Recently widowed, Jo McAllister is setting up shop in Abbotsville, Maryland. She hopes Jo’s Craft Corner will take her mind off her troubles. But no town is too small for secrets, scandal—even murder...  It’s opening day at Jo’s Craft Corner, and Jo is more tightly...  more

Recently widowed, Jo McAllister is setting up shop in Abbotsville, Maryland. She hopes Jo’s Craft Corner will take her mind off her troubles. But no town is too small for secrets, scandal—even murder...  It’s opening day at Jo’s Craft Corner, and Jo is more tightly wired than the wreath on her store’s front door. The entertainment she’s hired, Cuddles the Clown, won’t stop complaining, and Jo is about to strangle the grumbler in grease paint. But then, to her horror, she finds someone else has silenced him— for good. With a dead clown in her storeroom, Jo is the prime suspect. So she sets out to clear her name, only to find that a crafty killer wants to stamp her out of existence... Includes directions for a craft project and a recipe!

Literary Times Margot Berglund owns a needlework and wool store called Crewel World. She's fifty-three, a widow and an expert in her field. Her store does very well for a small town, and she is able to support two part time staff as well as other casual workers. Her husband Aaron had been a...  more

Literary Times Margot Berglund owns a needlework and wool store called Crewel World. She's fifty-three, a widow and an expert in her field. Her store does very well for a small town, and she is able to support two part time staff as well as other casual workers. Her husband Aaron had been a wealthy man but despite this she lives a simple life, causing speculation among the town's people. Margot's older sister, Betsy, comes to live with her. When Betsy was young she ran off to join the navy and married a sailor and now her second husband is divorcing her. Betsy seems to be planning to sponge off Margot, she sees living off Margot an easy solution to her problems, at least for the short term. In the idyllic world of Margot there are some problems. Her landlord wants her building so he can build something new and charge more, but Margot has a cheap lease that is good for another four years. So Joe sues Margot regularly and threatens her too, but she has a good lawyer to protect her. She also has a "Wanta be" successor who wants to run her own needlework store in a town that cannot support two. Irene is a little nuts and readily admits that she wants something to happen to Margot so that she can take over. Unfortunately for Irene she has no people skills and is not very successful with the customers. A few nights after her arrival, Betsy comes home and finds Crewel World trashed and Margot murdered. The mystery begins and Betsy takes it into her own hands when she thinks the police aren't doing enough.... Michelle Sawyer

For the grand opening of her shop, the Seven Year Stitch, Marcy throws a soiree.  Her friend, Sadie, who owns the coffee shop down the street, provides the delicious refreshments, and the party goes swimmingly.  Marcy's registration sheet for embroidery classes fills up, and...  more

For the grand opening of her shop, the Seven Year Stitch, Marcy throws a soiree.  Her friend, Sadie, who owns the coffee shop down the street, provides the delicious refreshments, and the party goes swimmingly.  Marcy's registration sheet for embroidery classes fills up, and everyone in town seems willing to raise a glass -- or a needle -- to support the shop. But the morning after the party, Marcy and Angus, her pooch, find a nasty surprise. The man who leased the shop before Marcy is lying dead in the storeroom, with a message scratched with a tapestry needle on the wall beside him. Now Marcy's shop has become a crime scene, and she's a suspect in the murder. But Marcy will be darned if she doesn't get to the bottom of this mystery, because it's starting to look as if someone's intent on putting the final stitch in her.

Jennifer Shane's brainchild of a shop, Custom Card Creations, hasn't been all glitter and tinsel. Customers are scarce and-after finally landing a client-Jennifer hears a murder over the phone. And when she receives a threatening note, it's clear someone has designs on her life, too. Now,...  more

Jennifer Shane's brainchild of a shop, Custom Card Creations, hasn't been all glitter and tinsel. Customers are scarce and-after finally landing a client-Jennifer hears a murder over the phone. And when she receives a threatening note, it's clear someone has designs on her life, too. Now, between holding cardmaking lessons, trying to scissor her ex-fianc? out of her life, and piecing together a murder, Jennifer has really got her work cut out for her.

