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String Of Lies (2000)

by Mary Ellen Hughes(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fiction

series

Craft Corner

review 1: Found this one entirely by chance and I think it was meant to be because this is one of the best cozy mysteries that I have read in a while. Nice fish out of water story with the main character moving from the big city to a small town after a crisis in her personal life - she is warmly welcomed by some of the small town neighbours and is held in suspicion by others so some tension exists and it is so much fun! Her new business is a craft shop and that adds daily excitement to her life but the reader gets to enjoy watching her settle into her new home and routines as she rebuilds her life after the death of her husband. It's a nice blend of a woman getting into a groove with a little bit of creative juices flowing at the same time. Loved that part of the story.The murde... morer mystery was solid. The bad guy deserved it - always a plus - and the suspect list had one of her good friends and supporters included. There was a lot in this story for Jo to solve and a yummy police officer she is having trouble trusting and it made the tone of the book more realistic. I like a character that has a bit of real life indecision going on and Jo has that. She also has tons of charm and talent so the shop she is running seems like one you'd like to dive into - yet another cozy set in a small town that I'd like to visit but never can. Sad.Looks like our library system owns a second in this series. I'll have to get to work and track down some of the others as Mary Ellen Hughes has captured my heart with this book. It won't make me a crafting maniac but I sure am enjoying reading about them.
review 2: Running a small business is never easy and when craft storeowner Jo McAllister hears that her landlord may sell her shop, she goes to confront developer Parker Holt. She arrives at his home only to find his body - it turns out he was murdered. The police have plenty of suspects but when they seem to focus on one particular suspect, Jo thinks they have the wrong person and she, along with the help of crafters in her beading workshop, sets out to find the real killer. But Jo needs to be careful or she may be the next victim."String of Lies" is a very enjoyable if somewhat flawed cozy mystery. This is the second book in Mary Ellen Hughes' Craft Corner Mystery Series and it's even better than the first one "Wreath of Deception". Jo continues to grow as a character as she is slowly recovering from the death of her husband and worried about losing her business. Her budding romance with Lieutenant Ross Morgan (it seems that all cozy mystery heroines must have a romance with a cop) is being handled nice and slow by Hughes which makes it enjoyable to read. The craft elements are nicely done and I love the beading workshops Jo has - I wish there were more in the book. The addition of a male crafter - retired butcher Vernon Dobson, is a welcome one and I hope he appears in future books in the series.Unfortunately, while the craft elements in the book are well done and the characters are well written, the mystery aspects aren't nearly as well done. The way Parker Holt is killed is unbelievable; it leaves far too much up to chance. There is a second murder in the book that I saw coming early. I also figured out early on who the killer was, although I kept hoping I was wrong because I liked the character. Still, despite these flaws, I really liked the book - Hughes has a way of writing that pulls you into the story and she creates characters you really care about."String of Lies" isn't perfect, but it's still an enjoyable cozy mystery and I recommend it to cozy mystery fans. less

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