Knot the Usual Suspects

PRAISE FOR THE NATIONAL BESTSELLING HAUNTED YARN SHOP MYSTERIES

Plagued by Quilt

“Full of loving crafting details and quirky, sassy characters. If you like mysteries about life in a small town, this is the series for you. Kath is a tried-and-true amateur detective who loves to stick her nose into everybody's business.”

—
Library Journal

“Mixing murders with the bits and pieces about quilting made
Plagued by Quilt
by Molly MacRae well worth the read. Very enjoyable.”

—BookLoons

“Whether you like the fiber arts or you just like a good mystery, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries.”

—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

“Filled with humor. . . . Kath Rutledge is my kind of amateur sleuth . . . a crazy-quilt puzzle with heart.”

—Lesa's Book Critiques

“A very good addition to the series. . . . The mystery itself was very unique. . . . Geneva is a ghost that keeps it interesting.”

—Debbie's Book Bag

Spinning in Her Grave

“MacRae does a superb job of coordinating her amateur sleuth ensemble cast . . . set in Tennessee. Snappy repartee and genuine warmth are both conducive to the best sort of cozy.”

—Library Journal

“MacRae weaves another terrific mystery . . . a colorful cast of characters, alive and dead . . . a rich fabric of murder, touches of romance, a lingering cold case, and vibrant characters.”

—Lesa's Book Critiques

“The mystery pleases with its plot and character development.”

—RT Book Reviews

“This is a fun series and the latest is a fantastic whodunit.”

—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

Dyeing Wishes

“A light paranormal cozy that will draw readers in with its small-town charm and hidden secrets.”

—Debbie's Book Bag

“[An] enjoyable mystery . . . filled with a cast of charming characters.”

—Lesa's Book Critiques

“[This] series is one that I've fast learned to enjoy for its cast of characters, its humor, and its primary setting of a yarn shop. . . . Oh, how MacRae's characters shine!”

—Kittling: Books

“Molly MacRae writes with a wry wit.”

—MyShelf.com

Last Wool and Testament

Winner of the 2013 Lovey Award for Best Paranormal/Sci-Fi Novel
Suspense Magazine
's Best of 2012

“A great start to a new series! By weaving together quirky characters, an interesting small-town setting, and a ghost with a mind of her own, Molly MacRae has created a clever yarn you don't want to end.”

—Betty Hechtman, national bestselling author of
Knot Guilty

“A delightful paranormal regional whodunit that . . . accelerates into an enjoyable investigation. Kath is a fascinating lead character.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“A gem.”

—TwoLips Reviews

“A delightful and warm mystery . . . with a strong, twisting finish.”

—Gumshoe

“Suspense and much page flipping! . . . I loved the characters, the mystery; everything about it was pitch-perfect!”

—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

“The paranormal elements are light, and the haunted yarn shop premise is fresh and amusing.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“MacRae has the perfect setting and a wonderful cast for her new series . . . good setting, good characters, good food . . . and fiber and fabric too.
Last Wool and Testament
is a wonderful beginning to a new series.”

—CrimeSpace

PRAISE FOR THE OTHER MYSTERIES OF MOLLY M
AC
RAE

“MacRae writes with familiarity, wit, and charm.”

—
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

“Murder with a dose of drollery . . . entertaining and suspenseful.”

—
The Boston Globe

“An intriguing debut that holds the reader's interest from start to finish.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Witty . . . keeps the reader guessing.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Engaging characters, fine local color, and good writing make
Wilder Rumors
a winner.”

—Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mysteries

Also by Molly MacRae

The Haunted Yarn Shop Series

Book 1:
Last Wool and Testament

Book 2:
Dyeing Wishes

Book 3:
Spinning in Her Grave

Book 4:
Plagued by Quilt

OBSIDIAN

Published by New American Library,

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

This book is an original publication of New American Library.

First Printing, September 2015

Copyright © Molly MacRae, 2015

Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

Obsidian and the Obsidian colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

For more information about Penguin Random House, visit penguinrandomhouse.com.

ISBN 978-0-698-16822-0

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

For Michael Fesehaye Thompson, who already loves to read

Writing the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries is a joy—for the opportunity to write another one, I thank Cynthia Manson, my agent, and Sandy Harding, my editor at NAL/Obsidian. For encouragement along the way, I thank critique partners Betsy Hearn, Janice Harrington, Sarah Wisseman, David Ingram, Steven Kuehn—the value of your help and friendship is immeasurable. Thanks to Nick Freer for letting me try my hand with his kumihimo loom. Thanks also to Michael Newton for letting me put a copy of his book,
The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic
, in Hugh McPhee's sporran. Thanks to the members of An Comunn Gàidhealach Ameireaganach (ACGA—the American Scottish Gaelic Society) who let me join them at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, for their Gaelic-immersion week and use the time as a writing retreat, and to Sherry Kreamer for waking us each morning with her pipes. Thanks to Johnson City, Tennessee, for not complaining that I took the name Blue Plum. You had the name first, but you discarded it when you thought you'd found a better one. Kate Winkler—you're a gem. Thank you for providing the patterns in my books and for your continued enthusiasm for the series. Special thanks to my generous colleagues at the Champaign Public Library—Debbie Keith, Aaron Carlin, and Thea Green lent me their names; Mike and Val Rogalla lent me Al and Bruce; and Larry Damski let me have Bill the Border Collie. Mike, Ross, Gordon, Milka, and Michael—I love to write, but you are my true loves.

Kath Rutledge
: Textile preservation specialist formerly of Springfield, Illinois, now owner of the Weaver's Cat, a fiber-and-fabric shop in Blue Plum, Tennessee

Ardis Buchanan
: Longtime manager of the Weaver's Cat

Geneva
: The ghost who lives at the Weaver's Cat, Ardis Buchanan's great-great-aunt

Debbie Keith
: Part-time staff at the Weaver's Cat, full-time sheep farmer

Abby Netherton
: Teenager working part-time at the Weaver's Cat

Argyle
: The shop's cat

Joe Dunbar
(Tennyson Yeats Dunbar)
: Kath's significant other, fly fisherman, watercolorist, sometimes called “Ten”

Ernestine O'Dell
: Septuagenarian, retired secretary

Melody (Mel) Gresham
: Café owner, calls Kath “Red”

Thea Green
: Town librarian who came up with the idea to yarn-bomb Blue Plum

John Berry
: Octogenarian, retired naval officer

Zach Aikens
: Teenager

Rachel Meeks
: Banker

Tammie Fain
: Energetic grandmother

Wanda Vance
: Retired nurse

Shirley and Mercy Spivey:
Twins, Kath's cousins (several times removed)

Hugh McPhee:
Bagpipe player, former Blue Plum citizen

Gladys Weems:
The mayor's mother

Olive Weems
: Organizer of the arts and crafts fair Handmade Blue Plum, the mayor's wife

Palmer (Pokey) Weems
: Mayor of Blue Plum

Al Rogalla
: Accountant, volunteer fireman

Ellen
: A knitter in town for Handmade Blue Plum

Janet
: A knitter in town for Handmade Blue Plum

Aaron Carlin
: Odd-jobs man, significant other of Angie Spivey

Hank Buchanan
: Ardis' daddy

Ambrose Berry
: John's older brother

Angie Spivey
: Mercy Spivey's daughter

Cole (Clod) Dunbar (Coleridge Blake Dunbar)
: Deputy, Joe's brother

Darla Dye
: Deputy

Shorty Munroe
: Deputy

Leonard Haynes (Lonnie)
: Sheriff