For Gretchen Birch, her mother Caroline, and her aunt Nina, doll collecting is a family affair. They may disagree on other things, but when it comes to dolls, they share a passion for the most exquisite (and expensive) creations in history. But they have never imagined that doll collecting could...  more

For Gretchen Birch, her mother Caroline, and her aunt Nina, doll collecting is a family affair. They may disagree on other things, but when it comes to dolls, they share a passion for the most exquisite (and expensive) creations in history. But they have never imagined that doll collecting could inspire foul play.

Geraldine Porter thought that being the chairwoman of the local Dollhouse and Miniatures Fair would give her leisure time to spend on her favorite craft. That was before a fellow miniatures afficionado is suspected of murder, leaving Gerry to prove the woman's innocence -- or die trying.

This brand-new mystery series spins a yarn about knitters and murder in a quaint seaside village. Not long after Isabel 'Izzy' Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside...  more

This brand-new mystery series spins a yarn about knitters and murder in a quaint seaside village. Not long after Isabel 'Izzy' Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters. Izzy raises some eyebrows when she rents the apartment above her shop to Angie Archer, whose reputation for loose behavior and a quick temper has made her unpopular with many locals. But could any of them have wanted her dead? Angie's body is discovered drowned in the harbor, her long red hair tangled like seaweed in a lobster trap. An official investigation rules the death an accident. There are speculations of too many whiskey sours, a slippery wharf, a dark night. But Izzy and the Seaside Knitters smell something fishy. When several strange incidents occur above the shop, the women decide to take matters into their own hands. But before long, their small-town sense of security is frayed, and the threat of more violence hangs over this tightly knit community.

Molly Pink is about to discover the joys of crochet. It's a relaxing escape from her hectic life as a bookstore event manager . . . and from the stress of being Tarzana, California's latest murder suspect. For Molly, the weekly crochet group at Shedd & Royal Books and More was...  more

Molly Pink is about to discover the joys of crochet. It's a relaxing escape from her hectic life as a bookstore event manager . . . and from the stress of being Tarzana, California's latest murder suspect. For Molly, the weekly crochet group at Shedd & Royal Books and More was just another event to manage. Then she stumbled across the body of group leader Ellen Sheridan. Her complicated past with Ellen has made her a prime suspect, and after being cuffed and questioned, she could use a little diversion. Never mind that she doesn't know how to crochet. Granny squares don't look that hard to make. But while Molly's fending off a detective with a grudge and navigating crochet group politics, the real killer is at large. And it's up to Molly to catch the culprit -- before she winds up in a tight knot. Delicious recipe and crochet pattern included!

Meet Ariadne Evans. She's the proud owner of a knitting shop. And she's just got herself in a stitch. When Ariadne enters her knitting store one day and discovers the cast-off body of longtime customer Edith Perry strangled with homespun yarn, she fears her life is about to come...  more

Meet Ariadne Evans. She's the proud owner of a knitting shop. And she's just got herself in a stitch. When Ariadne enters her knitting store one day and discovers the cast-off body of longtime customer Edith Perry strangled with homespun yarn, she fears her life is about to come undone -- again, since she's still getting over her divorce. Ariadne's worries increase when she's questioned by detective Joshua Pierce, who may or may not have designs on her. While Josh pieces together the details of the crime, clues about Ariadne's ties to Miss Perry begin to slip together... and a bizarre pattern unfolds. Now it's up to Ariadne to do some sleuthing of her own. Can she untangle the investigation without getting snarled up into too much trouble? That depends on whether the killer is as crafty as she is....

