Murder Most Crafty: 15 All-New Stories of Criminal Handiwork and the Art of Deduction - Softcover

Maggie Bruce, the creator of the Lili Marino series, is otherwise known as Marilyn Wallace, editor of the award-winning five-volume Sisters in Crime anthologies, co-editor of Deadly Allies, and the author of several mystery and suspense novels.

It's not all murder, she said, and it's certainly one of the most unusual amalgamations between two covers. Editor and writer Bruce has concocted a real whodunit how-to by assembling 15 award-winning, homicide-oriented authors, asking them to incorporate a craft whimsy somewhere in the plot, including an actual pattern and brief history, then compiling. Gillian Roberts' "Ellie's Chair" introduces readers to double trouble: flea markets and painted wood furniture. Weaver Parnell Hall gives Coach Crandall his just and deadly rewards, and subsequently explains the intricacies of this woven necklace. Stories, though anthology---size, do make for some great reading and guessing, but many of the 15 crafts are often treated without much attention to instructions and details--and are sans illustrations or photographs. Appended are lists of museums and artisan centers, shows and festivals, publications, guilds and organizations, craft supplies, and instructions. Barbara Jacobs
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