Death by Killer Mop Doll: An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery

In Winston’s droll second cozy featuring crafts magazine editor Anastasia Pollack (after 2011’s Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun), Anastasia’s high-maintenance mother, who’s started dating Louis Beaumont, the producer of You Heard It Here First, persuades Anastasia, despite her initial opposition, to become a regular on the popular morning TV talk show, whose ratings are down. When someone sticks Lou with a knitting needle that pierces both one of Anastasia’s mop dolls and Lou’s heart, Anastasia once again turns sleuth. As Anastasia stumbles on more and more clues, she has to wonder whether her amateur detective skills are putting her in danger. The kooky characters, their laugh-out-loud banter, and the crazy plot may be more kitsch than crime caper, but readers who relish the offbeat will be rewarded. Agent: Denise Dumars at Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. (Jan.)