Yarn Over Murder

Written by Maggie Sefton

Narrated by Chloe Cannon

In the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Knitting Mysteries, Kelly Flynn and the House of Lambspun knitters may be able to save the helpless animals in danger from a raging Colorado wildfire, but not the unexpected victim of a cold-blooded murder . . .



Kelly and her knitting pals were checking out the wares at the annual Wool Market when news spread about the wildfires threatening the canyon ranches. With temperatures scorching, the alpacas belonging to Kelly's good friend Jayleen are in danger. Working fast, Kelly and her pals hightail the herd to the nearby pasture owned by rancher Andrea Holt. But their rescue mission is interrupted by a screaming match where Connie, a longtime employee of House of Lambspun, accuses Andrea of stealing her husband.



Days later, Andrea is found dead at her ranch—and suspicion immediately falls on Connie. Now Kelly and her friends must untangle this yarn before Connie ends up dangling by a thread . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666134940

Maggie Sefton

Maggie Sefton is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Berkley Prime Crime Knitting Mysteries. UNRAVELED, 9th in the series, made the New York Times Bestselling Hardcover Fiction List after its June 2011 release. UNRAVELED was also Barnes & Noble #4 Bestselling Hardcover Mystery. All of the mysteries in the successful series have been Barnes & Noble Top Ten Bestselling Mysteries. Publisher¹s Weekly has said about the series, "Readers will enjoy visiting with Kelly and her knitting buddies, who, in their carefree way, resemble the cast of Friends." Maggie was first published in historical fiction in 1995 with ABILENE GAMBLE, Berkley Jove, under the pen name Margaret Conlan. She had written over a million words of historical romance fiction before she ever wrote the first mystery. DYING TO SELL, with real estate agent sleuth Kate Doyle, was published by Five Star/Tekno Mysteries in 2005. Maggie Sefton was born and raised in Virginia, and she received her bachelor's degree in English literature and journalism from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Maggie has been a CPA and a real estate agent in the Rocky Mountain West, but finds nothing can match creating worlds on paper. Mother of four grown daughters, Maggie resides in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with a bossy Border collie and a playful Blue Tick Hound. Website/Blogs:www.maggiesefton.com, www.cozychicksblog.com, www.killercharacters.com. You can also visit Maggie on Facebook.

Reviews for Yarn Over Murder

[lisaksbookreviews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Author Maggie Sefton has spun another exciting yarn in the Knitting Mystery series.

First let me say that I love that Ms. Sefton includes a cast of characters list at the beginning of her books. For new comers to the series it’s a wonderful guide to help you catch up and keep on track. Or, if you have a Swiss cheesed memory like mine, it will help those returning to the series with a remindful nudge.

Readers might think a series that is on its twelfth installment may be the same ole, same old. That is far from true with this series, and book number twelve, YARN OVER MURDER. While returning us to familiar character and settings, Ms. Sefton manages to keep things fresh and exciting. A true sign of a gifted writer.

The horrible High Park wildfire near Fort Collins, Colorado, serves as part of the backdrop in this story. Author Sefton deftly intermingled protagonist Kelly and her knitting group into the real life drama. She created an electrifying murder mystery in this story and proved yet again her why she is an admired author. And she has solidified the future of this wonderful series.

If you’ve never read another book in this series, please do read YARN OVER MURDER and enjoy a truly exciting story. (Warning: Reading this book will make you want to read the rest of the series. )

And don’t stop reading once the story is done or you’ll miss a knitting pattern, a recipe, and a sneak peek of book number lucky thirteen, PURL UP AND DIE!

[judiex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are hundreds of books featuring a woman who solves murders even though that is not her profession. The main character usually has her own business which specializes in cooking, needlework, flowers, inn-keeping, antiques, etc. The stories are usually light and enjoyable. The reader gets to know the character’s friends, family and associates, and some of them, particularly those dealing with food or needlecrafts, usually include recipes or patterns.
Kelly Flynn, Maggie Sefton’s creation, lives in Colorado where she works as an accountant while running the yarn shop left to her by her aunt. Up to now, the series has focused on the yarn shop and provided information about yarn and knitting. While YARN OVER MURDER does include those elements, as well as directions for knitting a pullover and a recipe for brownies, it steps out of the usual box.
As Sefton finished her previous book, CLOSE KNIT KILLER, a major wildfire erupted in the Rise Canyon near where she lives. While there is a murder, the primary focus of this book is the effect of the forest fire on the people living in the area. More than 2000 firefighters participated in the effort to quench the fire, which quickly spread because of the dryness of the landscape and the unpredictable winds. The experiences are based on the actual events and enable readers to share the experience with the actual residents via the characters in the book.
There is a partial list of characters at the beginning of the book which is helpful since individual character relationships are less important then the fire.
There is a lot of repetition in the book but most of it puts the reader in the role of a direct observer as people inform others about what they know and question about both the fire and the death of one of the characters.
Some repetition is not necessary. For example, They were tired the morning after moving the alpaca and household items from one house to a safer location. One of the elderly sisters is thin and tall; the other is short and shaped like a dumpling. “[Her face] was red as if she’d been crying....’Oh , brother. It looks like she’s been crying.’” And we hear way too much about Kelly and her coffee.
Some issues didn’t get resolved, e.g., the figures on one account that didn’t add up.
I found the conversations and situations realistic and the descriptions of the fire very informative. YARN OVER MURDER was a refreshing change from the typical light mystery, though I still like those.