A fun locked room horror/thriller for the fall season!
Thanks to Quirk Books for the gifted copy
CRAFTING FOR SINNERS – Jenny Kiefer (Released October 7th, 2025)
Book Description:
A queer woman must fight her way out of a big-box craft store run by a diabolical religious cult in this gripping survival horror novel by Jenny Kiefer, author of This Wretched Valley
The ratcheting tension and gut-churning terror will appeal to fans of The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay and The Ritual by Adam Nevill
Ruth is trapped. She’s stuck in her small, religious hometown of Kill Devil, Kentucky, stuck in the closet, and stuck living paycheck to paycheck. After her manager finds out that she lives with her girlfriend, Ruth is fired from her job as a cashier at New Creations—a craft store owned by the church that dominates life in the town.
In an act of revenge, Ruth attempts to shoplift some yarn but is caught red-handed by a New Creations cashier. Instead of calling the police, the employees lock her in the store—and attack her. When Ruth is forced to stab out one of their eyes with a knitting needle, she realizes she’s facing far bigger trouble than a simple shoplifting charge. As Ruth fights for her life, she plunges deeper into the tangled web of the New Creationists, who are hiding a terrible secret that threatens not only her, but the entire town.
This relentless horror novel will have you on the edge of your seat as it hurtles towards a breathtaking conclusion. Will Ruth escape? Or will the shocking secret at the heart of the cult die with her?
My Thoughts: 3.5/5 stars
Ruth is our wonderful main character and she’s a queer woman living in the ultra religious town of Kill Devil. I mean, the name alone sets the tone. She works at the local crafting store, New Creations, as a cashier. A coworker discovers that Ruth is living with her girlfriend and is immediately fired. One day, Ruth decides to get, and by that I mean steal, some yarn from her former employer. Well, instead of pressing charges, the New Creationists decide they’re going to take care of Ruth themselves.
Things get gory, intense, and exciting fast! I love a good locked-room type of thriller/horror. I had a lot of fun with this book and I will be looking at the local craft store a little differently now – wondering if there is a cult lurking around after hours. I always knew that knitting needles would make a good weapon and props to Ruth for the quick thinking!
Jessicamap Reviews 