| Title | : | By Hook or by Crook (Crochet Mystery, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 042522838X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780425228388 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 261 |
| Publication | : | First published April 16, 2009 |
Molly Pink's crochet group has a new mystery on their hands when they find a paper bag that contains a note that speaks of remorse, a diary entry of the sorrow of parting, and a complicated piece of filet crochet that offers an obscure clue in pictures. Things get even more complicated when they find the talented crocheter-murdered by a box of poisoned marzipan apples.
By Hook or by Crook (Crochet Mystery, #3) Reviews
-
Things are heating up in Molly's world and not all in a good way! Her personal life is in turmoil with parents visiting and breakups happening and toss into the middle of that someone has dropped a mystery into her lap to solve that may end up with her locked behind bars! The characters are definitely vivid and come to life even more with each book and the plots just keep getting better and better! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book! Even better for me is that the entire series is available via audiobook!
-
By hook or by crook is a cute cozy mystery book. It is the third book in the crochet mystery series. I rather enjoyed this book and the series.
-
When an anonymous person leaves a bag with a piece filet crochet in it for the Tarzana Hookers to find, Molly gets drawn into the mystery. The piece of crochet tells a story, but the hookers most decipher its meaning. As usual, Molly skirts on the edge of the law to gain access to the answers. To complicate matters, her parents are visiting, her mom’s old singing group is competing again and practicing at Molly’s house, and things are going haywire for Molly in the romance department. Could things possibly become worse? Of course, they can and do! A lot happens in this quick read that is both delightful and entertaining.
-
Another good entry in the series. Molly gets involved trying to solve a case due to a filet crochet that someone left for the group to find. There was a lot going on in the book both with the case and in Molly's personal life. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
-
It's been awhile since I dipped into the Crochet Mysteries but it didn't take long to remember Molly Pink and her gang of crafty crocheters.
While at a get together the crochet bunch was having a great time and never seen who dropped off a package in a paper bag until everyone was gone. Inside it contained a letter of remorse and a crocheted piece that contains clues. Clues that everyone thinks Molly can figure out because she is a pretty good sleuth.
They find out who it belongs to and when Molly goes to drop it off she finds the lady dead. She doesn't want to be involved with another dead body nor does she want to deal with the female detective who can't stand her because she is dating Barry another detective.
Molly and the gang go on some adventures trying to figure out what happened and what some of the pictures might mean on the crocheted piece. Molly of course gets herself in a heap of trouble and this time Barry is not around much to be of any help.
The pieces start falling into place when she realizes something about one of the crochet members and how it might have bearing on the mystery, but it also gets her in a spot of trouble.
I haven't always been a huge fan of Molly Pink but I think she is kind of growing on me cause I really enjoyed this one and her misadventures. :) There is a bit of trouble in romantic paradise and I am not sure how I feel about that, but guess I will have to see how things go.
I enjoyed the mystery and didn't have a clue who the killer was but I like that. :) Great series for anyone who loves cozies and crafty themes. -
Series should be read in order.
This installment was a little to pat, to contrived for me. If a tv production group is going to invade a place of business, you'd better believe that the events coordinator is going to know about it ahead of time and be working closely with the producer. And the parents basically moving in and taking over her home?? The mystery and filet crochet was kind of fun, but Molly Pink is one nosy lady! -
I enjoy the mysteries by this author. There is some needlework ... but it doesn't overshadow the mystery. There is a book store ... a huge plus! Again, it doesn't overshadow the mystery. And there is a background of "romance?" ... all of these elements work together to enhance the mystery, so I like the way she writes. This one was no exception, and it additionally included some wonderful descriptions of Catalina Island so it was lovely.
-
Molly Pink is a forty-something widow who's been hired as an events coordinator at a local bookstore. One day while finishing an outdoor sale for charity, Molly discovers a paper bag has been left that contains pictures done in filet crochet. Curious enough to want to find the owner and what it all means, she sets out to do so. But when she does find the woman, it's too late: she's already dead, and Molly has figured out the murder weapon.
