"fun amateur sleuth"

In Fort Connor, Colorado, CPA Kelly Flynn is concerned as she has been harassed by vandals. Her tires were slashed, her windshield cracked, and red paint tossed on her house. She is also worried about fixing up the Bellevue Canyon Ranch she recently purchased although her boyfriend Steve Townsend promises to help her.

At a class on dyeing fibers hosted by House of Lambspun owner Mimi Schaefer, Kelly and the other members meet college chemistry major Tracy Putnam who appreciates being allowed to attend on a "scholarship". A few days later, someone trashed Pete's café and vandalized the House of Lambspun; killing Tracy in a vat of hot dye. Kelly believes her friends were targeted by an unknown adversary harassing her. Although she is not sure why they killed Tracy as a burglary gone wrong does not fit the scene; nor does any other threads explain the DYER CONSEQUENCES. Although Police Lieutenant Morrison warns her to not sleuth as she has done before (see A KILLER STITCH and NEEDLED TO DEATH), Kelly begins investigating anyway; unaware she places herself in jeopardy by someone she trusts, a deadly predator in sheep make that alpaca clothing.

Although the final twist explaining why Tracy and Kelly had to die seems a stretch, fans of the series will enjoy this fine DEADLY YARN. The cast is solid as the knitters come together to help one another. Fans of amateur sleuth whodunits will appreciate Kelly's inquiries into who is vandalizing her and her friends and most likely killed an enthusiastic coed.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted June 7, 2008

Summary

Kelly Flynn is eager to renovate the alpaca ranch she's just bought, but someone else has different ideas for keeping her busy, which seem to include slashing tires, cracking windshields, and covering the walls of her cottage with red paint. Then her local yarn shop, House of Lambspun, is trashed and a young woman is found dead in the basement, drowned in a tub of dye. As disturbing incidents continue to pile up, Kelly knows she must try to pick up the stitches of these crimes before a killer strikes again. But she can't fathom what anyone at Lambspun could have done to invite such dyer consequences.