This is the first in the new Tangled Web series by the author of the "Greek to Me" mysteries (written as Susannah Hardy), now writing under a new name (she is actually Jane Haertel in real life!). This series is a little atypical and promises to be very appealing. I'm already looking forward to #2.
The first unexpected element in Yarned and Dangerous is Josie Blair, a non-knitting fashion designer who is called upon to travel to the Litchfield Hills in Connecticut to care for her recently widowed great uncle Eben, who is nursing a broken ankle and cannot drive. Eb's wife, Cora, was killed in the car accident that injured Eben and, while Josie's mother is on a Mediterranean cruise, someone needs to help out the stubborn but lovable old man with his farm and also close up Cora's yarn shop. Miss Marple Knits seems to be one of the few viable businesses in Dorset Falls and sits in the middle of a block filled with abandoned storefronts. Since Josie's career has recently been derailed by her demanding and lecherous boss, Otto, it seems like the perfect time to take a break and head for the hills. Josie is not your typical city girl who hates the country and is anxious to get back to the big city. She is intelligent, caring, and apparently has never picked up a freshly laid egg or a pair of knitting needles in her life. She manages to cope very well, though, with the help of Eben's handsome and very kind next-door neighbor, Mitch.
The second unexpected element in this novel is the townspeople. None of them are conventional cozy stereotypes, expect, perhaps, for Diantha. Someone has to take on the role of the unappealing antagonist though, or there wouldn't be enough tension in the book! Hartwell allows her readers to know just enough about each of the townspeople to make us like them and want to get to know them better, as you would an interesting person that you look forward to seeing again.
I forgot to mention that the mystery involves the death of one of Cora's knitting group members, Lillian, whose body is discovered in the storeroom of Miss Marple Knits with a knitted blue cord around her neck.
I enjoyed this out-of-the-ordinary cozy very much and, as I said, I'm ready to start reading the next one, whenever it may appear!
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