Despite the fact that her aunt was an expert knitter, Kelly Flynn never picked up a pair knitting needles she liked -- until she strolled into House of Lambspun. Now, in the first in a brand-new series, she learns how to knit one, purl two, and untangle the mystery behind her aunt's...  more

Despite the fact that her aunt was an expert knitter, Kelly Flynn never picked up a pair knitting needles she liked -- until she strolled into House of Lambspun. Now, in the first in a brand-new series, she learns how to knit one, purl two, and untangle the mystery behind her aunt's murder. Kelly Flynn would be the first to admit her life in Washington, D.C., is a little on the dull side. But coming back to Colorado for her beloved aunt’s funeral wasn’t the kind of excitement she was seeking. The police are convinced that her Aunt Helen’s death was the result of a burglary gone bad, but for the accountant in Kelly, things just aren’t adding up. After all, why would her sensible, sixty-eight-year-old aunt borrow $20,000 just days before her death? With the help of the knitting regulars at House of Lambspun, Kelly’s about to get a few lessons in cranking out a sumptuously colored scarf -- and in luring a killer out of hiding...

Meet Kitzi Camden, former stateswoman. When she retired, Kitzi dreamed of doing what she loves best--beading. She certainly didn't plan to try her hand at amateur sleuthing. But lately, trouble seems to find her wherever she goes--even deep into the woods. When a young beader is killed...  more

Meet Kitzi Camden, former stateswoman. When she retired, Kitzi dreamed of doing what she loves best--beading. She certainly didn't plan to try her hand at amateur sleuthing. But lately, trouble seems to find her wherever she goes--even deep into the woods. When a young beader is killed at a beading retreat, Kitzi is faced with almost as many suspects as there are beads in her bag.

Benjamin Perkins thought he had his hands full taking care of his family's specialty soap store and keeping his quirky clan in line and out of trouble. But he's about to learn that when it comes to murder, there's no such thing as a clean getaway.

Harrison Black knows nothing about candlemaking. But when he inherits his Great-Aunt Belle's candle shop, At Wick's End, he's ready to take on the challenge. Then, when someone vandalizes Belle's apartment, Harrison realizes that he's also inherited a whole lot of trouble --...  more

Harrison Black knows nothing about candlemaking. But when he inherits his Great-Aunt Belle's candle shop, At Wick's End, he's ready to take on the challenge. Then, when someone vandalizes Belle's apartment, Harrison realizes that he's also inherited a whole lot of trouble -- for his great-aunt's death seems more and more like foul play... Why anyone would have wanted a harmless old lady dead is beyond Harrison. So he takes it upon himself to do a bit of sleuthing. But it looks like he's playing with fire -- because somebody wants Harrison to mind his own beeswax...

Cocoa butter soap, check. Lemon lip balm, check. A dead body? That's just what Sophie Mae Reynolds finds in her workroom: the corpse of Walter Hanover, the neighborhood handyman. He died from drinking lye, something she has in good supply. But the police don't suspect Sophie Mae, a...  more

Cocoa butter soap, check. Lemon lip balm, check. A dead body? That's just what Sophie Mae Reynolds finds in her workroom: the corpse of Walter Hanover, the neighborhood handyman. He died from drinking lye, something she has in good supply. But the police don't suspect Sophie Mae, a thirty-something widow who makes and sells beauty products. Instead they call it a suicide. But why would a man with lottery cash and a loving fiance kill himself? No one can stop the impulsive Sophie Mae from answering this riddle, not her sensible best friend Meghan or Detective Ambrose, who incites annoyance as well as stomach flutters. Sophie Mae's big mouth and sharp nose lead her to a peppermint-scented trail of arson, bigamy, and a shocking family secret that reveals a personal connection to Walter . . . and his killer. This crafty new series features real recipes and a blundering, yet lovable, amateur sleuth who brings a fresh face to cozy mysteries

Brooklyn girl Lili Marino has found herself starting over in the tiny village of Walden Corners, New York, where she has the time and space to cultivate her first love: taking gourds from the garden and transforming them into birdhouses, bowls, and beautiful works of art. She's also becoming...  more

