Behind the Seams by Betty Hechtman

One fun thing about CONvergence is the book swap. Basically one of the poolside porches is turned into a little book nook, and people bring in their old books and you can browse and take whatever you want home. I meant to bring some this year and it got forgotten in all the hustle... sorry CONvergence, I'll bring a bunch next year!

I did take a few nonetheless and I'm glad I did because I found some cool things. Someone was really into fiber arts because I got a spinning magazine, a knitting magazine, and a crochet mystery.

Yes. You read that right.

Molly Pink is a middle-aged widow who spends her time minding a bookstore, crocheting fiber crafts with her like-minded friends, and solving mysteries. It's a little bit like Agatha Christie, only not so dark, and, y'know, there are cell phones.

"Behind the Seams" is the title I picked up at the book swap, and although it was not the first in the series, I was able to pick it up and start reading no problem. It was a fun read, with a better mystery than I'd anticipated, even if a few clues at the end were a little too coincidental.

(Coincidence happens all the time in real life, but in books things have to make sense or the readers will call it lazy writing.)

The crochet obsession of the group (they call themselves "The Hookers" ironically) is more over-the-top than anything I've ever encountered, but it's funny and reminds us never to take our passions so seriously that we overlook the realities of life.

Anyhow, I'm placing the rest of the series on hold at the library and recommend checking them out yourself!