Dyeing Up Loose Ends

Sefton’s rambling 16th knitting cozy (after 2017’s Only Skein Deep) gets off to a slow start with dozens of pages devoted to past crimes solved by series lead Kelly Flynn, an accountant in Fort Connor, Colo. Much of the action focuses on the quotidian lives of Kelly and her group of close friends, all patrons of the Lambspun knitting shop, who are involved in planning a wedding for the niece of the owners of Pete’s Porch Café. Meanwhile, Julie, a cheerful waitress from the café, is found dead in her car with blood all over one side of her head. Apparently, Julie shot herself, but Kelly has her doubts. Using her amateur sleuthing skills and the help of her retired police detective friend, Burt Parker, Kelly gets on the trail of a murderer, though the reader is likely to put the pieces together faster than she does. Series fans will enjoy catching up with the likable, kindhearted characters. Others, however, will be disappointed by the book’s padding and repetition, such as multiple chapters ending in laughter. [em]Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (July) [/em]