Purls and Poison (A Black Sheep & Co. Mystery)
by Anne Canadeo
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kensington (October 30, 2018)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1496708636
ISBN-13: 978-1496708632
Digital ASIN: B079KT54BW
When a fellow Black Sheep Knitter is suspected of poisoning her coworker, the group puts down their needles and takes up their friend's defense . . .
Suzanne Cavanaugh has just about had it with her office rival at Prestige Properties. It's bad enough that Liza Devereaux is constantly needling her at work, but when she shows up at one of Suzanne’s open houses to poach potential buyers, it’s the last straw. No one in the office fails to hear the two snarling at each other.
When Liza is later found dead in her office cubicle—poisoned by a diet shake—Suzanne becomes the prime suspect. It’s soon discovered, though, that Liza had double-crossed so many around town and stashed their dark secrets in her designer handbags that anyone could be the culprit.
The Black Sheep Knitters have no doubt their friend has been framed—but they need to prove it. Stirred to action, they get together to catch a sneaky killer who's trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes . . .
About The Author
Anne Canadeo is the best-selling author of more than 30 books, including the Black Sheep & Company Mysteries, and as Katherine Spencer, the Cape Light and Angel Island series. She somehow manages to write a lot, despite many and much loved distractions -- such as digging up the garden, hanging out with her dog, trying new recipes, drinking copious amounts of mint tea, eating chocolate and volunteer work in the community. She lives in Northport, NY, a village on the Long Island Sound very much like the settings of her stories. Anne loves to hear from readers. Answering their messages is definitely another favorite distraction in her day.
Author Links:
Website: annecanadeo.com
Facebooks: www.facebook.com/AnneCanadeoAuthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/annecanadeo
My Thoughts
Purls and Poison by Anne Canadeo takes us to Plum Harbor. Suzanne Cavanaugh is a realtor at Prestige Properties and she has had a difficult day. She is happy to spend time with her knitting friends that evening, so she can rant and then relax. Suzanne had clients and a listing stolen by Liza Devereaux which ended up in a heated argument at the staff meeting. On the way home, Suzanne passes by the realty office and notices Liza’s car outside. She decides to take her friends advice and make peace with Liza. Suzanne finds Liza sprawled on the floor of her cubicle with her broken pearls scattered around her. Detective Charles Mossbacher and his partner, Detective Frank Oliver are on the case. Unfortunately, Suzanne quickly rises to the top of the suspect list and the circumstantial evidence is mounting up. The knitters know that Suzanne is being framed for the crime, but they need proof. The ladies begin digging into Liza’s life to discover who wanted her out of the way. They need to work quickly because the case is unraveling Suzanne’s family and it is affecting another one of the knitter’s relationships. Join these five ladies in their latest investigation in Purls and Poison.
Purls and Poison is the second book in A Black Sheep & Company Mystery series, but it is tenth book involving the ladies of Plum Harbor (the series changed publisher & altered the series name). I do not recommend beginning the series with Purls and Poison. You will be missing the backstory on the characters. Plum Harbor is a charming seaside town that is home to a delightful knitting shop. The ladies (Maggie, Dana, Phoebe, Lucy and Suzanne) meet each week at the shop to knit, chat, and enjoy a meal while indulging in wine. Purls and Poison is told from Suzanne’s point-of-view. She is extremely angry at Liza for poaching her client and then selling them her listing (double whammy). It resulted in a heated exchange earlier in the day with all her co-workers in attendance (you can see where this is heading). Liza is then murdered, and all the evidence points to Suzanne. The book contains good writing with the regular cozy elements that readers enjoy, but the pacing was varied. The mystery has a handful of suspects, misdirection and pointed clues. Readers will have no problem identifying the guilty party before the solution is revealed. I could have done with less speculation and repetition of case details (which slowed down the pace of the story). I would have preferred if Purls and Poison was told from the third person perspective (instead of changing in each book). I am not a fan of Suzanne and her attitude in this story did not alter my opinion. We get limited information on the other knitters which is a shame (Maggie is my favorite character). One of our ladies is in for a life changing event (I do not want to spoil it for you). I did enjoy their participation in knitting items for charity. They were trying to complete a hundred items for families in need. There is a knitting pattern and recipe at the back of the book. Fans of Anne Canadeo and A Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series (the original series) will be delighted with Purls and Poison.
Purls and Poison is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Kobo, GooglePlay Store, Powell's, Chapter's, and Waterstones. The author is hosting a giveaway in honor of the tour. You can click here to enter or use the Rafflecopter form below. Please take the time to visit the other stops (see schedule below) on the tour to check out characters interviews, guest posts, author interviews and characters guest posts. I will see you tomorrow when I feature The Killer Christmas Sweater Club by Terry Ambrose. I hope you have a fantastic day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Kris
The Avid Reader
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 8 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
November 8 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – GUEST POST
November 9 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 10 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
November 11 – Handcrafted Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 12 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
November 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 13 – Babs Book Bistro - SPOTLIGHT
November 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
November 15 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 16 – The Montana Bookaholic – SPOTLIGHT
November 17 – Laura's Interests - REVIEW
November 18 – Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, GUEST POST
November 19 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 20 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
November 20 – Reading Is My SuperPower – GUEST POST
Thank you for your review on "Purls and Poison" by Anne Canadeo and for being part of the book tour.
ReplyDeleteAdorable cover! Can't wait for the opportunity to read this book which is on my TBR list.
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