THE DROWNING SPOOL

Who knew that retirement homes could be such dangerous places?

Betsy Devonshire, the amateur sleuth who owns the Crewel World needlework shop, is happy to teach a punch needle class at Watered Silk, a senior retirement home, since she’s going there anyhow for water aerobics classes while her usual pool is being repaired. Both classes go well except for the disturbances caused by Wilma Carter, who’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. When the instructor finds the naked body of a lovely young woman in the pool, Betsy is drawn into the investigation by one of her customers, who asks her to prove her nephew innocent. College student Ethan Smart, who had a night job at Watered Silk, monitored all the doors but claimed to have seen no sign of the victim entering the facility. And no wonder, since the autopsy results show that pregnant Teddi Whalberger was drowned in a bathtub and moved to the pool. Teddi and her two roommates were free-spirited party types, and Teddi had quite a few boyfriends, including a married man, who might find it inconvenient to be named her baby’s father. During a sleuthing visit to Watered Silk, Wilma shows Betsy an outside door that appeared to be closed off but was obviously the point of entry for Teddi’s body. For her pains, Wilma is murdered in a clever way that makes Betsy’s hunt for the killer even more complicated.

A pleasant addition to Ferris’ long string of needlework whodunits (And Then You Die, 2012, etc.) featuring the ebullient Betsy, her gay assistant and her live-in boyfriend. This one is full of needlework lore but doesn't feature much of a mystery.