Death Among the Stitches - Crochet and Crumpets Mystery by Betty Hechtman Paperback

Death Among the Stitches by Betty Hechtman is the debut of A Crochet and Crumpets Mystery series. I enjoy cozy mysteries that incorporate crafts, so I was looking forward to reading Death Among the Stitches. The story moved at an unhurried pace (I swear I saw snails zipping by me). I did not like the main character, Annie Sara. I wanted to tell her to grow a backbone and learn to say no. The author needed to flesh her out more. I wish the author had not included Gray in the book (this character was more developed than Annie Sara). The girl cannot please her mother who is a famous actress. I did not like the body shaming (there was so much of it). I did not enjoy the talk about the “diet,” getting Gray to fit into these ridiculously tiny jeans, and Annie Sara afraid to eat regular food in front of Gray. There is also Gray’s romance with Officer Smith. It is just plain silly (a police officer is, of course, no good enough for the daughter of Camille Constatine). The mystery was lackluster. The murder took place long before Annie Sara inherited the schoolhouse. Annie Sara makes a half-hearted attempt to learn what happened to the murdered woman. The clues drop at the end of the story before the anticlimactic reveal. Those who are avid cozy mystery readers will have no problem unraveling the puzzle. I enjoyed the snippets about knitting and crochet. I wish the story had focused more on the craft. My favorite part of the book was hearing about the Hoosier cabinet Annie Sara picked up for the kitchen at the schoolhouse (there was one in our kitchen when I was a child). I like that the history of the cabinet was included. Death Among the Stitches mostly dealt with Annie Sara’s day to day activities. There were repetitive details particularly about the summer people who rented homes and liked to party. I wish Death Among the Stitches had likeable characters, more depth, and an intriguing mystery. I felt that this story missed the mark.