Something's Knot Kosher

Hello again!  Has everyone had a good Friday?  My Mother is taking one of her "showers".  I put it in quotes because typically showers are a quick affair.  My shower is normally 5 to 7 minutes. My Mother's normally lasts an hour to two hours!  No, I am not kidding.  I still have not figured out what takes her so long. And this is only her actual time in the shower, not in the bathroom.  Add on time for brushing her teeth and other miscellaneous things, and she can be in there for two and half hours (minimum).  This is not an exaggeration. It drove my daughter nuts growing up. My Mother calls the bathroom her quiet sanctuary (I would rather have a comfy bed or chair).

Something’s Knot Kosher by Mary Marks is the fourth book in A Quilting Mystery series.  Martha Rose and her friends (Bertie Watson and Lucy Mondella) get together every Tuesday for a day of quilting in Encino, California for the last sixteen years.  Bertie and her husband, Russell have been together for 50 years.  Russell is at work at First Encino Bank when there is a robbery and he is shot (was it random or intentional).  Bertie needs her friends help (and their comfort) planning Russell’s funeral.  Bertie gets a call from the funeral home requesting her assistance.  Someone else has shown up and wants input.  Soon Jazz Fletcher (and his dog, Zsa Zsa) shows up on Bertie’s doorstep.  Turns out there was more to Russell and Bertie’s life than anyone knew.  Russell was gay but he kept it hidden because of his position at the bank.  Bertie agrees to work with Jazz on Russell’s funeral.  Russell had requested to be buried in McMinnville, Oregon (him home town).  Normally the body would be flown to the city, but Birdie will not take an airplane or a train.  So it is arranged that a driver will take them to McMinnville.  The group will travel in a car behind the hearse (Lucy, Martha, and Jazz are going with her).  They take along a red journal they had found in the house safe.  It is written in code and Martha believes it is important.  Before the group departs they find out that the robbery may not have been random (nor Russell’s death).  And then someone tries to break into Bertie’s house.  What is going on?  During the trip someone attacks the car and they get run off the road.  Unfortunately, the casket pops out of the back of the hearse and falls open.  They rush over to find a stranger in the casket (Russell is in there as well).  Who is this man and how did he get in the casket?  Martha Rose is determined to get answers for her friend.  Can Martha stitch together the clues? 

Something’s Knot Kosher was delightful.  It was entertaining to read (I have to admit that I even laughed a few times).  The book contains engaging characters (Jazz is a riot) and a complex mystery (my favorite type).  I loved following the clues.  Something’s Knot Kosher shows you really never know a person—not completely.  Bertie and Russell’s past will certainly surprise you.  I give Something’s Knot Kosher 4.5 out of 5 stars (since I was able to solve the mystery before I was halfway through the book).  While Something’s Knot Kosher is the fourth book in the series, you can read as a stand-alone.  The author did a good job of bringing the reader up-to-date without boring someone who has read the other books in the series.  I look forward to reading the next book in A Quilting Mystery series. 

The first three books in A Quilting Mystery series are Forget Me Knot, Knot in My Backyard, and Gone but Knot Forgotten.  I received a complimentary copy of Something’s Knot Kosher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

May all of you have an enjoyable evening!  Make sure to stay cool and safe.  I am off to cook dinner and then relax.  I hope I provided a good laugh!  I will return tomorrow to talk about another book.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader