The author of three Sophie Mae Reynolds Home Crafting mysteries, Cricket McRae is a crafter of all trades, and I suspect a mistress of all as well. In Lye in Wait, she even taught us how to make homemade lip balm. While weaving all things crafty into her stories, Cricket creates believable characters and clever plots as well. Her protagonist, Sophie Mae, lives with her best friend and her friend’s ten-year-old daughter, and her dog. In Lye in Wait, the first book of the series, the handyman dies from drinking lye. Unfortunately, lye is an important ingredient in soap-making, so Sophie Mae has a good supply on hand.

In the second book in the series, Heaven Preserve Us, Sophie’s boss at the crisis center where she volunteers dies of food poisoning. Recipes are included.

Okay, so maybe that was a bad choice of words in the context of food poisoning.

In Spin a Wicked Web, Sophie’s third adventure, she’s in trouble again when the very first skein of wool she spins is used to strangle a member of the art cooperative where Sophie is learning her new skills.

You’re probably wondering what craft Sophie Mae Reynolds will dabble in next. It’s rumored to be cheese-making. I’ll bet the second thing you’re wondering is if Cricket McRae is this author’s real name. No, it isn’t. If you’d like to know more, please drop by the Sisters in Crime–Rocky Mountain Chapter website where I’ve posted an interview with Cricket.