Molly and company have set up a table at a fundraiser in the park and when they begin to pack up their things at the end of the day, they see someone has left a grocery bag on their table. Curious to a fault, Molly looks inside and finds a panel of filet crochet with images such as cats, a well and what looks to be a bath powder box along with a page from a diary and the first part of a letter to someone.

Molly agrees to take custody of the bag for two reasons: first, she is naturally curious, and secondly, she thinks that the owner knows with whom she left the bag and must know that the Hookers meet at Shedd and Royal Bookstore and will come looking for it there. When several days go by, a coworker, co-crocheter Adele, tells Molly where she is likely to find some of the yarn used in the piece, and that the owner of the store keeps track of who buys what and will be able to point Molly in the right direction.

When Molly arrives at the home of Mary Beth Wells, she finds the woman dead in her bed, apparently poisoned by the marzipan apples she was eating. Detective Heather, Molly's boyfriend, Detective Barry's sometimes partner, is less than pleased to see Molly at the scene of another death. She dismisses Molly's ideas that the piece of crochet work is Mary Beth's and that if all the panels are correctly identified and put into context, the murderer will be revealed.

Molly is determined to solve the mystery of the lace on her own; with the help of friends Dinah and Cee Cee, she tracks the story to a nearby island where a secret is waiting that has an effect on almost every member of the Hookers.

Molly's mysteries have always been entertaining, especially for crocheters, but By Hook or By Crook goes a step beyond the usual with the addition of the filet work. Molly and her friends work together to unravel, figuratively of course, the message hidden in the work and let it lead them to not only a murderer, but to the answer to a young woman's life of questions.

While Molly and the Hookers are working on this puzzle, Cee Cee, the hostess of a popular reality show, Making Amends plans to film a show with a connection to the bookstore. When the wife of the executive producer turns up to join the crochet group on the advice of her life coach, Cee Cee, who is having contract troubles, becomes suspicious of the woman's motives.

A visit from Molly's mom (part of a sixties girl-group with a one-hit-wonder hoping to make a comeback), Detective Barry's sudden East Coast trip and the nearness and availability of attorney Mason add additional complications and diversions for Molly. However, she continues to keep a positive outlook, and her wits about her when it is most needed, making for an all around terrific read.

--Jennifer Monahan WInberry