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)

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.

Enjoyable cozy mystery

What did you love best about Last Wool and Testament?

This is a light, fun, easy listen. Am looking forward to the next one!

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.

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.

Ghost and threads!!

First in the Haunted Yarn Shop mysteries, this book introduces us to Blue Plum, Tennessee and The Weaver's Cat yarn shop, and the many and varied characters in the town. Kath has just come back to town after the death of her beloved grandmother, Ivy McClellen, to discover herself locked out of her grandmother's house. Since she inherited all of Ivy's things, this comes as a shocking surprise, especially when she's told that her grandmother had sold her home and was just renting. Not only that, but the owners expect the house emptied out within the week for the new owners. When a dead body is found, real trouble ensues!

Kath calls upon the knitting and fiber group from Ivy's shop, TGIFs--Thank Goodness It's Fiber--to help her find out what has happened. She also gets a little "help" from an unlikely source, an emotionally charged ghost from the past.

This is a fun cozy with a great deal of potential. Though I really enjoyed the story, it felt a little bit unfinished--like more of an introduction for future books. The ghost was a bit annoying also as she was more of a whiner than a fun addition to the story. Though she moves from an empty house into the yarn shop eventually, and I think her presence there may be intriguing in the future. So, this book interested me enough to give the next book a try.

My mother's review

Nice, light, fluffy, fiber arts related formula book. Suitable to relieve the tedium of a long drive and an evening around the camp fire. -- heavy holiday traffic was tedious, not the campfire. The campfire contained marshmallows.

Kath's grandmother has just died and she was racing to her burial when she was stopped for speeding. At first we wondered if he would be the love interest because he was tall. Heroes are always tall--except my husband. But we were soon dissuaded of this because he was described as having thinning hair. Heroes are never bald--except my husband. And Kath nicknamed him "Officer Clod." Heroes are never clods--except ...sometimes.

Don't go looking for romance in this book. The love interest will probably, possibly turn out to be Officer Clod's younger brother, but it hasn't happened yet. What has happened is a few murders, a weepy ghost, several casseroles, three or four snakes, a lot of "bless your hearts" and a couple cats.


I was glad I listened to my daughter's Audible with her because I listen to my Audibles over and over again and I don't think I would want to hear this one thirty or forty times. I enjoyed listening to it this time with my daughter because we "ooo-ed, oh no-ed, maybe-ed?" together at the right places... I might enjoy listening to it a few more times, just not thirty or forty times.