Inherit the Wool

Yarn retreat business owner, part-time magician's assistant and community baker Casey Feldman does the worst thing you can do to yourself - invite your long-lost college friends to town for a reunion/yarn retreat. In Inherit the Wool by Betty Hechtman, Casey has inherited her aunt's yarn retreat business along with her house in beautiful Cadbury by the Sea, California.

She holds her retreats in the very rustic Vista Del Mar resort. Many visitors are shocked to learn there is no WIFI, no cell service and no TV. Needless to say this does not go over well with some of Casey's high-powered college friends.

When she meets up with her friends again Casey's feelings of inadequacy are increased by business owner Vanessa Peyton who owns a chain of car dealerships; Courtney Arlington, a high powered attorney; Lauren Clark, a fundraiser for good causes;  Elizabeth Bronsky, only a little more neurotic about her state in life than Casey and an unknown guest.

When the guest arrives, it turns out to be a guy they all knew who now is a journalist. He claims he was invited to the retreat to be part of a news scoop. No one admits to luring him to the retreat and he happily joins the knitters waiting to see what happens. Tensions are high without total access to their smartphones, but Casey convinces them that knitting will relieve the stress.

A bomb scare at the resort empties the building, but when Casey returns, she finds the body of Vanessa slumped on the ground. The doctor rules it a heart attack but Casey's policeman sort of boyfriend hears rumors about air bubbles in the victim's bloodstream.

Because of her past crime investigating experience, Casey jumps right in trying to figure out who the killer is. There are some very funny scenes with Lieutenant Theodore Borgnine, especially when he pretends to teach the suspects how to meditate.

All in all a very entertaining book and I look forward to others in the series. I might even pick up knitting again.

Purchase link