Crushed Velvet — Diane Vallere

Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe is back in business -- this time getting wrapped up in a diabolical but crafty case of murder.

With opening day of Material Girl approaching, Poly is stocking up on lush fabrics, colorful notions, and best of all, a proprietary weave of velvet. But upon delivery, it's not quite the blend she expected, being ninety-percent silk and ten-percent corpse. Crushed under a dozen bolts of fabric is Phil Girard. His wife, Genevieve, local tea shop owner and close friend of Poly, is the prime suspect.

Granted, Phil may not have been the perfect husband, but surely Genevieve had no reason to kill him! There's just the small matter of Genevieve's own incriminating confession: I'm afraid I killed my husband. Now, as Material Girl's grand opening looms, Poly is torn between a friendship pulling apart at the seams -- and finding a smooth killer with a velvet touch…

INCLUDES A CRAFT PROJECT