Last Wool and Testament

A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery, Book 1

By: Molly MacRae

Narrated by: Emily Durante

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Thank Goodness It's Fiber: That's the name of the spunky group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Ivy McClellan, Kath's beloved grandmother. Though Ivy has recently passed on, the members still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver's Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that's only the first in a series of surprises when Kath returns to the small town of Blue Plum, Tennessee, to settle her grandmother's affairs.

There's been a murder, and it turns out her grandmother was the prime suspect. Before she can begin to clear Ivy's name, Kath encounters a looming presence in the form of a gloomy ghost. It turns out the specter has just as much interest in solving the murder as Kath. So, with a little help from the members of TGIF-and a stubborn spirit from beyond-she sets out to unravel the clues and hook the real killer....

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2012 Molly MacRae (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is the first of a new series that should be popular with cozy fans." (Booklist)

Cute little series...

Molly MacRae has crafted a cute little series. The characters are likable and fun. Nice concept for a light cozy book/audiobook.

It's "Okay"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not really.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I had it figured out.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was average. No issues.

Could you see Last Wool and Testament being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Any additional comments?

This is an afternoon "beach read." Nothing to glow about and nothing to complain about.

Too implausible

I am halfway through this book and not sure I can finish it. The characters are quite likable and the narrator is fine but I'm having problems with what I see as legal flaws. The police accepts negative hearsay as evidence and is too quick to find protagonist guilty of all crimes whether logical or not. It's a bit more than I can take. Not sure I'll finish this one - but I do like the characters. I just wish the author hadn't cut corners on very simple legalities.

Good start to a good mystery

This is a good start to a good series. The characters are well written and likeable. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you from guessing the ending. I gave the story three stars because the author spent too much time in some areas of the book going on and on.

The two cousins, Mercy and Shirley, were so annoying yet they added lots of humor to the story. The narrator did a good job giving voices to all of the characters.
This was worth the credit and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Charming

I would recommend this book to ladies who enjoy knitting and would like an entertaining, charming story. There were a couple chapters that moved a bit too slowly, but on the whole I was captured by the charm of this little town and its special yarn shop.

Good

Enjoyed the mystery very much. It keep you thinking till the very end of who did it. Want to know who house belongs too?

Curious

I loved the development of the story: a missing cat, villagers who could be, just as we find in real life, quirky, deceptive, helpful, and annoying. The immersive value of unexpected moments of surprise worked well. I didn't begin to make 'good' guesses as to who the bad character was till the end which is right where it belongs.
I was curious about this series because stories about village stores will often reveal wonderful mysteries and past truths. This one did that, but the narration had tell narrative more than show narrative. The change of voices was not smooth enough to keep the narration and who was talking easily understood.

Everything a paranormal cozy should be

Murder with plenty of suspects, cats, a humorous ghost, and humans you want to spend time with. I’ve already purchased the second book in this series.

First Book Augurs Well for the Series

As a first book in a series this one sets up a potentially very good cozy series. MacRae described a town and a number of characters it should be fun to spend time with. Also, she includes a few that we don't want to spend much time with--neither does the main character, Cath--but these add interest, humor, and another reason to come back for a second book with hopes that the twins will get their comeupance. But, like Charlie Brown and the football, I suspect it will be an unlikely but perpetual hope.

I liked the cozily paranormal aspect and wished more had been explored in this first novel. We were given some very tantalizing hints about Cath's grandmother, Ivy, and what she could do, but not enough to know for any certainty what it was. And it may run in the family... but, even with this to intrigue us, we mostly got a long scene introducing the ghost. I have to admit, I really liked the ghost, and I hope to see more of her, even if it's only in a semi-transparent form. One of my favorite tidbits in this story was that Cath thought to entertain the ghost with an audiobook--apparently a heroine with discerning tastes!

Emily Durante did a very good job with the various voices and characterizations, along with good prose reading.

I look forward to the next in the series and hope that the writer and narrator continue their stellar paring.

Very enjoyable!

Where does Last Wool and Testament rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I list my cozy mysteries more by two categories. The first category is: I will read again, the second category is: I won't read again. This book definitely falls into the first category!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kath is my favorite character. She is believable - not perfect, quite clever, yet not a know-it-all. While this story is about the death of Kath's grandmother, this is not a tear jerker. The plot is really filled with many people, I had to stop and rewind a couple of times to catch up with something I missed in the plot, but that has more to do with my attention span than the story. I found this to be fast-paced and fun to listen to. There were a number of times I laughed out loud!

What about Emily Durante’s performance did you like?

she did an excellent job reading this story. I forgot I was listening and became engrossed in the story very quickly. This is a compliment to both the writer and the reader.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

i did laugh out loud a few times. Probably more than I usually do and that is a good thing!

Any additional comments?

if you like cozy mysteries with a touch of paranormal in the plot, I recommend this book.