SINS AND NEEDLES

This detective story is ideal for listeners interested in learning how to knit socks or value antiques. The setting is a town in Minnesota that boasts a knitting-shop owner who, reminiscent of Miss Marple, solves murders. The plot involves lost siblings, a possible buried treasure, a murdered elderly woman, and a believably insular community. Connie Crawford has mastered her Minnesota accent and does a great Texas drawl for the mysterious stranger who causes such a stir. The sheer numbers of townspeople make it difficult to create unique voices, but the listener can usually identify who's speaking. The novel moves slowly but surely to the mystery's solution. Patient listeners, especially those who might enter a shop called Crewel World, will enjoy this experience. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]