Thursday, April 5, 2018

Murder, She Knit: A Knit and Nibble Mystery


Good Day!  A Daughter's Courge by Kitty Neale is out today.  Fiction Can Be Murder by Becky Clark will be released on April 8.  The Weaver's Daughter by Sarah Ladd will come out on April 10 along with An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin.

Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart is the first story in A Knit and Nibble Mystery series.  Pamela Patterson is a widow who lives in Arborville, New Jersey.  Pamela is associate editor of Fiber Craft magazine and is the founder of the Knit and Nibble knitting club.  On her way to the co-op grocery store, Pamela runs into Amy Morgan who has just moved to town.  Pamela has not seen Amy in five years.  She invites Amy to the Knit and Nibble meeting that will be held at her house.  Unfortunately, Amy fails to show up for the meeting.  After everyone has departed, Pamela finds Amy dead in the bushes with a metal knitting needle sticking out of her chest.  Pamela notices that Amy’s knitting bag is missing.  Who killed Amy and why?  Pamela believes that the police do not always ask the right questions and decides to conduct her own investigation.  While walking home from the market, Pamela finds a woman dead behind Amy’s apartment building.  Are the two deaths connected?  Pamela and her friend, Bettina set out to unravel the clues and hook the killer in Murder, She Knit.

Murder, She Knit is a cute cozy mystery.  The book is nicely written and, for the most part, has good pacing.  I do wish that the author had taken the time to establish the characters.  I would have liked more detail on Pamela and the town.  I liked the knitting theme and the beautiful yarn descriptions.  The author mentions a knitting harness that allows knitters to knit with one hand (I am looking that one up).  The mystery is straightforward.  There is some misdirection and the author provided good clues that will aid readers in solving the crime.  I kept hoping for more action (anything besides questioning and speculation).  Pamela’s method of questioning leaves a lot to be desired.  The police are in the periphery in the book (practically nonexistent).  I felt that many of the scenes felt contrived (farfetched).  The members of the knitting group attend the funeral of a woman they had never met (because she was about to join their group—would you take off work) and she happens to see a man wearing argyle socks that match one’s the victim knitted are just two examples.   I also did not understand Pamela talking with a reporter after finding Amy’s body (come on into my kitchen and let’s chat).  There is a lot of time spent shopping, knitting, cooking, chatting, and taking care of the stray cat.  The series has potential, and I am hoping for improvement in Died in the Wool (out on August 28, 2018).  My rating for Murder, She Knit is 3 out of 5 stars.  There is a recipe for Autumn Apple Cake at the end of the book.

I appreciate you visiting today and reading my review.  I will be featuring A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling.  It is the second book in Under Northern Skies series.   I hope you return to see what I have to say about this new Christian, historical novel.  May you have a day filled with laughter.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader   



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