While the Monday Bunch knitters work, talk turns to the murder of a local man, Harry Whiteside, who was killed in his own home. He wasn't liked much, and was involved in a bidding war for a local property which would be perfect for developing. There were three bidders, and one of the others, Joe Mickels, is a suspect. He hires Betsy, who is well-known for her amateur yet effective investigation skills, to prove his innocence.

At the auction, the third bidder for the property, Maddy O'Leary keels over while knitting on stage and dies. She too, was murdered, and by a most nefarious means: someone poisoned the yarn she was using with nicotine, deadly nicotine which seeped into her skin. Could Mickels be responsible for the deaths of both of his competitors?

I'm always amazed at how fresh and interesting Monica Ferris keeps this series. This is the nineteenth book, and still the characters are growing, relationships evolving and the murder mysteries remain new and intriguing!

I love Betsy and her store manager, Godwin, as well as the varied cast of characters throughout the series. With two murders to solve in this book, I found myself unable to solve the crimes until Ferris was ready to let the cat out of the bag. I must say, all was revealed in a unique outcome, one that I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. There were no loose ends left and everything made perfect sense.

If you love a good cozy mystery, even if you haven't followed this series in the past, you'll want to jump right in and settle down for an excellent read. There's even a knitted cat pattern at the back of the book so you can knit the cat featured on the cover. Such a clever mystery!