But the police aren't taking her seriously, so she keeps searching to figure out the clues -- with the help of her crocheting friends. On top of this, her parents have come to visit and turned her home into a music studio, and she's having second thoughts about her relationship with homicide detective Barry Greenberg. But her main concern is who killed the woman and why...and will she stay alive long enough to figure it out?
This is the third book in the series and I've always had concerns about some things, but now they've come further into the forefront. First off, Molly is concerned with her relationship with Barry because as a homicide detective, he's always out of town. Why? He's not a private investigator. Homicide detectives don't travel from town to town investigating murders. They work with other investigators in other towns, and unless it's necessary, they don't go from city to city for days on end. Is he the only homicide detective in the state? PI's travel; not so much homicide detectives. You can learn that from any cop show on Discovery ID. I get that they are always on the go in their own town, but they don't regularly travel out of state like Barry does -- and I also think the "surprise" pulled on Molly was an excuse and not a reason to break up, but more of a plot twist by the author to give us a reason to think they should. Not buying that, either, considering he was never around enough for them to talk.
Honestly, I don't understand Molly's reluctance about relationships. It's been said many times over that once you've had a great relationship, it's easier to go into another one than if you've had a bad one; and Molly's marriage was good, so why wouldn't she want marriage again? Just my opinion, is all...
I also can't stand Adele and am really hoping she'll be the next victim. The only thing more abhorrent than a love triangle is the 'evil nemesis' that pops up in books from time to time. It's not needed to make a good book, and usually takes the pleasure out of reading it...and Molly has two: Adele and Detective Heather. Seriously?
I will say that I like Molly's rapport with Dinah, and I think the mystery was done well. There were clues throughout and trying to put them together was interesting, while watching how Molly went about it. When she figured out who the murderer was and the reason why, it seemed believable, even though I can never understand how one person can kill another and just walk away from it. Ah, well.
As it is, I will read the next in the series to see if Molly gets her life together. At least the mysteries are good. -
Confession...I do know the basics of crochet. I've crocheted ivy filet window topper curtains & "regular" other crochet objects so this was definitely a fascinating/fun read for both the crochet chat & the mystery. Found the interpretation of the filet piece challenging based on description so could relate to heroine Molly's frustrations. Loved the quirkiness of the characters, the dance class, the reunion of the She La Las, the challenges of bookstore "workshops".
-
Second Read: In this thrilling novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series, Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy when she investigates the disappearance of a former U.S. Senator.
Just as Dennis Mira is about to confront his cousin Edward about selling the West Village brownstone that belonged to their grandfather, he gets a shock: Edward is in front of him, bruised and bloody…and then everything goes black.
When Dennis comes to, Edward is gone. Luckily Dennis’s wife is a top profiler for the NYPSD—and a close colleague of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Now Eve is determined to uncover the secrets of Edward Mira and learn what enemies he may have made in his long career as a lawyer, judge, and senator. A badge and a billionaire husband can get you access to places others can’t go, and Eve intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate…and a new case that no one saw coming.
First Read: A relatively new author, Betty Hechtman, Goodreads Author has picked the theme of crocheting, tied in with her murder link. This is her third book, and it's quite entertaining.
Originally published on the 16th of April in 2009, the ‘Crochet Mystery’ series, as it was initially brought out through the Berkley publishing label. Using the same theme driven narrative as the previous novels, it centers itself around the subject of crochet, and the mysteries that happen around a group of crafts-people. Knowing its genre well, Hechtman is able to play with the codes and conventions, giving the readers what they want, but also providing enough of a twist to keep them engaged.
