This is the 2nd book in the "Handcrafted Mystery Series" by Holly Quinn. I enjoyed the first in series and was delighted to read this for review. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My opinions are my own ..
In this next in series we return to the Community Craft Shop and new owner Samantha Kane. Community Craft is a store that stocks handmade goods made by locals, where artists give lessons, and local craft groups meet. She has a golden retriever named Bara who is her constant companion. She is still grieving over the death of her friend and determined to make a success of her business in her friend's memory.

One of her fellow crafters has written a successful book and Sammy is holding a book signing for her at the shop. She approaches Sammy that she wants to discuss private information on the former owner of Community Craft who was Sammy's best friend before her death. When Sammy goes to the agreed meeting place she finds her dead . Sammy is on the case to find the killer and hopes to find out what she knew about her friend.
This is a fun read and the sleuth kept me guessing. I did not guess the conclusion. I like the charcters and the craft shop is charming . I enjoyed reading this next in series and look forward to the next book.

There are a lot of knitting mystery series out there, and only a small number that feature crocheting; these could be counted on one hand. This crochet lover naturally wanted to dive into a story that featured crochet, the cover of which had a golden retriever on it. WHat's not to love? Sadly, this book. It's the second in A Handcrafted Mystery series, and it seemed to me that there were plenty of holdovers from book one that were not explained very well in book 2. The timeline was confusing to me--Sammy has taken over her friend's community crafting commission store because her friend was murdered, but one of the characters in this book is a young man who witnessed her murder as a boy. How many years have elapsed here? Sammy, Ellie, and Hannah and the ridiculous S.H.E. Nancy Drew wannabes was very immature and the constant reference to S.H.E. was very annoying. Their actions were not those of mature women, sisters and cousins who'd shared a love of mysteries as kids now faced with a real life mystery, but of high schoolers on a lark. The romantic interest was very tame, so readers who don't like any spice in their books will appreciate that, but to me it was just boring and bland, and Sammy's rudeness to Nash and inability to understand her actions were actually hurting the chances of finding and convicting the murderer made me want to throw the book across the room. Some parts dragged really slowly; the writing (downright terrible in some parts), the story, the pace, the characters--everything would have benefitted from a strong editor. Let's put it this way--I wrote a record 66 notes on my Kindle about errors, issues, and inconsistencies in this book. Not recommended, even as a beach vacation read.

I wasn't fond of the first book in this series, but I'm so glad I decided to give this one a try. The characters are much more fully drawn, and the mystery is excellent. Actually, I should say "mysteries," because we not only find out who killed the craft queen, we also find out what really happened to Sam's best friend Kate. The relationship between Sam and Kate is so beautifully drawn. I have to confess, I was tearing up when Sam read the accident report and started really dealing with the loss of her best friend.

Another thing that I enjoyed about this book was that everything that happened happened for a reason. There was a logic behind everyone's actions. I figured out who the killer was pretty early in the book,but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story at all. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series.

Crafter Hooks a Killer is the second book of the Handcrafted mystery series.

*I will preface this review by stating that I do not feel like this book should be read as a stand-alone.*

We first met Samantha Kane new owner of the Community Craft shop, in Crafter Knits a Clue. Author Holly Quinn, does a great job of keeping Sammy as she known, reasonings and reactions fairly normal. I also do not find her to be either whinny or a obsessive know-it-all. While there is a potential love interest Detective Liam Nash, this is not a romantic suspense or anything close to it. So if you’re looking for a happily ever after or just a happily for now storyline this book is not the one for you. If you’re looking for a solid mystery with great character interactions and backstories set in a small town, Holly Quinn, may just become your new must read author.
We have most of our previous caste of characters returning in this intriguing follow up. While we definitely have a new murder to solve this story definitely feels like second part of book one. In the beginning of the book crafting queen Jane Johnson, tells Sammy she needs to see her alone to tell her something about Kate, Sammy’s best friend, mayors daughter and the former owner of Community Craft before her untimely death. After speaking with her sister and cousin she heads out to meet with Jane. Thus begins our new murder and the conclusion of Kate’s story from book one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I just can’t encourage everyone enough to read book one first.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the main character Samantha was a bit wishy-washy though. She seemed to go everywhere with her thoughts and actions. #AcrafterHooksAkiller #NetGalley