Brooklyn girl Lili Marino has found herself starting over in the tiny village of Walden Corners, New York, where she has the time and space to cultivate her first love: taking gourds from the garden and transforming them into birdhouses, bowls, and beautiful works of art. She's also becoming surprisingly expert at cutting to the rotten heart of a mystery. . . In lieu of payment for six months' work, Lili was given a cottage in Walden Corners -- which proved the perfect place to escape a love affair gone flat. Though some residents are wary of the city transplant, Lili -- and her gourd obsession -- are welcomed with open arms by Nora Johnson, wife of the high school football coach. Lili is just starting to carve out a place for herself when she finds Nora's husband dead on the first day of hunting season. And she had naively thought the most dangerous thing she would have to deal with was a moldy gourd -- not a murderer . . .

Featuring small-town stampers who are sure to leave their mark. A professional rubber stamper who creates intricate patterns on walls, April Buchert is back home in Aldenville, Pennsylvania, helping her father restore the famous Winchester mansion. But when a human skull tumbles out of the...  more

Featuring small-town stampers who are sure to leave their mark. A professional rubber stamper who creates intricate patterns on walls, April Buchert is back home in Aldenville, Pennsylvania, helping her father restore the famous Winchester mansion. But when a human skull tumbles out of the rubble, all eyes are on April’'s father, who oversaw the construction twenty years ago. As unexplained deaths pile up and a dangerously handsome carpenter becomes a pleasant distraction, can April chip away at the truth before another innocent victim is stamped out?

A computer techie by trade, Dewey Pellicano would rather swallow needles than be pinned down to a life of quilting. But when her mother passes away, Dewey must exchange code for calico as the new proprietress of Quilter Paradiso. Between learning the business and dealing with a conniving...  more

A computer techie by trade, Dewey Pellicano would rather swallow needles than be pinned down to a life of quilting. But when her mother passes away, Dewey must exchange code for calico as the new proprietress of Quilter Paradiso. Between learning the business and dealing with a conniving employee who is also her sister-in-law, Dewey is ready to snap. During a national quilt show, quilting celebrity Claire Armstrong offers to buy the shop. But before Dewey can accept, she finds the famous quilter lying dead on the floor—a bloody rotary cutter at her side. When hunky homicide detective Buster Healy enters the scene, romance flourishes... until another murder takes place. Can Dewey thread together the pieces to this murderous pattern before the killer strikes again? Wild Goose Chase is the first book in the Quilting Mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Dewey Pellicano.

The day is here--and Brad Lyon is helping his wife put the finishing touches on her best bears, just in time for the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza. The event will draw fur-ball fanatics from near and far to buy, sell, or simply ogle the bears. But the main event will be the showing...  more

The day is here--and Brad Lyon is helping his wife put the finishing touches on her best bears, just in time for the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza. The event will draw fur-ball fanatics from near and far to buy, sell, or simply ogle the bears. But the main event will be the showing of the Mourning Bear, made to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic--and worth a hefty $150,000. Then a local also meets a watery grave--and Brad Lyon spots the body floating in the Shenandoah. Old habits die hard, so Brad starts investigating like a homicide cop and finds the deceased might have had a connection to the Mourning Bear. But the local law would prefer that Brad keep his mouth sewn shut...

Meet Brenda Midnight She's a savvy young designer with her own hat shop, who has never even thought of chasing crooks. But when crime invades her cobblestone Greenwich Village neighborhood and the cops don't have a clue, Brenda has to drop everything, including her hats, to catch a...  more

Meet Brenda Midnight She's a savvy young designer with her own hat shop, who has never even thought of chasing crooks. But when crime invades her cobblestone Greenwich Village neighborhood and the cops don't have a clue, Brenda has to drop everything, including her hats, to catch a thief. . .and a killer. Chasing The Lady In Pink There's big money to be made if Brenda and her dress designer friend Carla can create the high society wedding of the year. Carla's covering the bride and her maids with dresses to die for, and Brenda's doing the hats. But just as Brenda's finishing the last of the exquisite headgear, she's held up by a woman in a hot pink suit, who escapes with the entire collection. Brenda takes off after her high priced hats and runs straight into her friend Carla -- dead! It's bloody murder -- but Brenda can't convince the men in blue that they should be chasing the mysterious Lady in Pink -- who may have come up with her own design. . . .for murder.

Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches -- and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right -- and she's found him in...  more

Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches -- and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right -- and she's found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple's very first murder. Bad news is he's 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.

Ever since she moved to Sweet Briar, South Carolina, Yankee librarian Tori Sinclair has been the talk of the tiny town. But she's been so busy at work, winning over the sewing circle, and trying to forget her cheating ex that she hasn't even had time to baste together a pillow, let alone mind...  more

Ever since she moved to Sweet Briar, South Carolina, Yankee librarian Tori Sinclair has been the talk of the tiny town. But she's been so busy at work, winning over the sewing circle, and trying to forget her cheating ex that she hasn't even had time to baste together a pillow, let alone mind local gossip. Then she finds the hometown sweetheart dead at her back door... Everyone believes the police investigator, who's just fixin' to link Tori to the murder in a love triangle gone bad. To clear her name, Tori will have to rely on her new sewing sisters and stitch together the truth -- or be darned.

Page Hollow has returned to Hitchcock Cove, Kansas to look after her eccentric Aunt Maddie, Maddie and Page have decided it's time for a change, so Maddie opens a mystery bookstore and Page opens a cross stitch shop, but the last thing Page expects is a murder in her quaint home town. A...  more

Page Hollow has returned to Hitchcock Cove, Kansas to look after her eccentric Aunt Maddie, Maddie and Page have decided it's time for a change, so Maddie opens a mystery bookstore and Page opens a cross stitch shop, but the last thing Page expects is a murder in her quaint home town. A freak snowstorm in October does little to ease Page's fears as more strange occurrences happen by the day.Strangers are appearing in Hitchcock Cove, and when everyone gets snowed in at Aunt Maddie's Victorian home, Page knows if she isn't careful she will lose more than electricity -- she'll lose her life. Finding a murder in a snow-covered town isn't easy, but Page and her stitching and thrill seeking cohorts are armed, with needles,gossip and a quest for the truth, no mattered how snow covered it is.

Po Paltrow - writer, quilter and nurturer of the Queen Bees quilting group - jogged quickly through the tree-lined streets of the Kansas college town toward the quaint shops along Elderberry Road. It was an idyllic, autumn morning in the town that she loved ... that is, until a cat's shrill...  more

Po Paltrow - writer, quilter and nurturer of the Queen Bees quilting group - jogged quickly through the tree-lined streets of the Kansas college town toward the quaint shops along Elderberry Road. It was an idyllic, autumn morning in the town that she loved ... that is, until a cat's shrill cry tipped her off to a body stretched just inside Selma Parker's quilt shop. A robbery victim? Perhaps .... And so begins the first adventure of the Queen Bees, eight spirited quilters united in a warm friendship - with a surprising talent for sleuthing.

Nell Fitzgerald is thrilled when she receives a gorgeous handmade quilt in a lover's knot pattern from her grandmother Eleanor as an engagement gift. Her joy is short-lived, however, when her fiance announces he's calling off the wedding. Heartbroken, 25-year-old Nell flees New York City...  more

Nell Fitzgerald is thrilled when she receives a gorgeous handmade quilt in a lover's knot pattern from her grandmother Eleanor as an engagement gift. Her joy is short-lived, however, when her fiance announces he's calling off the wedding. Heartbroken, 25-year-old Nell flees New York City for her grandmother's home in quaint Archers Rest. In this small town Eleanor's life revolves around her quilt shop, Someday Quilts, and the members of the shop's quilting circle. When the body of a local handyman known for his flirting is found in the quilt shop, murdered with a pair of quilting scissors, Nell finds herself drawn into the case -- and drawn to the handsome police chief. As a pattern of clues begins to emerge, one of the prime suspects is Nell's ex-fiance, whose arrival in Archers Rest seems suspicious. The ladies of the quilting circle continue to piece together their quilts as Nell unravels the mystery. For quilters and mystery lovers alike, The Lover's Knot is a delightful and promising debut.

