I've enjoyed the Monica Ferris books since book one (Crewel World). In Embroidered Truths, John kicks Godwin DuLac out of the house - again. Betsy takes him in assuming that it will follow the usual pattern and they will make up soon. But when John's office calls to see if Godwin knows why John missed work ... well Godwin begs Betsy to come with him to check the house and they find John dead.

Godwin is devastated especially when he is arrested for the crime. The Monday Bunch swings into action to run the store while Betsy tries to hire a lawyer, learn the ins and outs of Bail bondsmen pricing, and investigates the crime and John's life and workplace in order to get her employee back. Add to that John's homophobic brother in town to close out the estate and you've got a large cast of characters.

There's the usual wonderful descriptions of needlework projects, multi-dimensional characters, lovely settings, action, adventure, and office intrigue. These are great mysteries with a wonderful set of continuing characters and we seem to have more with each book -- join in the fun now or go back to the beginning with Crewel World.

It centered too much on the gay employee and didn't put a very good image of him forward. After the first 50 pages I wasn't interested in finishing.

For those of us who are into needlecraft of some kind (it's knitting for me), Embroidered Truths is fun and entertaining, while at the same time a murder mystery.

The primary focus on crafts is embroidery, cross stitch (free tlatolli pattern included) and needlepoint in the shop Crewel World owned and operated by millionaire businesswoman, Betsy Devonshire. (Having not read other Ferris books and, therefore, not privy to earlier events in Betsy's life, my eyebrows shot up when I read she was worth three million buckaroos!) In this story, Betsy's shop manager and dear friend, Godwin DuLac, is thrown out of his lover's home and a few days later, John Nye, is found dead in his home. Actually, it's Goddy and Betsy who find him after receiving a call from Nye's law firm wondering why he hadn't shown up for work yet. It isn't long before Goddy is arrested and charged with the murder. Amateur sleuth Betsy is horrified that anyone would think Goddy capable of such a thing. Friends and shop customers take over the shop while Betsy sets out to find the real killer.

This book is very light fare; fun and easy to read. I was amused at the way Ferris expresses herself on occasion. Having had it pointed out to me by my editor that I sometimes go about a phrase the long way `round, I had to chuckle a few times at Ferris's style. Example: at the top of page 116 she writes (with regard to the hiring of an attorney for Goddy), "...overworked fellow still blowing on the ink on his law degree to dry it." I could hear my editor saying that to state that the same overworked fellow might still be "blowing the ink dry on his law degree" would have worked as well.

Friendship is important in Betsy's world and she certainly proves herself a loyal one, indeed.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

I really enjoy the Betsy Devonshire mysteries, and this one is no exception, but it does fall a little short of the other books in the series. While we get to know a great deal more about Godwin and his relationship with John, there seems to be more description of setting than actual plot development. And to be perfectly honest, Ms Ferris almost gives it away about 2/3 of the way through. The character development was good, and there were a few surprises scattered throughout the book, but they seemed to distract from the story line.
A good read, but not one of my favorites by this author

Betsy Devonshire, owner of Crewel World, is Excelsior, Minnesota's own amateur sleuth. When Betsy's friend and store manager, Godwin (Goddy) DuLac has a fight with his lover, attorney John Nye, the resulting break-up sends Godwin to temporarily reside with Betsy in her home above Crewel World.

When Betsy and Godwin discover the theft of his jewelry, and then John's very dead body in his home, grief sets in for Godwin. But then Godwin is arrested when the police learn that he would benefit from John's will. Betsy knows in her heart that her friend is innocent -- and it is up to her to prove it. The investigation leads Betsy and the others helping her, to a discovery about John's life that no one, including Godwin, knew about. And this leads to the why and who.

Monica Ferris writes delicious, cozy mysteries and Embroidered Truths is one of her best. I love her characters and found the plot interesting. As a needlecraft lover, I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the book.

Armchair Interviews says: Embroidered Truths is a fun read!