I'll start by saying that I really loved the idea behind this book. Betsy wasn't like some people. She didn't set out to solve mysteries. She didn't have this natural nosiness about what other people are doing. Each time she's come across a mystery, it's been a matter of stumbling into them and not being able to let go until she had the answer.This is one of the few mysteries series that I've read where the armchair detective actually tells people straight out, "I'm not really interested in being a detective." It's also the only one that I can recall where dealing with people she cares about dying, where almost being killed herself and where figuring out that people she might have liked were killers actually bothered her. It gave her nightmares!In this book, she decides to get away from Excelsior for a bit, partly because of the nightmares and partly because her recent fortune has brought out a bunch of greedy people who want a piece of it.I was a bit disappointed that things didn't work out between Betsy and Joe, but I'm hoping that they will at least not be at odds anymore after this book. I love the growing friendship that Betsy has with Jill. Godwin's brief appearances in this book were too funny. However, I hope that he will not have lost the little bits of maturity we saw in the previous book when we see him again.I had part of the mystery solved at about the same time as Betsy. There was one thing that I figured out just before she did. However, for the most part, this was a complete surprise. That, I think, has less to do with the clues not being there and more to do with me just... not thinking that way.
Betsy Devonshire, new proprietor of a needlework shop in Excelsior, Minnesota, has a knack for solving murders. Unfortunately, her success has led to night after night of terrible nightmares, and she's ready to give up detecting altogether. To get a break both from nightmares and all the solicitors clamoring for a part of the three million she's just inherited from her sister, Betsy goes with her policewoman friend Jill Cross to a "stitch-in" at a lodge deep in the country. It's a beautiful place, even in the dead of winter, and at first things go well. Then Betsy finds a dead woman in someone else's room, but when she brings the inn's proprietor, the body is gone. Did Betsy dream it? If not, what happened to the body? And who was she?I liked this entry in the series. It was nice to have a different location, and the author always describes her settings well. After reading this, I had to look up the Devil's Kettle online to see what it looked like, since it was so intriguing in the book. I also liked the Native American heritage of the area, though I will not take a stab at spelling the name of the lodge, which was named after a Native American deity. I don't know if the deity really exists, since I can't spell it to look it up! Anyway, the mystery was well-done, and you really do doubt if Betsy really saw what she saw, since her nightmares are so realistic.
What do You think about Unraveled Sleeve (2001)?
Betsy Devonshire has settled into her new home in Excelsior, Minnesota, as owner of the town’s needlecraft shop. So why is she suffering from terrifying nightmares? She hasn’t a clue—but she thinks maybe it would help to get away for a while. With her friend Jill in tow, she heads north for a “stitch-in” at a remote, rustic lodge. But her nightmares only get worse—especially after she finds a dead woman no one else had seen. Then the body disappears—and she knows she won’t get any rest until she untangles the mysterious threads of the crime.This book is another great read from Monica Ferris. Betsy and Jill are the primary characters in this one and the relationship they have nurtured is tested. As this series continues I feel more like part of a family. The characters are well developed and I feel as though I know them personally. While you do not have to read the previous books in the series it does give you a better knowledge of the characters to do so. I do recommend this one.
—Kathy
The 4th book in the Needlecraft Mystery Series. This is the book I think of when I think back to this series. In this one - Betsy and Jill go to a Knit In retreat - something I have often thought of but will probably never do. What I liked about this book more than the others was the insight into Betsy and Jill's relationship and how Betsy has to grow up a little bit in this book. I like that the main character in these books is not perfect - she makes mistakes and errors in judgement. She is so much more approachable as a reader in my eyes because of that. (Although I do occasionally shake my head no no no! as I am reading.)
—Jennifer
Started with a later book, so it opens with the protaganist Betsy having nightmares and not sleeping well. She is very tired and her helpers, Godwin and friends, Lisa, talk her into taking a vacation. They go to a resort for a stitch in and she finds a dead body and she tries to get help only to be treated poorly by local authorities and the family of the victim. When the body is found the ex-husband is accused of murder and disposal of a body, but she believes that he is not the one who did thi
—Mary
