It’s always nice visiting with friends from a long running series but there’s so much that needs to be explained in the beginning regarding the ongoing storylines that the mystery gets the short end of the stick. It took awhile to get to the mystery and while it was interesting, it took the back seat to the endless ways that Molly is taken advantage of. I still enjoyed this one but wanted more investigating and less about the different sagas she faces day-to-day.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.2023 arc kindle ...more4 s1 comment Lisa~Ilovemypug~ Currier1,918 69

#KillerHooks #NetGalley is a great addition to this fantastic series. I love Molly Pink and the Tarzana hookers, so it was no surprise how good this book was going to be.
Molly is hosting an event at the bookstore, and things go terribly wrong when the tell all columnist winds up dead. Is Molly to blame? That's what some people believe and its up to Molly to save herself.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.2 s Barb Martin918 33

Molly Pink is starting to annoy me a bit.

OK. That's not fair. She's always annoyed me. For being in charge of a bookstore's events and now being the assistant manager, to boot, she sure doesn't spend much time working. In "Killer Hooks," though, I was most annoyed every time (and it was fairly often) Molly and Dinah announced they were going to play their Sherlock Holmes game.

Quit announcing it and just get to it, already.

Lots happened "between" the previous book in the series and this one. Molly had chosen between Barry and Mason at the end of the last book. At the beginning of "Killer Hooks," she reneged on her decision. That's another thing I dis about Molly. Choose Barry forever, already.

Marlowe, Molly's grandchild, had been a stranger to the family until her mother unceremoniously dumps the baby into Molly's lap. That's fine. The baby deserves to be in a family filled with love and furry friends.

But Marlowe's presence helps Molly solve the latest murder. Who killed the former celebrity reporter who planned to host a podcast to air the nasty things celebrities had gotten away with in years past? The murder happened during an event at the bookstore, so Molly is a suspect and the person trying to solve the crime.

This installment includes a relatively high body count, too.

"Killer Hooks" is perfectly fine. It is exactly what readers expect from Betty Hechtman.2 s Carrie SchmidtAuthor 1 book429

From the very first scene where Molly’s ex-daughter-in-law drops her baby off on Molly’s doorstep and takes off to Vancouver for a job, I felt the tension of the whirlwind that is Molly’s current life. Between trying to juggle her bookstore job, her granddaughter (and an upper class play group Molly’s roped into joining), her two ex-boyfriends, her adult sons, her menagerie of pets, her mother’s singing group’s rehearsals in Molly’s living room, a co-worker’s new business, and her crochet club, it’s a wonder Molly didn’t run off the page screaming, “SERENITY NOW!” haha! But not only does she handle all of the above with grace and aplomb, she also manages to help solve some mysteries, too. I really d Molly and enjoyed my time spent with her in this book. All the chaos around her only made her more entertaining and relatable.

Killer Hooks is my first introduction to this series – and to Betty Hechtman’s work – but I only briefly felt lost as Molly hinted at some past upheaval. An upheaval which is eventually described, thus putting me back on basically the same page as longtime readers of the series and appeasing my curiosity. Even if I’d never figured out what happened, it still wouldn’t have affected my enjoyment of this book; it makes a great stand-alone novel.

The mysteries in this story are layered and more complex than they at first appear, and the fact that Molly is in one detective’s sights as the prime suspect makes them even more so. There are a plethora of subplots (some I’ve mentioned above) that may or may not tie in to the murder(s), and part of the reading fun in Killer Hooks is sorting one from another to stay ahead of Molly’s own sleuthing. Just about the time I thought I had something figured out, a new twist came into play and forced me to reevaluate my suspicions.

Bottom Line: Killer Hooks by Betty Hechtman is entertaining and cleverly plotted, with intriguing layers and a likable protagonist. From her coworkers to her crochet group, her family and friends – plus the new connections she’s making, courtesy of her infant granddaughter – Molly is surrounded by vivid personalities that contribute to the engaging mood of the book. Red herrings, distractions, and suspects galore keep readers on their toes and turning the pages. A fun read for cozy mystery fans, bookstore aficionados, crocheters, movie buffs and true crime !

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPowerblog-reviewed books-on-books clean-fiction ...more1 L.M.Author 3 books13

Molly Pink's life has kind of come crashing down. She's turned down beau Mason because of feelings she still had for Barry, but as soon as she and Barry return from vacation he's back to his old schedule, shunting Molly aside every time the phone rings. Getting through each day as best she can, trying to acclimate herself to her new normal, Molly's granddaughter's mother gives her the perfect distraction when she drops 8-month-old Marlowe literally on her doorstep. Son Peter decides to add to the chaos by giving Molly a little private investigation work (while doing literally nothing to help take care of his child). So Molly's plenty busy... when a killer adds another ingredient to the mix.

I enjoy this series quite a bit. There are things I don't care for; I don't care for Adele or the way she treats Molly (or the fact that Molly doesn't call Adele to the carpet for it). I also don't really care for the way Molly's kids treat her, she's still responsible for them despite the fact that they're adults (and in this book you'll want to choke Peter every time you see him). Barry has always failed to win me over, and when he tells Molly in this book that he's run back to Carol the minute things ended with Molly, I threw up my hands. Has there ever been a more fickle love interest in a book? That makes me frustrated with Molly for throwing over Mason for this guy. Mason is a bit of a cold fish but at least he's a good guy who seems to legitimately care for Molly. Maybe they went down the marriage route too soon but he deserved better.

All that being said, I do the series. Perhaps it's a sign of how well-developed the characters and plotlines are that I can get irritated with the nuances of these relationships and the events that they find themselves involved in. I also really Molly's friendship with Dinah and how they are always there for each other. The only thing I felt was somewhat short in this book was the investigation into the crimes. There were things that cropped up then were dropped, places where questions should have been asked or details should have been examined, that could have made the story a bit more exciting and could have started putting some of the pieces together sooner, rather than having all facets of the crime and its web revealed all at once at the very end.

Overall this is a solid cozy mystery series. Perhaps not among my top favorites, it's one I always follow as new books come out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.read-cozy-mysteries2 s Megan77 6

Killer Hooks by Betty Hechtman is the 15th installment in the Crochet Mysteries series, and releases on September 26, 2023.
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