"A Crochet Mystery" series by Betty Hechtman

This series follows the life and amateur sleuthing of character Molly Pink. She works in a bookstore and participates in a crochet group and helps solve murder mysteries on the side. There are colorful characters which include a celebrity, an over the top flamboyant knitter, and male model turned businessman.

I tend to find that it is pretty easy for me to love 'cozy' mysteries so I really tried to give this series a good shot. After reading four of the books, I can't escape a few facts. I just couldn't enjoy the series because I could not find a way to empathize or identify with any of the characters with the possible exception of Dinah who is Molly Pink's best friend.

I have highlighted the books I read below in the list:

A Crochet Mystery Series

1. Hooked on Murder (2008)

2. Dead Men Don't Crochet (2008)

3. By Hook or By Crook (2009)

4. A Stitch in Crime (2009)

5. You Better Knot Die (2010)

6. Behind the Seams (2011)

7. If Hooks Could Kill (2012)

8. For Better or Worsted (2013)

9. Knot Guilty (2014)

10. Seams Like Murder (2016)

11. Hooking for Trouble (2016)

12. On The Hook (2018)

She also has written five books in a knitting series, but I haven't read any of them. I'm probably not going to as I really didn't find myself very enthralled with the series I did read a few books from. If you have read any of her books I would be interested on your take. I rarely dislike a book so I am a bit disappointed that I didn't like these. So please feel free to chime on in with your opinions of the novels if you have experienced them. I'm curious for other viewpoints.

I'm starting a series by Virginia Lowell. Maybe I will like that series better.

The Danziel and Pascoe Series - In Order

I was first introduced to these series of mystery novels when I moved to Maine. It was recommended by a librarian in the area and I devoured the books until the series ended with the death of the writer. Reginald Hill had an extraordinary talent in being able to write mystery novels out of chronological order and stories within the stories while working within he framework and stories he had already written. He also had a rare habit of letting the murderer get away with his crime causing much consternation in my mind as my sense of justice felt thwarted. He passed away in January 2012. Andrew Danziel is the 'Fat Man' who works as a Detective Superintendent while Peter Pascoe is his Detective Sergent until a promotion later on in the novels. Another character worth mentioning is Ellie (Soper) Pascoe who is married to Peter and is an integral part of the lives of both Pascoe and Danziel.


1. A Clubbable Woman (1970)

2. An Advancement of Learning (1971)

3. Ruling Passion (1973)

4. An April Shroud (1975)

5. A Pinch of Snuff (1978)

6. A Killing Kindness (1980)

7. Deadheads (1983)

8. Exit Lines (1984)

9. Child's Play (1987)

10. Underworld (1988)

11. Bones and Silence (1990)

12. One Small Step (1990), novella

13. Recalled to Life (1992)

14. Pictures of Perfection (1994)

15. The Wood Beyond (1995)

16. Asking for the Moon (1996), short stories which include "The Last National Service Man", "Pascoe's Ghost", "Dalziel's Ghost", and "One Small Step"

17. On Beulah Height (1998)

18. Arms and the Women (1999)

19. Dialogues of the Dead (2002)

20. Death's Jest-Book (2003)

21. Good Morning, Midnight (2004)

22. The Death of Dalziel (2007), Canada and US Title: Death Comes for the Fat Man

23. A Cure for All Diseases (also titled The Price of Butcher's Meat) (2008)

24. Midnight Fugue (2009)

I love these characters and it feels a bit sad that there will be no more books. That I won't be able to know how the Pascoe's life changes and is lived and how their community changes with time. But I can always come back and pick up a book to make them alive again for that brief period of time... to listen to the Fat Man and sigh at his crudity even while I find myself in aw of his instincts. Good books indeed.

Things to Smile About

I'm trying to recover from a gluten exposure this week. I hate the way that my body feels as it tries to heal up because everything feels fragile and weak or doesn't work well. I lose most of my desire for food and have no desire to do anything but remain stationary. For the most part, the option of doing nothing really isn't a viable choice so I try to accomplish the minimum needed so that I am able to give my body the rest it needs to heal up. So today I did some needful errands and chores as well as paperwork and have tried to intersperse restful behavior throughout. Settling down to rest sometimes allows me to really look at some of my 'favorite' things and enjoy them for what they are... instead of just a quick glance as I head off or out to do something. Here are a few of them.

