No witches in ‘Crafting Disorder,’ but plenty of mystery

By: 
Jan Jones
Columnist

“Crafting Disorder” by Regina Welling and Erin Lynn sounds like a book filled with spell-casting witches, but there wasn’t even one to be found.

The quiet village of Ponderosa Pines got its start when wealthy idealists came there to form a commune. Over the years it has morphed in a very caring community of independent souls.

Emmalina Valentina Torrence (aka EV) is one of the most independent. She’s the daughter of a founding family and she loves Ponderosa Pines with a fierce and protective kind of love.

It is early October and EV has enlisted the aid of Chloe Larue in decorating the town for Halloween. Chloe is the daughter of one of EV’s dearest friends. She has recently returned to Ponderosa Pines after working in jobs that just didn’t fit. EV usually enjoys decorating, but a recent scandal and murder has her concerned. Has her beloved town fallen prey to the violence of the wider world?

As one of the town elders, she hears most concerns and complaints before the local police do. That doesn’t sit well with Deputy Dalton. This time, he’s upset that people are telling EV about a recent rash of thefts that aren’t really thefts because the items were either tossed out or hadn’t been used in ages and the owners would have gladly given them away if asked.

EV doesn’t have time for the petty thefts because she is concerned about someone trying to create trouble between Ponderosa Pines and neighboring Gilmore by hinting that the Pines wants to merge with Gilmore, but nothing could be further from the truth. EV has the niggling feeling that this mess is somehow connected to the scandal and murder.

Running along with the mystery is the fact that Dalton had a huge crush on EV when they were teens, but she only had eyes for the arrogant Remy. When Remy dumped her EV lost some of her special spark. Thirty years later, and Dalton still hopes to learn her painful secret and win EV’s heart.

While EV is dodging Dalton, Chloe is fighting her feelings for Police Detective Nate. She’s determined to remain in Ponderosa Pines and thinks that Nate only wants to return to Portland. It doesn’t take EV long to solve the “theft” problem, but not before someone reports that a sasquatch has been sighted in the area.

Soon the town is in chaos as sasquatch-hunters arrive in droves, but EV has a solution for that problem, too. When the dust clears EV, Dalton, Chloe and Nate have budding relationships, and Ponderosa Pines settles down again. This mess might be over, but the foursome still have to find out who is behind the fake merger and why. All evidence points to Remy, but he’s been gone a long time, why would he want to make trouble for his hometown? That is a plot for another book.

AT A GLANCE
BOOK: “Crafting Disorder”
AUTHOR: Regina Welling and Erin Lynn
PUBLISHER: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
PUBLISHED: Nov. 17, 2015
PAGES: 194

Category: