I really liked this book for what it was. Not the best book by any means, but entertaining. What really bothered me though was the ending which seemed totally out of place and made me wonder if I was missing a chapter out of the book. ( )

Needled to Death is a decent cozy mystery, but there's not anything either good or bad about it that sticks out to me.

I like how the main character Kelly's job as an accountant is woven into the story. She's able to use her skillset to help solve the mystery, which itself is fairly solid. That, and the inclusion of information about alpaca husbandry, were probably my two favourite things about the book.

That being said, the side characters kind of jumble together after a while. There's both a Burt and a Curt and many different knitters at the yarn store that I can't name off the top off my head. I don't feel like anyone, except for the victim, was particularly distinguishable or memorable. They don't have to be super eccentric or larger-than-life to be memorable, but I also shouldn't be forgetting about them immediately after I've finished reading the book.

It's also a book that relies on many tropes, both from cozy mysteries and women's fiction in general - such as the 'wonderful' small town vs. the 'awful' big city or the 'career woman who's simply too busy for a relationship'. If you put this book on the Hallmark Channel, it wouldn't be out of place.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm personally the type of reader who likes reading books that approach tropes in a more creative and out-of-the-box fashion, so this didn't really suit my reading tastes.

I'd read more books from this series before if I stumble across them again in the library, but I don't think I'll be specifically looking for this series in future.

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Kelly and Jennifer take a knitting group out to Vickie's farm to see her alpacas. When they get there Kelly finds Vickie dead. The police seem to look at Vickie's estranged husband for the murder. Kelly is not happy with that and starts digging deeper. When Vickie's daughter ends up dead, Vickie knows the police are not looking in the right direction. She figures it out as she is doing the books for the attorneys for Vickie's estate. But how does she prove who murdered Vickie? And who murdered Vickie's daughter? Why?

I enjoyed this story. I have read other stories in this series (out of order.) I like the main cast of characters. Each has their flaws and quirks. They are like old friends to me. This time I did figure it out (alright, so it was the last quarter of the book.) I also figured out the motive although it was circumstantial until the end. I liked the mystery and solution. Kelly is not afraid to ask questions but man, she came close this time. Good thing she had back-up.

I look forward to more of the series. ( )

I've no idea why this was titled Needled to Death when the victim had her throat slit! ( )

This is an amusing book but the main character seems to spend so much time knitting and drinking coffee rather than working. She also somehow manages to inherit a home and a huge ranch in Wyoming. Oh yes, and 500 cattle, 100 sheep and maybe 20 alpacas. I happen to know that you need way more than 300 acres in Wyoming to support that much livestock. Oh yes, and she thinks that all that livestock will make her rich. Haha, not really. ( )