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)

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.

Ok, barely

Fine if you've nothing better to read. However, use it as a last resort. Too many much better books out there waiting to be read.

Great start to a fun cozy series!

If you could sum up Last Wool and Testament in three words, what would they be?

Witty, fun, entertaining.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, not really knowing who the 'bad' guys were!

good book, made me want to go to this place.

i enjoyed the whole experience. wish i lived in a town like this. Loved it.

Cozy listen

This is a decent start to a series, but the author's attempt to have unresolved story lines to pick up in later books left me with a a sense of it being unfinished. The conflicts include deaths/murders, thefts, the shop/inheritance, cats, and a ghost. Law enforcement is strange and small town busybodies pop up continuously. Finally, I find it a stretch that an 80 year old woman could run a shop, teach fiber art lessons plus design and weave tapestries in her off time at home.

The narration enhances this listen.

very good

I really enjoyed it
in fact I had to sneak and listen to the end then go back and listen to the rest as the suspense was wow

Good Cozy Mystery

Any additional comments?

The Audible version of Last Wool and Testament hooked me on this series of mysteries by Molly MacRae. I liked the sweetness of the characters and simplicity of small town life. While not a character, the departed Grandmother Ivy adds flavor to the plot, as does a quirky sidekick ghost. What’s not to like about this cozy mystery? It was just what I needed as the world appears to be falling apart. Emily Durante provided a great narration. Last Wool and Testament was a good listen and would be an equally good read.

Took me two tries

I started this book months ago and couldn't get into it. I tried again yesterday and couldn't stop listening. It's a cozy mystery, not too gory or creepy. The story moved along at a good pace, and the narrator is ok. I knew who the thief was right away, but didn't catch on to the murderer til later in the book. All in all I enjoyed the story.

A mystery with a depressed ghost

Kath Rutledge rushes to Tennessee to the burial of her grandmother, Ivy McClellan, who owned The Weaver’s Cat, a special fabric shop in which a group of women who love all kinds of fabric work, from spinning wool to knitting to all other forms of fabric work in Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae. Arriving in the small town, Kath finds all manner of surprises. For one thing, she learns that her grandmother’s house, which Ivy has owned for years, belongs to someone else and the locks have been changed. Yet Kath must get clean out the whole house for the new tenants in just a few days. So since she can’t get into her grandmother’s house in order to sleep, her grandmother’s friend sets her up in another house. The only problem is that Kath learns that the owner of that house, Emmett Cobb, was recently murdered with a nasty poison. And the deputy seems to think that her grandmother is responsible.

That night, Kath opens a letter left for her from her grandmother, to feel shock as she reads Ivy’s message that she has a special gift, that she is “a bit of a witch” with special gifts and has now passed that gift down to Kath. Suddenly given a hint to the source of the nickname “Crazy Ivy,” Kath thinks this are bad enough when she sees a ghost sobbing her non-heart out at the kitchen table. Not believing her eyes, Kath goes to bed, but the next night she meets up again with this ghost, who thinks she has killed Emmett, her one true love, until Kath points out the impossibility of such an action. Now Ms. Ghost urges Kath to take matters into her own hands and solve the murder of Emmett, which may have implications for Kath because it was he who took ownership of Ivy’s house, and she suspects the presence of blackmail.

This book has a really creative mystery to it, with all sorts of elements of intrigue. The plot takes different directions and threads to it. The local cop refuses to take seriously any of the little details that seem strange and out of place. So Kath forms a posse of Ivy’s textile friends to look into the situation and keep their ears open.

The characters in this book are well-written. I found myself becoming very invested in several of the people, including Kath, Ms. Ghost, the cop, the lawyer, and Ivy’s friends.

At first I was hesitant to read this book because I don’t generally like anything related to paranormal books. However, at the advice of others who like this book, I began to consider it, since I really loved MacRae’s Plaid and Plagiarism. But I’m glad I gave the book a chance. As MacRae explained to me, the book is a light paranormal, with only Kath’s being able to see the ghost, who does not come across as creepy or anything.

The audio book is performed by Emily Durante, who does an excellent job. She does great voices for each character, including having some different accents. Not being familiar with Tennessee accents, I can’t say whether they are authentic, but they come across as believable. She suits this book, and I look forward to more books narrated by her.

As a bonus feature to this book, Audible listeners are given a link and a code in which to get recipes and fabric patterns based upon the book. Those getting the book on CD will have those in an insert, and I’m sure visual copies of the book have the recipes and patterns in them too.

Last Wool and Testament was a gamble of a read that really paid off for me. I loved the way the conclusion compares the threads of the mystery to the details of the tapestry that Ivy is weaving and how her plans for her tapestry give clues to the murder itself, even before it is committed. I give this book five stars and look forward to the next in the series.

And for those who already love the series, you’ll be happy to hear that Molly MacRae has signed a contract for another two books in this series!