The best friend of Claire Hanover, 46-year-old proprietor of a Colorado Springs gift basket business, arranges for a handsome young massage therapist to give Claire a massage. When he's shot and killed in her bedroom and police arrest her husband, Roger, for the crime, Claire must convince...  more

The best friend of Claire Hanover, 46-year-old proprietor of a Colorado Springs gift basket business, arranges for a handsome young massage therapist to give Claire a massage. When he's shot and killed in her bedroom and police arrest her husband, Roger, for the crime, Claire must convince Roger she wasn't having an affair and, with advice from a PI friend, find the real killer before Roger loses his job and goes to trial. Claire confronts the victim's fiery ex-girlfriend, his drug-dealing cohorts, and the gym ladies he supplied with cocaine or seduced for money. She must extricate herself from under a drug dealer's bed while he seduces his girlfriend, from jail -- charged with breaking and entering, from a drug boss's limousine while he berates her for "messin' in his business," and from her angry aerobics classmates when they discover she suspects them. She makes mistakes at every turn, but she perseveres. Will she find the real murderer before Roger loses his job and goes to trial? Can she convince her husband to come back to her? Or will the killer get to her first?

Magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack is a widowed, debt-ridden mother of two teenaged boys and the reluctant caretaker of both a cantankerous semi-invalid, communist mother-in-law and a five-times widowed mother convinced she descends from Russian royalty. When the magazine’s fashion...  more

Magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack is a widowed, debt-ridden mother of two teenaged boys and the reluctant caretaker of both a cantankerous semi-invalid, communist mother-in-law and a five-times widowed mother convinced she descends from Russian royalty. When the magazine’s fashion editor, suspected of having had an affair with Anastasia’s husband, is found dead and glued to Anastasia’s office chair, and the murder weapon is Anastasia’s glue gun, she becomes the prime suspect. Anastasia must use both her wits and her crafts skills to find the killer before he finds her.

A new series takes shape -- the debut of the Clay and Crime mysteries. Includes directions for a pottery project!   In Maple Ridge, Vermont, Carolyn Emerson planned to ease into her golden years running her paint-your-own-pottery shop, Fire at Will. She never expected to uncover a...  more

A new series takes shape -- the debut of the Clay and Crime mysteries. Includes directions for a pottery project!   In Maple Ridge, Vermont, Carolyn Emerson planned to ease into her golden years running her paint-your-own-pottery shop, Fire at Will. She never expected to uncover a dead body in the shop, and she certainly didn't plan on a drop in live clientele. Now it's up to Carolyn and her shop's pottery club, The Firing Squad, to help clear her name. But can she find a killer and more customers without her own brush with death?

Tucked away on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans is a cute little scrapbooking store called Memory Mine owned by Carmela Bertrand, an astute business person but unlucky in love. Her husband Shamus dumped her six months ago, claiming he had to find himself. Carmela moved from their...  more

Tucked away on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans is a cute little scrapbooking store called Memory Mine owned by Carmela Bertrand, an astute business person but unlucky in love. Her husband Shamus dumped her six months ago, claiming he had to find himself. Carmela moved from their fancy home to a funky apartment located on top of a voodoo store. Carmela and friends are taking in one of the Mardi Gras parades when a float stops in front of them. Powerful Jimmy Early Clayton is dead and an autopsy reveals he died from an overdose of ketamine. Shamus was seen having an argument with him and had access to the float and Jimmy Lee's stash of liquor. A vicious rumor campaign starts, stating that Shamus is the killer. Although Carmela is estranged from him, she doesn't think her husband is a murderer. She sets out to prove it, but places her life in danger from the killer who doesn't want Carmela putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

In the small New England town of Morse Point, Brenna Miller glosses over her painful past by watching her decoupage students create eye-catching projects out of cutouts, glue, and varnish. But when the mayor's body is found stuffed in a trunk at Morse Point Lake, it's up to Brenna to clear her...  more

In the small New England town of Morse Point, Brenna Miller glosses over her painful past by watching her decoupage students create eye-catching projects out of cutouts, glue, and varnish. But when the mayor's body is found stuffed in a trunk at Morse Point Lake, it's up to Brenna to clear her enigmatic landlord's name of murder-before his fate is signed, sealed and delivered.

Every scrapbook tells a story. Memories of friends, family . . .and murder? Mousy housewife Kiki Lowenstein has two great loves: scrapbooking and her young daughter, Anya. But her happy family album is ruined when her husband, George, is found naked and dead in a hotel room. As Kiki tracks down...  more

Every scrapbook tells a story. Memories of friends, family . . .and murder? Mousy housewife Kiki Lowenstein has two great loves: scrapbooking and her young daughter, Anya. But her happy family album is ruined when her husband, George, is found naked and dead in a hotel room. As Kiki tracks down George's murderer, she discovers his sordid secret life. Cruel taunts by George's former flame compel Kiki to spout an unwise threat. When the woman is murdered, Kiki's scissor-sharp words make her the prime suspect. She could be creating scrapbook keepsakes for the rest of her life-behind bars. Supported by her loyal friends, along with a little help (and a lot of stomach flutters) from the dashing Detective Detweiler, can Kiki cut the true killer out of the picture and design a new life for herself and Anya? Includes expert scrapbooking tips and techniques.

Annie breaks the news to her curator ex-boyfriend Ernst: his museum's new $15 million Caravaggio is a fake. Then the janitor is killed, Ernst disappears, and a dealer makes off with several Old Master drawings. If she breaks the case using her old connections, Annie can finally pay the...  more

Annie breaks the news to her curator ex-boyfriend Ernst: his museum's new $15 million Caravaggio is a fake. Then the janitor is killed, Ernst disappears, and a dealer makes off with several Old Master drawings. If she breaks the case using her old connections, Annie can finally pay the rent. But doing so could also draw her back into the underworld of forgers she swore she'd left behind.

The Black Sheep Knitters -- Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne, and Phoebe -- meet once a week without fail, sharing the varied and colorful skeins of their lives as much as knitting tips, recipes, and small-town gossip, and creating an intricate, durable pattern of friendship. Now a shocking murder...  more

The Black Sheep Knitters -- Maggie, Lucy, Dana, Suzanne, and Phoebe -- meet once a week without fail, sharing the varied and colorful skeins of their lives as much as knitting tips, recipes, and small-town gossip, and creating an intricate, durable pattern of friendship. Now a shocking murder has peaceful Plum Harbor, Massachusetts, in knots -- and the Black Sheep women must herd together to protect one of their own from a scandalous frame-up. Maggie Messina, beloved owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is thrilled to be hosting a workshop for one of her former students, now a celebrity in the knitting world. But the celebration is upstaged when Amanda Goran, the owner of the rival Knitting Nest, is found dead in her shop on the other side of town. Maggie had reasons to dislike Amanda, a thorn in her side ever since Maggie's shop surpassed Amanda's in popularity. Then again, it wasn't hard to dislike Amanda -- the contentious woman, whose marriage was on the rocks, seemed to specialize in causing misery all over town. But the pointed evidence has a detective casting a suspicious eye on Maggie. She may be a whiz at knitting, but can she keep the police from needling her before her shop, her reputation, and her circle of friends become unraveled?

