by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Something’s Knot Kosher, and a link to order it from Amazon, as well as a link to purchase it from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Martha Rose was shocked to find out her friend Birdie’s husband was shot and killed during a bank robbery. Russell was over retirement age but stayed on because of his great relationships with clients. Witnesses heard the killer say something about “payback” right before he fired the gun. So was Russell the target or is his death part of the robbery?

Birdie and Martha go to the bank to pick up Russell’s personal effects and to see what’s in the safe deposit box. Martha is stunned to see inside a wedding ring with at least three carats worth of diamonds on it and a note that mentions “our twenty-fifth anniversary.” Russell and Birdie were married longer than that. Birdie is not so surprised which is a puzzle in itself.

The story behind the ring is just one of many secrets that come out over the next few days. There are a couple of attempts to break into the house, details of Birdie’s hippie life come to light, and a coded journal is found in Russell’s safe.

The next surprise is a call from the funeral home. It seems someone else is there claiming Russell’s body too. Birdie insists on driving from California to Oregon to accompany the hearse and wants her friends to go along, plus Russell’s lover.

Martha borrows Arthur, her ex-boyfriend’s police dog, in case they’re followed. Both Martha and her friend Lucy are armed. Considering the driver hired by the mortuary looks to be about a hundred years old, they keep in touch with him via walkie talkie as they make their way up the coast.

Martha finds it hard to believe Birdie had such a complicated love life. On the other hand, her own love life isn’t what anyone would call simple. First there was Beavers. He’s Arthur’s owner and a police detective. As long as he’s in charge, things go smoothly. He has control issues which is what caused Martha to break up with him. After a while, she liked Arthur more than his owner.

Then came Yossi. He’s a Jewish biker with an undercover kind of job. He wants a commitment from Martha, but she’s not ready. He left about five months ago, and she hasn’t heard a word from him. Is it because of another undercover assignment or is he gone for good?

To complicate matters further, the FBI agent assigned to the case is someone Beavers knows well.

When an accident along the way brings to light a stowaway passenger, so to speak, the matzo really hits the fan. There’s a missing quilt, lots of money on hand, bearer bonds, a runaway wife, a stop at the fabric store, Birdie’s love interest (Russell’s brother?), an international assassin, and a Swedish rapper for Martha to sort out. At least it keeps her mind off her love life!

Be prepared for one delightful surprise after another as decades old secrets are revealed. It’s a nice change to see older women with love lives, deep friendships and minds open to new experiences.

There are tips for caring for your quilts at the back of the book as well as an excerpt from “Knot What You Think,” book number five in the Quilting Mystery series, coming soon.

To enter to win a copy of Something’s Knot Kosher, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “kosher,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 13, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Something’s Knot Kosher

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble and a Kindle. You can find several of Sandra’s short stories at Untreed Reads including her newest, “Arthur,” included in the anthology titled, Flash and Bang, available now. Look for Denali, in the anthology Dogs and Dragons.