I enjoyed this book and the mystery. The main character, Sammy, is working to get everything set up for a bestselling author's visit to her community craft store. The author visits the craft store wanting to talk with Sammy about Sammy's best friend, Kate, who had died a few years before. However, before Sammy and the author can talk, Sammy ends up finding the author's body and begins looking into why the author wanted to talk about Kate as well as who would want to kill the author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for for an honest review. - This is a fun series.

A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn is the 2nd book in A Handcrafted Mystery series, and another fun read. Samantha, Sammy, Kane is enjoying her life in Heartsford, Wisconsin running Community Craft. When best selling author Jane Johnson visits the Community Craft, and Sammy is excited she is going to devote a chapter to them in her new book, until Jane is found dead. I enjoyed the plot and the quirky characters, in this well written cozy mystery. I recommend this book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Land Books. Thank you.

Book 1 in this series is A Crafter Knits a Killer, and I did miss that one! But the author gives you just enough hints about the first book to keep you up to date with the main characters, and t want to go read the next book! Perfect for light summer reading, this chick lit mystery is as cozy as they come!

This is a fun little mystery that will have you wishing the small town actually existed and that you knew Sammy! Her family are small town charming and very relatable and you may find yourself not wanting to put the book down once you start reading it! Light and perfect, with a few twists, it's perfect for your vacation reading, or by the pool while ignoring the kids, LOL.

Really enjoyed this book. Loved the characters and the plot twist at the end. Very interesting story and subplots. Didn't see the ending coming at all. So excited to see where this series goes.

This fun cozy is full of crafty goodness, it's everything you want to find in a cozy. A likeable heroine trying to find her place in a new town and business. Secrets and crafts.

Being a crafter I love a mystery that has a crafty theme, "A Crafter Hooks a Killer" is the second book in the A Handcrafted Mystery series by Holly Quinn. I haven't read the first book in this series, but that didn't cause a problem as this can be read as a stand-alone.

I like the Protagonist Samantha “Sammy” Kane and her besties Heidi and Ellie who complete the S.H.E. (Sammy-Heidi-Ellie) “detective agency” from their childhood. The characters are well developed and very likeable, and who doesn't love a golden retriever "Bara".

There are plenty of red herrings, twists, turns to keep me wanting to find out what will happen next. I can't wait for the third installment in this series, I highly recommend this to cozy lovers.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Holly Quinn's cozy mystery is a fast read. Set in bucolic Wisconsin, e main character discovers there is more to Jer friend's death than what she originally believed. She teams up with her sister and friend to crack the case, along with a very interested detective. Fans will enjoy the fast paced action and the drama. The cover is very fetching.

Love you a great mystery and this book was was good. Fast reading. Will read more stories written my Hplly

I like the comfortable tone and the writing style presented in this whodunit. The mystery was well-crafted and I liked that it was a mystery within a mystery with clues that may or may not help solve a previous incident.

The author strategically introduced suspects and gave me just enough details to keep them on my radar. I had a sensed as to who was the person responsible for and it was fun watching it all play out, especially when the killer’s identity was revealed.

Sammy is a determined young woman who sometimes comes on too strong for her own good. She is surround by a great supporting cast of characters and I enjoyed her interactions with them, especially the local detective. This was a great read and I look forward to reading more adventures with the members of S.H.E.

Fun, Fun, Fun. This mystery had me vacillating between different suspects. At first I thought Suspect A, but what's the motive and then Suspect B had a motive but didn't seem right. It was fun. Sammy and her sister and cousin solve to solve mysteries. When they were little they formed a detective agency called S.H.E. (which stands for Sammy, Heidi, Ellie). Now a famous craft author has been killed and Sammy found the body. She is at odds with Detective Liam Nash again.

The characters are fun. There is a little bit of romantic attraction going on and then the mystery which kept me turning the pages.

