Crafting For Murder by Barbara Emodi
Crafting for Murder, by Halifax author Barbara Emodi, is the first book in a cozy mystery series set in the fictional old town of Gasper Cove in rural Nova Scotia. Valerie Rankin, a single mom who moved back to her hometown after her kids left the nest, wants to set up a Craft Co-op on the second floor of the Rankin’s General Store, a business that has been in her family for generations. To advertize her intent of forming the co-op she gets an interview on the local radio station, CKGC by Gerry Richards, Voice of the Waves. Gerry then turns up dead at the bottom of the stairs the next day by foul means and it turns out Valerie was the last person, except the killer to see him alive. This starts Valerie’s very amateur investigation into the murder, while also trying to save her family’s business. I enjoyed the wide variety of colourful characters brought to life in this small town, including an ex-con named Duck, her cousin Darlene who is a hairdresser, her other cousin, who is a former psychologist and now runs the family store, who may or may not be practicing his trade in his office between customers, and Polly, a business-smart, wise beyond her years 12-year-old. I also liked the descriptions of all the crafts, some familiar and some not, being submitted for the co-op. I am looking forward to visiting this Nova Scotia coastal town again in the second installment, Crafting Deception.
