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Fort Connor, Colorado is gearing up for Christmas. Everyone is in the holiday spirit even though the winter weather has not yet begun. At the House of Lamb, the local yarn store, crafters are working hard to finish holiday gifts, and gloves and hats to sell for charity. Since community groups are helping to make these gloves and hats, members of the knitting group have been providing knitting instructions to volunteers of all ages. Into this peaceful atmosphere enters Claudia Miller. She has relocated from Florida and plans on finding a new husband – this will be her fourth. She has her sights set on a retired university professor Jeremy Cunningham. Her choice causes some tension within the House of Lamb knitting group, as Juliet Renfrow, creator of gorgeous handmade capes, was Jeremy's previous girlfriend. As some members are close friends with Juliet, they do not welcome Claudia to their group, while others find her a breath of fresh air and welcome her with open arms. Then Sheila Miller arrives. Shelia is the daughter of Claudia's third husband. Sheila is sure that Claudia murdered her father and has tracked her from Florida to Colorado. Shelia publicly accuses Claudia of this murder and also of stealing the credit cards and car of an older woman in Florida. Now that Shelia has located her stepmother, Shelia is sure that the local police will quickly arrest her. When Juliet Renfrow is discovered dead in a hit and run, Claudia is the most likely suspect due to her relationship with Jeremy. Kelly Flynn, accountant and knitter, thinks that Claudia is innocent of the murder charges. She enlists the aid of her friends to help clear Claudia's name. While Kelly has promised her friends, in the previous book, that she will not actively investigate a crime, she is sure that asking questions does not violate her promise. As Kelly asks questions and supplies data to the police, she quickly discovers that the truth is more complicated than she had originally imagined. Once again, she must unmask a killer before the killer decides to eliminate this pesky amateur detective. FLEECE NAVIDAD is a much stronger mystery than the previous book in the series, DYER CONSEQUENCES. This book relies on the friendship between Kelly and her fellow knitters (Mimi etc), her boyfriend, Steve and her rancher friends to entice the reader. The series itself focuses on their friendships and the sense of community they feel to move the story along; it is not mystery driven. However, FLEECE NAVIDAD is better plotted and the investigation is more realistic that the other books in the series. I liked FLEECE NAVIDAD and the House of Lamb series, but this is not a series that will appeal to all readers. While this series does have faults and could be described as a formulaic cozy, it is my guilty pleasure. Fans of the series and fans of craft cozies should enjoy this latest addition to the series.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, January 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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