Posted in 4 paws, Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Review on September 29, 2023

 

 

 

 

Joy to the Wool (Clear Creek Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Independently Published (October 5, 2023)
Number of Pages: 254

 

Synopsis

 

All dressed up for the holidays, Clear Creek looks like it’s right out of a storybook. But the decorations aren’t just for fun. The tiny Rocky Mountain town is hosting a Christmas Festival sure to be used as a pattern for years.

While Jemma is busy with the Cozy Tree — a place visitors can buy hand-knitted hats and scarves to donate to people in need — Granny is busy taking bets on which day of the event Jemma will find a body. But to everyone’s surprise, this time Granny’s the one who makes the discovery!

Choosing to put her relationship with Brandon first, Jemma agrees to steer clear of the investigation. But Granny’s determination to solve the crime lands Jemma the impossible job of keeping the spunky old lady out of trouble, and breaking and entering is just the beginning of their adventure.

When the Cozy Tree is vandalized, it becomes obvious the pair is making someone nervous. Can Jemma and Granny knit up the investigation before Santa climbs in his sleigh?

 

 

Amazon

 

This book releases 10/5, preorder today!

 

 

Review

 

This is a fun series! I like this small town setting in the mountainous area of Colorado. The characters are interesting, and Granny will keep you on her toes with her betting on every little thing and trying to solve this case before the sheriff.

In this installment, we get to meet Jemma’s mother, Daphne, or Daffy as she calls her. However, her mother has ulterior motives for her visit to this town; she is trying to set Jemma up with someone she thinks would be suitable for Jemma. What Daffy doesn’t realize is that her ideology and feelings are not the same as her daughter’s. She is not the loving mother who wants to spend time with her; she is more concerned with images and getting back to her life. I think by the end of the book, Daffy does start to realize that maybe Jemma is where she needs to be, and it is ok that she has a different mindset.

Regarding the mystery, I liked that Jemma really does try and stay out of it and not try and solve the case. She does get pulled in because she is really good at asking questions to the right people, but she is not aggressively trying to suss out the killer. That would be Granny, who is one hot mess. The clues are there to figure out the killer, but they are hidden. You will have to put on your thinking cap for this one.

I really liked the idea of the Cozy Tree at the festival and having people buy hats to donate to local charities. I thought it was ingenious that someone suggested raising money by having people pay for the privilege of knitting one of the hats. That was smart!

There is a surprise ending that I was not expecting. It made me very happy and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.

 

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway