In Crewel and Unusual by Molly MacRae, Kath Rutledge gets involved in another case as her town opens the Blue Plum Vault, a co-op of shops operated by various artisans and booksellers. Belinda Moyer sells antique textiles, which draws the textile expert Kath to her shop. The day before the official opening, Belinda reports that her valuable antique table runner has been destroyed, and then the ruined item disappears. On the day of the opening, the Blue Plum Vault draws a big crowd, and Kath enjoys exploring the place. She goes with Artis Buchanan, the manager of her shop, Weaver’s Cat, and the only other person besides Kath who can see the ghost Geneva. The pair hear sorrowful singing in a storage closet and realize that Geneva is inside. When they get the closet open, Kath discovers Geneva cradling the murdered body of Belinda. Then Kath learns that Geneva witnessed the murderer, so she faces an extra challenge in solving the case without revealing her source.
I have enjoyed the Haunted Yarnshop mystery series, so I was really happy to see that MacRae published a new book. I found that I was kept listening to Crewel and Unusual raptly, as the book has plenty of charm. I love the premise of Geneva’s having been a witness to the murderer. Geneva is different than every other ghost I’ve encountered in other paranormal cozy mysteries, serving as a regular character in the book who just can’t be seen by most others. Yet she also has her unique limitations, having lived over 100 years earlier and spent most of her time before Kath became able to see her just watching television. So we have a very moody ghost who endears herself to us and sometimes makes us laugh.
I did find myself confused several times with this book, though. It starts with a murder case that is already in progress before adding further layers to the plot, an angle that has real potential. However, I sometimes got confused about the details of that case, so I would have liked to have been given more information in a way that it made things clearer to me. Plus, I got confused about the identity of certain characters new to this book, particularly those related to the back story.
Emily Durante performs the audio edition of this book, doing a lot to add to the pleasure of reading this book. She adds flavor to the book in her portrayal of Kath as the narrator. In particular, I liked the way she plays Geneva, the real joy of the book. Making us feel Kath’s confusion and love of the ghost, Durante adds a lot to MacRae’s already successful job of making a ghost seem alive.
I had a very good time listening to Crewel and Unusual. It had a creative premise, unique characters, and a fun conclusion. Because I did find certain parts confusing, as discussed above, I give it four stars but have to say that I highly enjoyed the book despite those issues.
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