These books are proof that anyone can get a publishing contract if she plays her cards right.

I am a fan of the "cozy mystery," so it's not like I'm judging the genre. These books are just plain awful, and to add insult to injury, the author clearly is not a "real knitter" (or at least she wasn't when the series started--I gave up on it after a few books, and only got that far because I'm an optimist and hoped they'd get better).

As a related aside, I find it strange that the "cozy mystery" genre has given birth to the sub-genres of fad-driven topical cozy mysteries ("cooking mystery with recipes!" "crafting mystery with soap-making directions!"

Then again, it seems to work, because these books keep getting published. Some of them are quite good in spite of the product-placement-type requirements of the subgenre, but just as many of them are painfully bad.

Because we want to see Kelly fall in love, marry, have kids and this series coming to an end.
I got my copy from the library yesterday. No point in spending money.

Thank-you for the heads up. I'm a huge mystery fan. May I suggest Kate Atkinson to soothe the wound.

Does your caffeine lobe throb at the smell of Ernesto's potent brew?

Jenn, and Karin, you are both so right. I agree with all you said, Jenn, and yet I keep reading them! And Karin, I suspect I'm just hanging in for some possible romance. How pathetic is that?!

I stopped after reading the first one. :)

Thanks for the warning about these books. :-)

Shoot! I read yesterday's post and thought, "Hmm. New mystery series I've never heard of... And there's knitting." I went out and bought the first two. I'm only a few pages in, but I can already "see the writing." Y'know? I can see the author sitting there at the computer with a thesaurus and a yarn catalog. I'm paying attention to that mental image instead of the story. Sad. I must get back to Kinsey Millhone. I left her somewhere around "M is for Malice."

I keep reading Debbie Macomber's books and liking them. They are just as formulaic in their own way so I can't point a finger at anyone! Read on!

Sorry Libby. Maybe you'll get sucked into continuing to read them like me. I own the first two as well. Since then I've been checking them out at the library.

I've never read the Macomber books, Katherine. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on them. :)

I had read a positve review on Knitters Review about the books and bought three of them. I have only read the first one and think I will only read the others if there is nothing else to read. I liked the Debbie Macomber books better but not by much and I was also surprised that I kept on reading them. (I've only read two. I don't know how many there are). Anyway, I am halfway through On What Grounds - a coffee mystery and I am liking it so far. There are more in the series also - by Cleo Coyle. I actually prefer non-fiction books.

If you want to combine the fibre arts with crime mysteries you don't need to go any further than Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers - and I'll bet you they were both "real" knitters!

It is Eduardo's brew, not Ernesto's!

I think the reason that some of the commenters prefer Debbie Macomber is that Debbie is a knitter and anything she writes about knitting is going to be more accurate and realistic.

I don't know if Maggie Sefton knits or not, but I will admit to owning the first 4 of the series and I probably will buy others as they come out in paperback.

The series cracks me up. This is supposed to be a quiet little town, yet for a small town there have been an awful lot of murders in a short period of time (since Kelly moved there). And somehow all the victims know Kelly in some way. Hmmm.... if I were one of Kelly's friends I think I would start to distance myself from her because she just seems to carry bad karma, KWIM?

I do think the patterns and recipes are a nice touch in the books though.

I would like to see this shop and be able to take in the "frothy, silky, lucious, delicious, tempting...." etc. yarns that are on display.

I also wonder why Kelly has never been able to learn to make her own coffee? She seems hopelessly addicted to Eduardo's magic brew and must spend a lot of money on it daily.

I think he puts crack in the coffee...

Too funny, Sandee! I think you're on to something with the coffee there. :D I find myself laughing at the impossibility of it all too. I do appreciate that the author adds in the knitting stuff though. It's so natural for us to knit in the evening or go to a knitting group that it's kind of cool to read a story where a character does that too. I just wish the mystery parts (or the romance parts) were better. I have read that the 6th book is better than this one. Maybe next April Fool's Day, I'll check that one out! ;0)

I too find myself wondering why I keep reading this series of books. They insult writing generally described as formulaic. I think it's just that I keep thinking that the books could be much better & hope the next one will be. I do admit to buying pretty much any cozy with a fiber related theme.

I am so glad I'm not the only one, Donna! We can be foolish together. ;0)

Life is too short to read bad books. Drop it like a bad habit.

I've read them all, and yes, they are sub-par. But you know what? When your brain is rebelling against having to think too much or deal with the latest crisis, they are a good escape. At least you can laugh at all the mistakes and feel better about yourself because you know more than the author about the subject.

LOL! We are all laughing at the writing in this book, but guess who is having the last laugh?
Maggie Sefton!

We may knock the books, but we are still reading them. Even is the storylines are weak and predictable, the author has found a niche market and is cashing in on it.

Kudos to her for being so savvy. She keeps writing and we keep buying and reading!

I always admire a shrewd businesswoman.

I feel the same way about many "niche" (knitche?) books. . . and there seem to be so many these days! I found the Friday Night Knitting Group #1 to be poorly written, too, unfortunately, esp as the cover is so pretty and now there's a second!

The series (not knitting, but cooking is the theme for this one) that has me in its cute little coils is the "Goldy Bear Catering" series by Diane Mott Davidson--about 8 years ago a student of mine and I would commiserate about how predictable, foolish, unlikely, etc, each one was. . . and how we'd duly check out (or listen to!) each new book. Sigh. I guess these craft/special appeal books are the literary equivalent of junk food, and we are the helpless, hapless consumers!