Molly Pink and her team of crocheters are faced with a new mystery when they discover a paper bag with a collection of strange and question raising items in it. One is a note which tells of remorse in detail, then another which features a diary entry explaining the sorrow of parting, and then a complex segment of filet crochet depicting a clue in pictures. That’s when one of the more talented crocheters is murdered, their body discovered to have been poisoned by a box of deadly marzipan apples. What could be the motive behind the murder? Will they strike again? Can they find the killer by hook or by crook? Enjoy, recommend!!! -
I wanted a light, fun, cozy mystery with a little crochet on the side. Something totally craft-nerdy that would be an escape.
This book didn't deliver and was definitely my last attempt at reading this series.
For one, the crochet part.. the whole hook of the series.. was not interesting, sounded ugly and made no sense. Part of the mystery was literally "Why would someone make something so ugly" (not a spoiler, that's early on)
Secondly, the attempt to pull some kind of mystery out of the lackluster crochet piece left the protagonist looking ridiculous. I was starting to really dislike her as a person half way through and it just kept getting worse.
Lastly, the attempt to have an interesting and colorful group of people as secondary characters is not working well. Instead of having an eclectic group who comes together, it seems like the author actively dislikes her group. A large part of the interaction between the protagonist and the secondary characters seems to be bitching, insults, jealous maneuvering or backstabbing.
Basically, the series has now become about a bunch of people that I don't want to spend time with. -
In By Hook or By Crook by Betty Hechtman, Molly Pink exercises her senses of nosiness and nonsense once again. The Tarzana Hookers, the group that meets in Molly's bookstore to crochet items for charity, have a sale of their items at the park, and when they get ready to pack up and leave, they find a bag with an intricate fillet crochet piece with various images embedded in it that signify messages. The only problem is that they don't have any idea what the clues mean, so Molly takes over the job of trying to detect the meaning. Through a series of clever deductions, Molly determines who made the fillet crochet piece, but when she finally makes it to the woman's house, it is to find the crocheter dead. When the police don't take the death very seriously, Molly tracks the clues from the crochet piece to the truth and the murderer.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at
Fangirl Nation -
I think each book in this series gets better. Molly Pink is solving a murder again and finding out a secret revolving around the deceased. She is not the best in her group at crochet and has to pull stitches out and start again but her crocheting is improving and the author includes two crochet patterns and a great recipe.
I am teaching myself to crochet and I love how this series seems to go step by step although you don't have to like crochet to enjoy these cozies. I am coming to love Adele, Ceecee, Sheila and Dinah and they are proving to be loyal friends to Molly. Of course Molly has arranged more events (book signings) at the book store and there's always one that's a problem. Once again although I had some guesses, I was still wrong in figuring out the murderer. Another reason I like this series. The first three books are available on audio so you can crochet (or work) while listening. :) -
Molly Pink is an events manager at a local bookstore, and a part of their crochet group at the store. She's also the town's amateur sleuth, so when a woman drops off a cryptic crochet piece with the crochet group, and then gets killed, Molly feels like she needs to find the killer.
I'll be honest. I am kind of just listening to this series to have something to listen to while I cook or do other tasks. I don't really like Molly nearly as much as I liked Hechtman's other character, Casey. And the backup characters are more annoying, not more interesting. I don't know if I'm going to continue, or just try to find a different series to get into instead. But I'm really not feeling Molly anymore.
The story itself is fine, and the mystery was interesting. It's just the characters. They're not doing it for me. Oh well. -
It took so much will power to put down the book and get sleep at night. The end of each chapter had you ready to start the next, hungry for answers to the many questions Molly would dig up. I am "hooked" on these mysteries and look forward to when I can purchase the next book. I simply adore how well Betty has intertwined crocheting into her stories. I'm still waiting for Molly to have it out with Adele about how she treats her, but maybe next book. Hahaha. These books are always making you guess on who the real culprit is and it is always a shocker when they are revealed. Cee-Cee is delightfully unawares of the reality around her which makes her so much fun to read about when the group meets. I simply love these books and all the antics Molly and Dinah get into together.
