Crochet Mystery Hooked on Murder, Book 1, (Paperback)

Recently widowed Molly Pink has landed a job as the events coordinator at a local independent bookstore. Part of that is overseeing the crochet group that meets in their event space. When one of their members, Ellen Sheridan, leaves behind her crochet needles, Molly decides to run them home. Unfortunately, she finds Ellen's dead body, and the police are right behind her. Molly has more of a connection to Ellen then she lets on at first, and the police think that makes her a great suspect. Can she figure out what really happened? When I realized this book was set in Southern California, I decided I had to give it a try. While there is a good mystery in here, the pacing is off, and some of the sub-plots slowed things down further. On the other hand, I loved the characters, who are varied and charming. I especially enjoyed the fictional celebrities who showed up. Part of my problem was the writing, which felt a bit vague at times, and kept me from getting fully into Molly's world. There is a simple crochet project and a delicious sounding recipe at the end. I liked the characters enough to consider picking up the sequel, but it's not a series I'm going to rush back to.