1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home to...

In the town of Excelsior, Minnesota, it's Halloween, and Betsy Devonshire, owner of the Crewel World needlework shop and part-time sleuth, is haunted by murder as she investigates the mysterious death of Wicca practitioner and microbrewery owner Leona Cunningham.

The owner of the Crewel World needlework shop, Betsy Devonshire must put her sleuthing talents to work when one of her regular customers unwittingly becomes embroiled in a deadly delivery of exotic antiquities.

"Times are tough lately, financially and personally, in Betsy Devonshire's life. Her. Crewel World needlework shop has been struggling, and she's feeling bad about not connecting with the daughter of her new boyfriend, Connor. So when the Larson family, who bought one of Betsy's cabins, invites her to come and help with renovations, she agrees to go. But their work comes to a chilling halt when they discover a human skeleton under the linoleum --...

Betsy Devonshire finds herself with a roommate when her friend Godwin has a nasty quarrel with his significant other, John. Then John is found dead and Godwin is arrested for his murder. Betsy knows her friend is not a killer and sets out to prove it.

"Even though running Crewel World keeps Betsy plenty busy, a little extra cash on the side doesn't hurt. So when the local senior complex, Watered Silk, asks her to teach a class on the tricky punchneedle technique, Betsy jumps at the opportunity to win over some new customers. Unfortunately, the business that Betsy drums up is not of the needlework variety. A young woman is found floating in Watered Silk's therapy pool, and Betsy's sleuthing skills...

The stitchers of the Embroiderers Guild are thrilled to have raised over $20,000 for charity-but they're less pleased when the representative who accepts the check disappears with it. After breaking her leg in a fall from a horse, Betsy's confined to her apartment and loopy on pain killers-she can't possibly investigate. But Godwin, her store manager, insists that he can do the legwork. Little do they know that a man across town has a similar injury-and...