This review will be posted on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales on Jun 2, 2019.
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2019/06/02/arc-review-a-crafter-hooks-a-killer

A Crafter Hooks a Killer is the second book in the A Handcrafted Mystery series. Right up front, I want to say that I haven't had a chance yet to read the first book in the series. However, I don't think that affected my opinion or understanding of the book and I definitely think you can read this one without it.

I really enjoyed this book, which has all the hallmarks of a great cozy mystery series in the making. To be honest, this one felt like it could have been the first in the series: the key murder is almost a stranger to our heroine, Sammy, but it soon becomes clear that there's a connection to the accident which killed her best friend and brought her back to town. I think that might be what made this mystery so good.

The investigation creates a strong and intriguing link throughout the book, but the real gem is watching the various relationships Quinn hangs on this skeleton. As well as Sammy, her sister and their cousin who make up the main investigative team, there's a whole host of supporting characters: Sammy's parents, Ellie's son and husband, their parents, Heidi's boyfriend, broody detective Nash and old-flame Brad, plus a tonne of townspeople. Despite the large cast, I was easily able to distinguish between all the characters because Quinn has given them all their own personalities and roles. I especially loved the interaction between the three S.H.E investigators, the slightly awkward return of Sammy's parents, and the will-they-won't-they between Sammy and Detective Nash. I really liked that because the case became so personal, we really got to know Sammy and see her under emotional pressure.

Crucially for a mystery, the ending really surprised me but once it was revealed I realised Quinn had left hints and red herrings throughout.

My only little gripe is that, for a cozy that centres around a craft shop and uses so many crafting puns in the title and blurb, I'd have liked a little more crafting content, or for the crafting to have tied a little more to the crimes. However, that's probably just because I read quite a lot of cozies and like them to be as distinctive as possible.

I whole-hearted recommend A Crafter Hooks Killer for any cozy-mystery lover. I'll definitely be watching out for future instalments and trying to source a copy of the first book.

The author's description of this small town remind me of many small towns I've lived in or visited. The sense of community both helps and hinders as the mystery is investigated by our craft store owner. The "craft" theme running through out the story lends it a definitely fun flavor. Add in a little bit of romance and you've got a satisfying cozy mystery. Second book in this series. It will be fun to see where the author takes us in the next one.

Who killed the "Queen of Crafting "? Inquiring minds want to know! Sammy Kane really wants to know. Joan Johnson was scheduled to sign copies of her latest book at an event hosted by Community Crafts.

Sammy inherited Community Crafts from her late friend, Kate Allen, and returned to her home town of Heartsford to operate the business. Sammy has questions about Kate's "accidental" death, but no one seems willing, or able, to provide any answers.

Strangely enough, it seems that Joan Johnson and Kate Allen had some sort of connection. It's up to Sammy to unravel the connection, while also uncovering the meaning of a clue found in Joan's luggage.

This cozy mystery, set in the small town of Heartsford , is filled with well-developed characters, who could easily be your friends. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries related to crafts. As a bonus, there's a free pattern for a Ripple Lap Afghan at the end of the book.

#ACrafterHooksaKiller#NetGalley

A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn. 2.5 stars

This is my first time reading a book by Holly Quinn. The description was that this series was for lovers of Maggie Sefton and Betty Hechtman. I've read books by both authors and while there is a similarity because crafts is a common thread I didn't find this book a fun read.. I had to force myself to finish this. I didn't like like Sammy or her potential love interest Detective Liam Nash. This was not my cup of tea.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane for this ARC.

cozy-mystery, Wisconsin, murder, handcrafted, small-business, small-town, family-dynamics, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth *****

Well done!
"Wisconsin has two seasons: winter and construction (obstruction)."
Yup, that's about right. The story takes place in a small farm town in southern Wisconsin where everyone is connected. After a simple setting of the stage to understand the characters, the murder of a crafting celebrity who is in town for a book signing occurs. Let the sleuthing begin! The publisher's blurb covers much but there's lots of red herrings and plot twists to keep the reader's interest in the mystery and the interconnected characters. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!