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These days, when successful Minneapolis mystery writer Monica Ferris, a.k.a. Mary Pulver, sits down at her computer to start work on her next novel, she sometimes remembers something the late humorist Fred Allen once said. He wondered why anyone would write a novel when for a few dollars he could buy one. "I've had sixteen novels published so far. I had no idea I could sell that many novels and not be rich," she cracks with a bemused expression on her round face. "A Murderous Yarn," released in March, is the fifth in her current series. "My editor is working on number six and I've just begun "Cutwork." I have ideas for several more," she smiles, obviously enjoying her current circumstances. "A Murderous Yarn" again features Excelsior businesswoman Betsy Devonshire at the center of a complicated investigation into a death in unusual circumstances. This time the plot involves competition between owners of antique autos and an annual rally that takes place every summer in rural Minnesota. Betsy, owner of the needlecraft shop, Crewel World, is learning there are interesting parallels between needlecraft and detection, parallels such as patience and discipline. In previous investigations, Betsy has developed something of a local reputation as an investigator. Her detecting prowess is aided by her deepening friendship with a local policewoman. When another officer on the Excelsior force, Lars Larson, buys a Stanley Steamer, Betsy agrees to sponsor the steamer in a local race designed to be a promotional tune-up for the big rally from New London to New Brighton. As a part of her sponsorship, Betsy volunteers to help out at the St. Paul to Excelsior run. The result is she meets and learns about several interesting car owners, including Bill and Charlotte Birmingham, Adam Smith, and Lucille Ziegfield, the Antique Car Club's secretary. The novel is a cozy blend of information about antique cars, their owners and some more esoteric aspects of needlecraft. Several threads are neatly woven through the narrative and some of the subplots bear further development in later books in the series. On the return trip from Excelsior to the display area near the capitol in St. Paul, one of the drivers and his car go missing. A search along the route reveals, too late, tragic news. The missing driver is found under his burned-out 1911 Maxwell. Was it an unfortunate accident, or was it something else? Eventually, of course, Betsy helps the police develop evidence needed to clear things up. As is the case with all of Ferris's novels, the characters as well as the circumstances of the characters play such an important part in the plot, so there are several questions and not a few misleading paths to explore. Ferris maintains an appropriate pace with several cleverly laid clues, nice descriptions and good characterizations. Ferris's writing is, as always, crisp and clean, what you'd expect from someone who has been writing most of her life. "I started writing before I could read," she insists. "I can remember at four, imitating my mother's squiggles on a piece of paper. But then I had to ask her what I had written." Ferris wrote a play in high school that was performed to applause, and she was a U.S. Navy journalist for several years. She writes mysteries, she says, "because that's what I could write that I could also sell. I tried to sell a fantasy short story with no luck, until I pitched it to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine because it had a kidnapping in it. They bought it and the light went on." "I like mysteries, always have. There's a strong element of morality in the best of this genre. These are books that give hope to readers, because in the end, good triumphs. It's comforting to have a place to go where justice happens and, by the last page, wickedness is punished." Ferris attends mystery conferences, such as Magna cum Murder at Ball State University, her favorite, and Malice Domestic, where she's frequently asked to appear on panel discussions. She also lectures and volunteers for writing classes in schools around the Twin Cities. When asked what advice she has for beginning writers, Ferris said, "I've always wanted to be a writer, after I got over trying to raise orphaned robins and that's important. Writing is work and one has to persevere. Working alone, it's easy to become discouraged when all you have to show for your efforts is a stack of rejection slips. When the robins flew away, the box was empty." "Agatha Christie was a powerful influence on my current style, but I wish it were Donald E. Westlake. I adore his use of language and plot!" -- Editor's Note: Carl Brookins is the author of INNER PASSAGES, reviewed on these pages.
Reviewed by Carl Brookins, May 2002
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