On the Hook: A Crochet Mystery

Betty Hechtman

May 2018 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

By hook or crook, Molly will clear her name in On the Hook, national bestseller Betty Hechtman’s irresistible twelfth Crochet Mystery.

The Tarzana Hookers crochet club could come apart at the seams when thwarted ambition, shady ethics, and a puzzling murder converge.

Molly Pink and the Tarzana Hookers are busy crocheting baby blankets for charity, but before long, they’re tangled up in a mystery that may be their unraveling. The Hookers are a tight-knit group, but some of the members harbor secret aspirations. Adele dreams of becoming an actress, and her acting coach has filled her head with promises of a career as a crochet show host. Elise Belmont has earned her real estate license and is itching to show her first house. But when the house’s tenant turns up dead from a pink squirrel cocktail laced with cyanide, the Hookers could be in double treble.

It turns out that the dead man was Adele’s acting coach, Timothy Clark. And Molly gets wound up in the case after accidentally leaving a scarf she designed at the murder scene. Detective Barry Greenberg, one of Molly’s exes, quickly stitches together that the scarf is hers. Lawyer Mason Fields (another of Molly’s exes) has her head swimming in legalese. For Molly, the only way out is by learning who really killed Timothy, and why.

Crochet patterns and a delicious recipe included!

Ratings and reviews

On the Hook by Betty Hechtman is twelfth tale in A Crochet Mystery series. Molly Pink and the Tarzana Hookers (get your mind out of the gutter—they are referring to crochet hooks) have decided to get back to their roots. They are crocheting baby blankets for infants that are surrendered at the police department, fire station and local hospitals. Adele Humphries loves her new husband, but she is less than thrilled with the cramped living situation since her mother-in-law moved in to their cozy condo. Elise Belmont has recently acquired her real estate license and is anxious to show her first home, but she does not want her husband, Logan to know. They are only in the house a few moments when Elise hustles them out the door because Logan is on his way with clients. On the news that night, Molly sees that Logan found Timothy Clark, owner and actor, dead in the house (oh dear). The next day Detective Barry Greenberg (one of Molly’s ex’s) shows up asking about a scarf found at the crime scene—oops, it seems Molly’s scarf was left behind in the hurry to exit the house. Adele is in a further tizzy because the victim was her acting coach (really). She has been taking lessons without her husband’s knowledge (she told him she was taking yoga—I am shocked he bought it). To avoid spilling Elise and Adele’s secrets, Molly must solve the case before Barry can prove the scarf is Molly’s. Molly contacts Mason Fields, attorney and another ex, for legal advice and assistance. It also gives them a chance to reconnect (sparks are flying) and clear up a few misconceptions. When not working at the store and stitching together the clues of the case, Molly has been roped into helping Rhoda’s brother-in-law, Leo. He is a widow who is clueless with women and Rhoda is tired of him moping about her house (Molly is a soft touch). Can Molly unravel the killer’s identity before Barry proves the scarf belongs to Molly? On the Hook is not a standalone book. It is best to read A Crochet Mystery series in order, so you can understand about Molly, her family, the Tarzana Hookers, and her relationships with the men in her life. On the Hook contains good writing and has a fast pace (which I liked). The mystery, though, took a back seat to Molly’s love life. Instead of a love triangle, we have a square (Leo, Barry, Mason and Molly). The mystery was straightforward and the solving it is a cinch. Adele is her usual over-the-top self with her outlandish outfits and crazy ideas. She is even more zany than usual with her desire to become a host of a crochet show. Adele’s little ditty will have you in stitches (it is creative and hilarious). I admit to having trouble getting into On the Hook. There seems to be a more zany antics than normal in this installment. There is quite a bit going on in On the Hook with the murder, crocheting blankets for charity, Adele and her acting ambitions, Elise keeping her real estate license hidden from her husband (it made no sense why), Molly’s mother using her house for rehearsals, Barry trying to get Molly to answer his questions about the scarf, Mason and Molly going out, Molly giving Leo lessons, Sam living with Molly, the various animals that live with Molly, the bookstore, Dinah and her situation with Commander Blaine (her husband). While it is humorous, I wanted more mystery and less Molly stonewalling Barry (which lost its humor after a while). I am giving On the Hook 3.5 out of 5 stars. While On the Hook was not my favorite book in A Crochet Mystery series, I am curious to see what happens next with Molly Pink. Do you think she will ever pick between Barry and Mason?

most challenging, mystery to date. Molly was roped into viewing a home for sale with Elise, one of the Hookers and a new Realtor, with Adele. It turns into a trail of secrets that almost puts handcuffs on Molly. She contacts ex-boyfriend Mason, well-known criminal attorney, to keep her out of jail. Elise’s husband Logan is the listing Realtor, and he doesn’t know she has a license. Adele wants a home for new hubby Eric “Cutchykins” Humphries, a motor cop, and Mother Humphries, as their only private time is when his mother goes to the movies one night a week. The three ladies were barely in the home when Elise heard that Logan was taking clients out to view homes. She panicked and drove everyone out. Nobody noticed that one of Molly’s signature scarves was left behind… Barry, her ex-boyfriend who is the detective on the case, recognized the scarf at a glance. The owner of the home had been found dead by Realtor Logan, when showing it to his clients. The cause of death is poisoning, and the man was Timothy Clark, a huge TV personality. Elise wants Molly to find who did the deed so her husband doesn’t find out she showed the home. Adele doesn’t want Cutchykins to know they were looking at the house, either. She doesn’t want hubby to know she was in an acting workshop of Clark’s, in which he promised to get her an interview as a “personality”, a cable TV crochet star. Logan is hiding the actual ownership of the Clark home from Elise. Molly is my favorite, showing us the single life (in her case widowed) in this new millennium. She has taken one of her talents and introduced it into where she works, the Shedd &Royal Books and More. This sounds like the kind of place I would enjoy working, especially with the yarn department and Happy Hour crochet events. Adele is becoming a favorite, even though she is the epitome of every uniquely annoying person one has ever met. Adele adds much to the series, even if at times only comic relief. The Hookers are not just a group that crochets or (perish the thought) knits, they are like a close-knit family after years of charitable yarn projects and adventures. And life around Molly is often an adventure, especially when trying to keep her from being ON THE HOOK! This fast-paced, action-packed cozy mystery is just what the doctor ordered, with laughter often being the best medicine. The plot twists serve to heighten the suspense, introduce more possible suspects, and bring two of Molly’s ex-boyfriends back in her life. We are reminded that the world of show business is often cutthroat. Promises are worthless, especially from Timothy Clark, so the killer could be any one of his workshop students. Enough suspects to keep this armchair sleuth confused! One small consolation is that I had suspected – briefly – the real killer, but didn’t have a motive. Overall, it is a challenging mystery with the fabulous characters who are as fresh today as from the beginning – I highly recommend it! From a Grateful Heart: I received this e-arc from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my honest review.

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About the author

Betty Hechtman was born in Chicago, Illinois and on a particularly eventful weekend graduated college, got married and moved to Los Angeles, California. She has a degree in Fine Arts and has had a variety of professions. Her love of mysteries started with Nancy Drew and blossomed when she began to read Agatha Christie’s books. She has been doing handicrafts since she was a child. It is like a dream come true to be able to mix mystery and yarn craft in her books.