Anastasia Pollack Crafting Books in Order
Complete reading order for the Anastasia Pollack Crafting series.
How to Read the Anastasia Pollack Crafting series
Standalone stories, but characters and relationships develop across the series.
The series is interconnected through Anastasia's ongoing financial recovery, her evolving family dynamics, recurring relationships, and references to past cases or personal struggles. While each book features a self-contained mystery with resolution, reading in publication order is recommended to follow Anastasia's growth, her sons' development, the progression of her mother-in-law's antics, and subtle continuity in her life and friendships. Sequential reading enhances emotional depth and avoids missing context about recurring characters or Anastasia's circumstances.
About the Anastasia Pollack Crafting series
Series Premise
The series follows Anastasia Pollack, a crafts editor for a popular women's magazine, who suddenly becomes the family's sole breadwinner after her husband's unexpected death reveals massive debts and shocking secrets. Struggling to keep her home and support her teenage sons, Anastasia juggles demanding deadlines, quirky craft projects, and a meddling mother-in-law while stumbling into local murders and suspicious deaths. Her keen eye for detail, journalistic instincts, and ability to notice inconsistencies make her an accidental detective, often working alongside or ahead of local police to uncover killers motivated by greed, revenge, or hidden grudges.
Main Characters
Anastasia Pollack anchors the series as the relatable, resilient protagonist: a smart, sarcastic forty-something widow who refuses to crumble despite overwhelming odds. Her dry humor, resourcefulness, and love for her sons make her deeply endearing.
Supporting and recurring characters include:
- Her two teenage sons, who bring typical family chaos and occasional help.
- Ira Pollack, her demanding mother-in-law, who moves in after her husband's death and provides endless comic relief with her outrageous behavior and unexpected wisdom.
- Zack Barnes, the handsome photojournalist who becomes Anastasia's neighbor and romantic interest, offering support and chemistry.
Setting
The series is set in suburban New Jersey, primarily around Anastasia's home, her magazine office in the city, and nearby communities. The atmosphere feels grounded and relatable—everyday neighborhoods, commuter trains, local diners, craft fairs, and family gatherings—contrasted with the occasional tension of crime scenes or hidden dangers. The crafting element shines through Anastasia's work: fabric swatches, sewing projects, knitting patterns, and DIY ideas that often tie into clues or provide comic relief.
Tone & Themes
The tone is humorous, warm, and lighthearted, with snappy dialogue, self-deprecating wit, and gentle suspense. Winston keeps the mysteries cozy and engaging—no graphic violence—focusing on clever clues, family chaos, and satisfying justice. Themes explore resilience after sudden loss, the challenges of single parenthood, balancing career and family, the power of friendship and community, and the idea that creativity (through crafting) can be both a coping mechanism and a tool for insight. It celebrates women's strength, humor in adversity, and finding purpose amid upheaval.
The Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series stitches together humor, heart, and clever sleuthing, proving that even when life unravels, a sharp mind and a good craft project can hold it all together. Lois Winston creates a world where family quirks fuel laughter, crafting hides clues, and one woman's determination turns tragedy into triumph. Readers close each book smiling, charmed by Anastasia's wit and strength, and reminded that in the messiest of times, friendship, family, and a little creativity can solve anything—even murder. It's cozy mystery at its most relatable and entertaining.
FAQ
15 books
No new book in the series is currently scheduled. The latest book, Embroidered Lies and Alibis, was published in February 2026.
Embroidered Lies and Alibis was published in February 2026.
The first book in the series is Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, published in January 2011.
The series primarily falls into the Cozy Mystery genre.
It’s best to read the series in order. Each book has its own story, but ongoing character arcs and relationships develop across the series.
The series follows Anastasia Pollack, a crafts editor for a popular women's magazine, who suddenly becomes the family's sole breadwinner after her husband's unexpected death reveals massive debts and shocking secrets. Struggling to keep her home and support her teenage sons, Anastasia juggles demanding deadlines, quirky craft projects, and a meddling mother-in-law while stumbling into local murders and suspicious deaths. Her keen eye for detail, journalistic instincts, and ability to notice inconsistencies make her an accidental detective, often working alongside or ahead of local police to uncover killers motivated by greed, revenge, or hidden grudges.
The series does not currently have a new book scheduled.