In Skein Sight - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Jemma Wilkinson to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Jemma on the pages of the Clear Creek Mystery series. IN SKEIN SIGHT is the fifth book in the series and will be released this week!

Hi! I’m Jemma, from the Clear Creek Mysteries. If you’re familiar with our town, you might know me as the owner of Black Sheep Yarns & Woolies.

One of my friends told me that mysteries and yarn are the same, if you look hard enough. Yarn is easy to tangle. If you’re not careful, you'll end up with a knot that takes hours to fix. It’s the same with investigations. When you blunder around without any idea what you’re doing, there’s a good chance you’ll make everything worse.

We were talking over coffee this morning about my latest tangle with trouble, and she asked what kind of yarn cozy mysteries would be. It was an interesting question, and one I hadn’t really thought about before.

Since things are slow in the yarn shop today, let’s talk about it!

I think cozies would be self-striping yarn. The kind that looks predictable in the skein, then throws a bright streak at you when you're not paying attention. Mysteries work the same way. They settle in nice and calm, then drop a body at your feet. Or a clue.

Or, sometimes, a threat.

But the stories are cozy. There can’t be anything, well, graphic or bloody. Which means we don’t want a yarn that’s scratchy. It doesn’t even need to be something sturdy that will stand the test of time. What matters most is how it feels.

This yarn has to be thick, and soft, and squishy. Worsted weight, at a minimum, but Aran would be better. And it should be spun from angora, or alpaca, with a little bit of silk for strength, and just enough nylon to help it keep its shape.

Cozy mysteries need to feel the same way—soft enough to curl up with, but with enough structure to hold together when things get twisted.

It would be the kind of yarn I reach for without thinking. Familiar. Steady. The promise that if I work through any tangles, I'll get something luscious at the end.

And now my fingers are itching to pull a skein off the wall and cast on a new knitting project. Maybe a nice shawl to wrap myself in the next time I pick up a cozy mystery. 

***************************************************************************

Review

IN SKEIN SIGHT by Rebecca McKinnon
The Fifth Clear Creek Mystery

 

Jemma Wilkinson knows she's a disaster in the kitchen, but she's a whiz at making videos so she and her good friend, Chef Leandro, are going live to promote his upcoming cooking class. But happiness from their successful video turns to astonishment when a pompous man comes into the kitchen saying that it's his kitchen and he's the head chef! When Jemma then finds the wanna be chef dead, Leandro immediately falls under suspicion. Determined to not allow her friend to be railroaded, Jemma starts her own investigation and soon finds lots of people angry with the arrogant man. Will she be able to find the real killer, or will she once again become the killer's next target?

 

I loved the fifth Clear Creek Mystery, a novel that's at once funny, yet realistic, showcasing wonderful friendships while also delivering a well plotted mystery. The characters are well crafted and I love how the friends work together. I also appreciate the frustrations they have with each other, especially when it comes to investigating a murder. I had a feeling I knew the killer's identity fairly early on, but that did not decrease my interest or enjoyment one bit! I liked watching everyone uncover clues and follow leads as I listened to my gut...and a few well placed clues.

 

With humor and heart IN SKEIN SIGHT provides a delightful mystery that's both cozy and exciting!

 

************************************************************************ 

In Skein Sight (Clear Creek Mysteries) by Rebecca McKinnon

About In Skein Sight

In Skein Sight (Clear Creek Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 5th in Series
Setting – Rocky Mountains 
Independently Published
Publication Date: ‎ January 23, 2026

Spring has sprung in the Rocky Mountains, and Clear Creek is celebrating the arrival of the new season and increased tourism with a host of events — including a special cooking class taught by Jemma’s good friend, Chef Leandro.

When a knit-wit chef barges into Leandro’s kitchen insisting it’s now his, sparks fly between the two. It seems that everyone wants the new chef gone, but no one expects Jemma to find the man stabbed through the heart.

Leandro’s knife skills — and his argument with the dead man — make him the obvious suspect. But Jemma’s ready to cross needles with the Sheriff and anyone else who tries to place the blame on her friend.

With the killer’s eyes on Jemma from the start, she needs to weave in the ends before things unravel!

About Rebecca McKinnon

 

Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere, but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.  

Author Links:  

Website: https://rebeccamckinnon.com/  

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/47h2c6u3z6  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccamckinnon_author/?hl=en  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-McKinnon/956145304405426?ref=hl  

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4993788.Rebecca_McKinnon 

Purchase Link - Amazon