Knot the Usual Suspects

Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, Book 5

By: Molly MacRae

Narrated by: Emily Durante

It's time for Handmade Blue Plum, an annual arts and crafts fair, and Kath and her knitting group TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fiber) plan to kick off the festivities with a yarn bombing. But they're not the only ones needling Blue Plum. Bagpiper and former resident Hugh McPhee had just returned after a long absence, yet his reception is anything but cozy. The morning after his arrival, he's found dead in full piper's regalia. Although shaken, Kath and her knitting group go forward with their yarn installation - only to hit a deadly snag. Now, with the help of Geneva, the ghost who haunts her shop, Kath and TGIF need to unravel the mystery before someone else gets kilt!

©2015 Molly MacRae (P)2015 Tantor

Reliably Good Mystery!

Any additional comments?

Knot the Usual Suspects is another cozy Yarn Shop Mystery. I love the recurring characters, Kath Rutledge and her yarn shop cohorts. The details are never too graphic and there’s always a little romance thrown in. The audible version was engaging and entertaining. Definitely a reliably good listen!

some technical difficulties

Unlike the other books I've had, this one did not pick up on other devices where one left off. It restarted completely 3 times. Otherwise, I have been loving the series. Lots of fun to listen to.

I love this series

This is a fun cozy mystery series with great characters and interesting plots. I enjoyed this book like the others and look forward to the next one.

Excellent murder mystery

As Knot the Usual Suspects by Molly MacRae opens, Kath Rutledge is preparing for the annual arts and crafts festival Handmade Blue Plum by putting together the first ever Blue Plum Yarn Bombing in which they secretly cover the town in yarn graffiti the night before the festival. As they get all their yarn pieces put together in advance of the yarn bombing, Kath gets caught measuring the pillars of the courthouse, but by a stranger. However, she soon discovers that this man, by the name of Hugh McPhee, was a former favorite student of Ardis, who became manager of The Weavers Cat after retiring from teaching. He comes into the shop, where Ardis is thrilled to see him, but Geneva, the slightly less depressed ghost than we have seen in the previous books, notes that while Ardis can't stop smiling at Hugh's presence, Hugh hasn't actually smiled once. After an afternoon with Hugh, Ardis returns to announce that he has happily agreed to become an honorary member of TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fiber) by participating in the top secret yarn bombing coming up. The next morning, the community is upset at a bagpiper who played at midnight and woke up the entire town, only to find out that this bagpiper was Hugh, and he has been murdered. It seems that this man who played for other people's funerals officiated at his own.

Ardis immediately determines to arrange a meeting of The Posse, a group of members of TGIF who have worked together to solve murders, in order to get to the bottom of Hugh's murder.

This book shows great strength in both the creative mystery plot details and the delightful characters. The mystery kept me guessing and listening on tenderhooks to find out what would happen. And I had a delightful time being reunited with the other characters from the series. The members of TGIF have their own personalities. Now Kath has developed a relationship with Joe Dunbar, brother of Cole "Clod," the sheriff's deputy, and it is nice to see Kath find some happiness with Joe. We also see extra of the Spivey twins, relations of Kath whom everyone finds detestable. They are the kinds of characters you love to hate.

This book shows significant progress in the relationship between Kath and Geneva. The murder they solved together in Plagued by Quilt, which helped Kath identify Geneva's historical identity and her modern-day relations in Ardis and her father, led to a greater sense of teamship between the two. Geneva has always seen herself as a member of The Posse, but now she seems to contribute more, and Kath accepts her help more. I had to laugh at the way that Geneva panics over going outside in the dark because she herself is afraid of ghosts! The book is so creative in making the ghost a normal character who just happens to be a ghost.

One of the great things about this series is the creative writing of MacRae. The book is sprinkled with witticisms, puns, and all sorts of fun word play. It makes me eager to listen to the series again because I know I will have new details to catch.

Emily Durante continues to narrate this fifth book in the Haunted Yarn Shoppe series. She creates believable and distinct voices for each character and uses creative inflections to perform this book and bring out to life. I really enjoy the audiobooks of this series.

Knot the Usual Suspects was the last in this series for a while, but we readers rejoiced to learn that MacRae got a new contract for two more books in the series, so we can look forward to more adventures with Kath and Geneva. I greatly enjoyed this book and will eagerly await the next book in the series. I give the book five stars.

Murder, and the gals and ghost at TGIF are on it!

Yarn bombing - what better way to decorate the town for the Craft Fair? But when bodies turn up, strangled by yarn strips, could the killer be one of TGIF's own??