I got this really cool dragon from a Value Village in Seattle. I had been shopping with Shaneen and Katey and I can't remember who suggested that 'who doesn't need a cool dragon in the house'... but I decided I did. Bug loves it and considers it his and as it gets moved and carried around enough it is starting to break around the wings and ears. But I can't help but smile every time I look at it. Its a pretty cool piece of work and I wonder who made it and how they managed to let it go.

I love this vase. I'm not sure why specifically, but I love the way it looks and I always smile when I look at it. Daisies are my favorite flowers and they look great in it and each emphasizes the beauty of the other. I have no idea who made this vase, but it's pretty awesome.

I love houseplants. I got this one when someone left it in the free room at the transfer station and I happily scooped it up and brought it home. I got it last fall and it had a pink flower or two but almost no leaves. I tried to water it and coax it into growth and got absolutely nothing... just a few leaves that limped along on the stems throughout the winter. This summer I made sure the plant spent a lot of time outside and it developed lots of leaves and several flowers, but as fall came it still didn't have the 'hearty' look I had hoped for. So I have fussed and worried about it concerned that it might struggle to survive this winter as well. However, while the flowers are gone, all of the remaining leaves have stayed on. not only that, but soft slim tendrils are stretching up my wall to wrap around the curtain rod. Just seeing that brings a large smile to my face.It is still a bit 'awkward' in how is it growing and in appearance, but I see that as a metaphor for life and enjoy it anyway.

When Remus had his tail removed, the stump looked naked, tight, and weird. It looked a bit indecent and watching him 'wag' it was hilarious and appalling all at once. I remember telling Katey that I hoped he managed to get some of the hair to grow back onto it so that it was 'less' difficult to look at. Today, Remus sat by me hoping for as much attention as he could get and I got a really good close look at his stump... and it is beautiful. The hair has grown over it and the stitches are starting to fall out as everything heals. (Purple stitches on dark black skin looked a bit odd as well.) I am so glad that his tail matches the rest of him now and when he wags it the tail looks like a part of him instead of something stuck on with glue.

I found myself thinking of the film 'Picnic' today. I love the story and the images so I pulled it out today to watch. Its only about five minutes long and it is for children, but I love it and find it restful and fun to watch all the same. I just want to hug the little mouse when he finds and hugs his doll. It's a sweet peaceful film to enjoy.






These are the main things that brought some joy into my life today. I intend to spend what little of the day is left with a book by one of my favorite authors.(She must be a favorite- I've named a few cats after characters from her novels. Cyril is the most recent animal to share the name of the cat who annoys Racer in the police station although my Cyril is much more calm and docile than his namesake in the novels :) What did you enjoy today?

Service Day

I love Saturdays. Every Saturday I head to my local non-profit clothing store and work in the back to sort clothing. I grab the bags from the special bin and then dump the contents onto the table and then sort. I have a few different choices as to where I put clothing depending on how I judge its condition. Great or better clothing is hung up to go out onto the sales floor or set up to be steamed or pressed before going out. Then clothing can be placed in the free boxes for locals, bagged up for the Emmaus Shelter (a local homeless shelter),or into bags to be hauled off to Goodwill. Reusable bags that are not in good enough condition to sell can be donated to the free bag bin at the local supermarket and household items are sorted and donated to the local non profit thrift store to earn money to help the local animal shelter. The plastic bags that the clothing come in are gathered together and then recycled. There really isn't a lot of waste if we can help it. So I spent the day in the routine and organized assembly line of sorting and packing. There are not many volunteers on Saturdays and some weeks, I listen to audiobooks on my phone while I work the table. It's a lot of work and sometimes I feel almost too tired to go in, but I still do because I know that I am really needed there. Today I got some time to chat and joke with a few other volunteers and that was a nice addition to the day today. It actually felt a little bit sad to head off and teach my CPR class.

I enjoyed time with a friend tonight as we chatted while her husband did a little home repair for me and I am so thankful to end the day with a great book. When I went to Bangor the other day and swapped some books with Bull Moose I got some great books to goof of with. They have these large miscellaneous book bins and I made a great finds the other day. Now I just need to decide which of these ones I'm going to tackle. :)