-
It was good, but some of the stuff she did just infuriated me. The love triangle is bugging me as well. She likes Barry, but doesn't want to be waiting for him while he does his job of being a detective because he is always working and taking time away from her. Mason is a lawyer and just seems to want to get her in bed with no relationship at all. I know which one I would pick, but I wish she would pick one and move forward. (I'm hoping she finally picks Barry!)
All the characters are lively and colorful. This was a case that I didn't see the ending coming, at all. Even though the clues were there, this one was a bit more cloak and dagger when it comes to all the clues. Nice! -
While the mystery is certainly a tantalizing poser, what I truly liked was the camaraderie of the Tarzana Hookers. They each have distinct personalities and quirks that were as entertaining to read as the central mystery.
This book is not the first of the series so the first-time reader comes into it with the relationships among these women already firmly established. In spite of their clashing personalities, they get along very well; reading their verbal exchanges is even more compelling than the mystery itself.
If you’re the slightest bit interested in crochet (or even if you’re not), this novel is a good introduction to a close-knit band of femmes. -
Molly Pink really needs to spend more time on her job. In this installment of the Crochet Mystery series, a woman who mysteriously leaves a bag of filet crochet and clues about a secret dies. Molly dives into yet another murder investigation.
Solving this crime is complicated by the arrival of her parents, news about Barry's previous relationships and Molly getting detained a couple of times by police.
Still, Molly solves the crime, but she really needs to spend more of her time doing the job she's paid to do. -
Another fun entry in this series, following Molly Pink and her crochet group as they get caught up in a murder mystery. While the format of this series seems to be that the new person to the crochet group is involved in the murder, it was still enjoyable to follow Molly's journey to discovering the truth. The love triangle subplot is reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum series, but I hope it is resolved quicker than the 27+ books of that series. The friend dynamic and all of the crochet references will keep me coming back to this series as long as there are more to read!
-
Molly Pink's crochet group has a new mystery on their hands when they find a paper bag that contains a note that speaks of remorse, a diary entry of the sorrow of parting, and a complicated piece of filet crochet that offers an obscure clue in pictures. Things get even more complicated when they find the talented crocheter-murdered by a box of poisoned marzipan apples.
Not quite as enjoyable as the first one i read, but definitely readable. 4 stars. -
In the third installment of the crochet mystery series, Molly Pink finds a mysterious piece of filet crochet. Who made the piece and left it for the crocheters to find? What does it mean? Unable to resist, Molly sets out to find the truth.
I loved trying to solve the mystery based upon the filet crochet piece. I just wish that we could have seen an image or drawing of the work. I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in the series. -
This is just a delightful series. The mystery is fun and unique. The main character and her best friend are always getting caught doing something wrong that seemed innocent enough with a variety of ways they get out of the jam to solve the case. The crochet group is entertaining and always brings a smile.
-
I am getting into these characters. The widowed woman who is dating is a character that appeals to me. I can relate. Haven't solved any murder cases, though. We differ there. Was disappointed there was no crochet pattern which made me laugh. So many cozy mysteries have a bonus pattern or recipe. Laughing at myself...
-
Molly finds herself on another murder case when a mysterious stranger leaves a bag with a strange filet crochet piece on their table at a craft fair. Can she solve the mystery, sort out her love life, and stay sane while her mother's music group practices in her living room? Looking forward to the next in the series!
-
As usual, another great book
As a crocheter and knitter, I love these books. I love the characters and the dogs.
What can I say? The books are always entertaining and I love playing a good game of whodunit. -
Clever plot using cues from an elaborate filet crocheted piece to unravel the mysteries of a death, an adoption, and the mysterious co-owner of the bookstore. Enjoyed traveling to Catalina Island with the ladies.
-
As I go further in to the series, it’s getting little more blah for me. I still like the tie in with crocheting, and this mystery was all around a crochet piece, plus I needed a light read after some heavier reads.
