The Yarn That Binds by Rebecca McKinnon ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Jemma returns to the Rocky Mountain town where she spent the summers of her youth because her grandmother called to say something was bothering her and needed her help. Unfortunately, she is greeted by crime scene tape when she gets off the bus - her grandmother has been killed. Was it the developer who was pressuring her to sell? What about the neighbor peering over the fence? As a travel vlogger, Jemma has never set down roots. As the sole heir to her grandmother's estate, perhaps it's time to call someplace home.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

April 2022; Indie; 979-8401402080
ebook, print (266 pages); cozy mystery

The Yarn The Binds is the first book in Rebecca McKinnon's Clear Creek Mystery series. It's a great start and I'm so glad that I already have book 2 to read.

I instantly liked the main character. I liked that she is a capable woman, even if she is feeling a little directionless. I was about her age when I didn't really want to be doing what I was doing but didn't know what else I could do career-wise. 

The secondary characters are great too. Since she spent her summers with her grandmother in Clear Creek she is familiar with some of the residents. She hasn't been back in a while but they welcome her - as much for her grandmother as for herself. There's an immediate love interest in Brandon and she picks back up with her teenage BFF.

I loved the setting. It's a little town near a resort that has reinvented itself into an eclectic collection of shops, pubs, and diners so that the long-term residents didn't have to sell when property taxes skyrocketed. Jemma's grandmother was a leader of the initiative, and even bankrolled some of the renovations. So the residents aren't worried just about a murderer being among them, but they are also afraid that the innovations will end without her leading force.

There were some pacing/timing issues. Appropriate transitions were often missing or insufficient to convey the passage of time. This is just one example (don't get me started on the fact it is also a run on sentence):

"It was good to get back to something I knew I could handle, but when there was a knock on the door and I could see Emmilene, I was ready for a break." (pg 131)

It was jarring and did take me out of the story while my mind had to rush to catch up with the timeline, but it wasn't so bad that it kept me from enjoying the book. I looked forward to getting back to the story every day, and l'm looking forward to starting book 2 as the characters are so delightful.

The mystery was a good one even though I suspected who the killer was early on. It still was fun to see the investigation play out.

If you are a cozy mystery fan, then this is a series you have to check out.

Buy The Yarn That Binds at Amazon

(Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the ebook for FREE)

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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