Leaving behind memories of her late husband, Benni's making a fresh start.... Moving to the trendy California town of San Celina, she takes an exciting new job as director of a folk-art museum. While setting up an exhibit of handmade quilts, she stumbles upon a body of a brutally stabbed artist...  more

Leaving behind memories of her late husband, Benni's making a fresh start.... Moving to the trendy California town of San Celina, she takes an exciting new job as director of a folk-art museum. While setting up an exhibit of handmade quilts, she stumbles upon a body of a brutally stabbed artist -- and hopes to conduct an investigation on her own. She crosses paths with the local police chief, who thinks this short and sassy cowgirl should leave detecting to the cops, and join him for dinner. But it's hard to keep a country girl down, and soon Benni uncovers an alarming pattern of family secrets, small-town lies -- and the shocking truth about the night her husband died.

Glassblower Emmeline Dowell has made a home for herself among the artists of Tucson's Warehouse District. But her friendship with troubled newcomer Allison McBride takes a dangerous turn when Allison's husband turns up dead in Em's studio. Now Emmeline is involved in a murder investigation that...  more

Glassblower Emmeline Dowell has made a home for herself among the artists of Tucson's Warehouse District. But her friendship with troubled newcomer Allison McBride takes a dangerous turn when Allison's husband turns up dead in Em's studio. Now Emmeline is involved in a murder investigation that reaches beyond the sunny Southwest. And when the killer acts again, it's up to her to pick up the shards of Allison's life before it's too late.

Handicrafts are fast becoming a favorite American past-time. Another, of course, is a good mystery. Combine the two and you have this delightfully different anthology on the art and craft of murder, in which the likes of knitting needles, handblown glass, wood files, and adhesives prove to be...  more

Handicrafts are fast becoming a favorite American past-time. Another, of course, is a good mystery. Combine the two and you have this delightfully different anthology on the art and craft of murder, in which the likes of knitting needles, handblown glass, wood files, and adhesives prove to be implements of a nastier sort of handiwork. The collage to kill for / Susan Wittig Albert -- The gourd, the bad, and the ugly / Maggie Bruce -- Call it macaroni / Jan Burke -- No good deed / Dorothy Cannell -- If you meet the Buddha / Susan Dunlap -- Strung out / Monica Ferris and Denise Williams -- Oh, what a tangled lanyard we weave / Parnell Hall -- How to make a killing online / Victoria Houston -- The M word / Judith Kelman -- Bewreathed / Margaret Maron -- The deepest blue / Sujata Massey -- Waxing moon / Tim Myers -- Light her way home / Sharan Newman -- Ellie's chair / Gillian Roberts -- Motherwit and tea cakes / Paula L. Woods

Working out of her button shop in a Chicago brownstone, Josie Giancola has become one of the country's leading experts on buttons. Her reputation draws a Hollywood starlet to the Button Box to shop for one-of-a-kind buttons to adorn her made-to-order wedding gown. But after the Button...  more

Working out of her button shop in a Chicago brownstone, Josie Giancola has become one of the country's leading experts on buttons. Her reputation draws a Hollywood starlet to the Button Box to shop for one-of-a-kind buttons to adorn her made-to-order wedding gown. But after the Button Box is ransacked and the actress murdered, Josie's cozy world is thrown into chaos -- and a killer is out to keep Josie's lips buttoned up...permanently.

In a rehabbed Spur station outside the small town of Kindred, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here -- fluffy omelets, slumbering volcanoes, toad in the hole, and eggs on a cloud. This cozy little cafe even offers a book...  more

In a rehabbed Spur station outside the small town of Kindred, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here -- fluffy omelets, slumbering volcanoes, toad in the hole, and eggs on a cloud. This cozy little cafe even offers a book nook and knitting nest -- and business has been good. But two murders, a runaway girl, a vicious widow, and a messianic cult leader just might lead to their undoing.