days for before they can inherit. It is obvious that Raspberry Hill, although given, still comes at a high price. Whispers of murder and a town with a long memory have Natalie wondering one thing… Who was Grandma Rose?… because it’s all too apparent that someone doesn’t want them there.
When things start to go bump in the night, Natalie is convinced that someone from town, or perhaps even one of her co-inheritors, is trying to force her out. That is, until she meets the ghost in the basement.
Her only comfort is her new job at Crabapple Yarns. Unfortunately, the shadows of the past are knitted together with the present and before she has a chance to fit in disaster strikes the sweet little yarn shop. The plan to save Crabapple Yarns unwittingly sets into motion a chain of events that just might end with another murder at Raspberry Hill.
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Thank you in advance to Book Crash for providing a complimentary copy to review. A positive review was not required or requested, and all words are my own.
This is going to be the “I really hate this kind of a review” review. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
And, this is the type of review that I don’t know quite where to begin. And, I don’t want to be mean either. I’m going to be as honest as possible in the nicest way.
Here’s the thing …
This story had a LOT of potential. The quirky and whimsical cover really sets up what could be a sweet little “clean read” cozy mystery. It is a clean read with no sex references or foul language. With only very minor references to God and bible passages, I can hardly see where it was classified as a Christian book.
What it doesn’t do – live up to the potential it had. It had a quirky, unpredictable, cutesy idea written in short chapters which should’ve moved it along quickly. But, it was by no means a quick read. I really struggled with it, despite really putting in an effort to like this book. And, this isn’t because Marsman is a “new-to-me-author”. It is because there are several issues with this book.
The characters are, to me, somewhat bland and boring. This is written in first person from Natalie’s POV. Hers is the only voice we hear in the story. We don’t get her mom Celia’s POV or Jack’s – especially Jack’s considering he was the second most featured character. Jack was about the only character I really liked. Natalie was far too indecisive, annoying, and really wound up. It was also off-putting for Natalie to think that Jack would poison her.
The narration style is one that is … direct. In some cases, Natalie is directly addressing the reader, and some come off as a bit snotty. This is where the author lost me.
Several examples of the “direct” narration:
“Slamming the door on someone isn’t very nice. Especially since Mr. Garvey was out there too. And it was cold. And raining. But, you don’t quite know all of the facts yet, so until you do, perhaps it would be better if you didn’t say anything and just waited until you knew everything.” (pg. 29)
“I will admit, to you only, dear reader, that as I passed the bakery, I did weird little run and duck … just in case Jack was inside and working.” (pg 67)
“I was staying. Unless, of course, they were trying to kill me. Which seemed very unlikely. Right? Hey, I said … right? Right. You could be quicker with your affirmations, you know. It would make me feel a whole lot better. Work on that, would you? Thanks.” (pg. 120)
“They could scare me all they wanted, but it’s not like they were going to kill me. Right? Thank you. Your response rate was much better this time. Keep up the good work.” (pg. 124).
At times, it is as if Natalie is rambling, but doesn’t say anything really to advance the story.
Another issue was a phrase that was repeated four (4x) times on the same page and a fifth time three (3) pages later – “wicked, ungrateful granddaughter” in reference to Natalie’s inheritance of the house. I get that Natalie didn’t want to seem like such with inheriting the house, but after a while repeating the line was a bit redundant.
While there are several interesting things that happen in this story; it tends to slug along with regard to moving the plot. Natalie was also far too dramatic for what was going on.
The murder mystery gets solved, but I didn’t find the entire plot very satisfying. The entire motive was a bit far-fetched given the complexity of the “haunting”. One character wasn’t fully explained either – Mildred. The “Knitting Fairy” from book #1 was mentioned a few times, but it wasn’t necessary to read the first one to understand this plot.
The issue with the yarn shop starts about 80 pages from the end of the book, and even by the end, there is no resolution with it or reason as to why it happened. That is unless the writer addresses it in the third story – “The Knitpicker”.
The only thing I thought was “cute” was the romance between Jack and Natalie. Also, the dinner invite inside the bakery box of goodies – though it wasn’t clear whether it was Ryan for Molly or Jack for Natalie.
This book could use a bit of “cleaning” and “editing” for clarity. Even the back “blurb” needs editing due to an error.
While this is book #2 of a three (3) book series, I am not inclined to read books #1 and #3. I’m not likely to re-read this one.
Perhaps fans of the author, and those who enjoyed the first book – “The Knitting Fairy” might enjoy this novel.