Only Skein Deep

Only Skein Deep by Maggie Sefton is the fifteenth book in A Knitting Mystery series. It is May in Fort Connor, Colorado and everyone is anxiously awaiting the birth of Kelly and Steve’s son. Kelly is nine months pregnant and desperately misses coffee. Kelly is waiting out the arrival of her son by working on her client’s account, spending time with friends, watching Cassie’s games, and knitting a baby hat. One day Kelly arrives at House of Lambspun to find out that a body was discovered on the golf course. The victim turns out to be Giselle Callahan, the second wife of William Callahan. William, president of a local sports equipment company, had divorced his first wife, Meredith after a forty-year marriage. Meredith was so distressed by the divorce that ended up committing suicide. The investigation uncovers that Giselle was murdered. Kelly wonders who wanted Giselle dead, but she is unable to contribute much to the investigation in her current state. Curt and Jolene feel it is time for Kelly to make an honest man of Steve and they organize a wedding. The members of the Lambspun family come together for the wedding that they have been waiting years to witness. Will baby jack wait until after the wedding to make his arrival? Who killed Giselle Callahan? Only Skein Deep is nicely written, has a good pace and is easy to read. It has been ten years since Kelly came to Fort Connor, Colorado. Only Skein Deep summarizes why Kelly came to the town and what has happened since her arrival. Readers get to hear how baby Jack is playing soccer in Kelly’s stomach (more than once in every chapter), the various sporting events the group participates in, the status of Kelly’s knitting project, how Kelly cannot have her normal coffee (in each and every chapter), Cassie’s final exams, food descriptions, the history of Fort Connor, Carl chasing the squirrel and the gorgeous yarn in House of Lambspun. If you have not read the previous books in A Knitting Mystery series, you should not start with Only Skein Deep. I recommend beginning with Knit One, Kill Two. I give Only Skein Deep 3 out of 5 stars. The mystery is so far in the background in this book that it is practically non-existent. It is discussed, but not investigated (everyone is too focused on Kelly’s pregnancy). The killer’s identity can be discerned early in the novel. No clues are needed to solve this one. It was nice to catch up with the characters, but I wanted more. I have read every book in A Knitting Mystery series, and this is the first one to disappoint me. Only Skein Deep needed a complex whodunit and less focus on Kelly’s pregnancy (I quickly tired of the many references to the baby playing soccer in her stomach). Only Skein Deep felt like it was written by someone else (or the author phoned in this one). It was disappointing to find out that Jolene and Curt as well as Greg and Lisa were married (done secretly and kept quiet). It felt wrong and out of place with this group of characters (they share everything). Only Skein Deep felt like the author was wrapping up the series and, after reading it, it should be the last one.

Surprisingly disappointed with this book...first 13 or 14 chapters were only a recall of past books, with occaisional mentions of a murder. Had to force myself to read all of it.....not the usual mind grabbing thrill as previous books.. hope their won't be another series..... possibly done to death 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