Last Wool and Testament

 Knit & Nibble Mysteries Book 12

Author:    Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496749598

Kensington Cozies

288 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

April 29, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spring has sprung in Arborville, New Jersey, and Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser are keeping busy with their knitting group, Knit and Nibble.  But it looks like April showers have brought May murders...

Fiber artist Ingrid Barrick has just been found dead in her ransacked house, but the fact that she'd seemed a bit troubled lately -- and had been obsessively doodling pictures of bees -- has the Knit and Nibblers wondering if this was really a burglary gone bad like the police think.  There had been tension with a neighbor who was fuming (and sneezing) over the ragweed in Ingrid's garden -- but allergies don't seem like grounds for murder.

As they chat with a local beekeeper, learn more about Ingrid's knitwear designer ex, and look into a suddenly cancelled tapestry exhibit, Pamela and Bettina are intrigued to find more nature-themed sketches by Ingrid.  The question is which of these many threads will lead to the truth about her unnatural death...

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Pamela Paterson lives in a small town in New Jersey.  She's a widow with a grown daughter, and lives with her three cats; and her best friend Bettina Fraser lives down the street.  Pamela learns that a local artist has been killed, and she and Bettina visit the neighbor, who insists that it was a murder, not a burglary, as the police think.  She shows them doodles that Ingrid Barrick has been doing, all of bees.  But Pamela doesn't know what this has to do with the woman's death.

When she and Bettina attend a celebration of life for Ingrid, she hears two men arguing about her.  It seems heated, but the conversation never really gets to the crux of the matter -- only that one wants to write a book, and the other wants him to leave part of it out.  Later they discover that the men are an ex-boyfriend of Ingrid's, named Nestor, and the other is a professor, Eilert.  But are they suspects in Ingrid's death?  

Pamela soon discovers that not everyone was a fan of the woman -- including another neighbor, who hated Ingrid's garden because it caused her allergies to surge.  Is that enough to kill?  The neighbor on the other side, Coco, seemed to like Ingrid.  However, Pamela isn't ruling anyone out, and when something else occurs, Pamela wonders if the two incidents have anything to do with each other.  With the stakes raised, it's only a matter of time, but Pamela needs to put the pieces together sooner rather than later to find the truth...

This is the twelfth book in the series and I have read them all.  I do think the stories have progressed, and I liked the storyline of this book, which basically centered around the murder (as it should) leaving the subplots as interesting, but not interrupting the solving of the crime.

Finding the killer was the main, and there are clues throughout the story, although they aren't easy to find, nor to put together.  We discover that Ingrid -- although already deceased by the time the story begins -- was a multi-faceted woman, who loved her art yet had secrets of her own that she didn't wish to be revealed.  But in death, they usually are, right?

It is in this that we look into why the murder occurred, and the reasons aren't easy to discover.  I must say that I didn't know who the murderer was until the time that Pamela had it all figured out, so it came as a surprise, and I enjoyed that immensely.  I do love mysteries, but sometimes it is easy to find out who did the deed; in this case, it was not.

The reasons, as they were, are rather sad, yet murder itself is also sad.  In the end, the story was woven nicely and all threads came together at the end, leaving us an intriguing picture that left me feeling satisfied with the story.  I eagerly await the next in the series.  (There are also a couple of yummy recipes that I intend to try).  Recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Wool-Testament-Nibble-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DCK79XWP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7403004892

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

A Dark and Stormy Knit (Knit & Nibble Mysteries Book 11)

Author:    Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496749574

Kensington Cozies

336 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

August 20, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser call their crafting group Knit and Nibble, in honor of its two main activities.  But on a stormy Halloween night, their peaceful chat over spiced cider and cookies is interrupted by homicide...

With the houses of Arborville, New Jersey, decked out in festively frightening decorations, it's easy to mistake a real dead body for a fake.  But Pamela and Bettina are alerted by the screams of teenage trick-or-treaters to the corpse next door.  Their neighbor Adrienne's sister, visiting from New York City, is slumped on the porch, fatally stabbed.  And with countless people traipsing around in costume, the killer might be as elusive as an apple in a bucket of water.

The victim was a charismatic college professor and fierce feminist, and soon the women are infiltrating her social and academic circles to collect clues.  But some scandalous local gossip also suggests that Adriene, not her sister, might have been the target.  Now, Pamela and Bettina will need all their creative skills to solve this ghoulish crime...

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Pamela Paterson is lucky enough to work from home, a place she shares with her three cats and the occasional visit from her daughter, Penny.  She spends a lot of time with her best friend Bettina, who lives across the street.  Halloween night she, Bettina, and Bettina's husband Wilford, are enjoying the evening together when they hear a scream.  Going outside, they discover a group of teens who tell them that there is a dead body on the porch of Bettina's neighbor, Adrienne. 

Finding out that the dead woman is Adrienne's sister, Mel, everyone is wondering who could have killed her, and why; especially Adrienne herself.  She asks for Pamela and Bettina to help her, and of course, their curiosity allows them to agree.  Looking into Mel's current associates in the city, they discover that she was the head of a feminist group that eschewed men, and they wonder if one of the women could have killed her.  But there's more at stake here when they start looking deeper, and now Pamela thinks that something -- or someone -- in Mel's past may have the answer...

I have read all but one of these books, and have followed Pamela along her journey of solving crimes.  I did like the book, but I have to be honest and say: do we really need to know over and over again that Bettina has sage green pottery, Pamela constantly uses her wedding China, grinds her coffee beans for a pour over, and toasts multi-grain bread?  Saying it once is enough; saying it as often as Pamela does is completely redundant and unnecessary.

Having gotten my 'little rant' out of the way, I found the mystery to be quite interesting.  We have the usual meetings of the Knit and Nibblers, with their own snippets of gossip (sorry, Nell), that give Pamela some of the needed clues.  There are, of course, plenty of descriptions of everything that is happening and everything everyone is wearing, so we have no questions in that area.  

The pace starts out slow, but as the book progresses it moves forward, and, I am glad to say, that I connected the dots before Pamela as far as the motive for the murders; but -- and this is a big but -- I didn't know who the murderer was until they were unveiled, which is a very good thing indeed.  In the end, it all came together well, and I enjoyed the book.  Recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Stormy-Knit-Nibble-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CNYJLP95/ref

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6525930829 

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

Irish Knit Murder (A Knit and Nibble Mystery Book 9)

Author:    Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496738851

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

February 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A member of a prominent New Jersey family has been found dead on St. Patrick's Day -- and Pamela Paterson and her knitting club have a parade of suspects...

The Listers have been part of Arborville society for generations -- though seventy-something Isobel Lister doesn't fit the role of upper-crust heiress.  She's always been a colorful character, and her fun-loving spirit is on display at the senior center celebration as she performs some beloved Irish songs.  But just minutes later, her body is found backstage.

It's hard to imagine who'd target such a harmless eccentric, but Pamela finds herself suspecting everyone.  There's the Wiccan who thought St. Patrick wasn't so saintly, the woman upset about cultural appropriation who feels the commercialization of shamrocks is a sham; the two men Isobel was seeing who could have been green with jealousy -- and old friends and family who may have feared Isobel would spill their secrets.  But Pamela's on the case, and that means for the killer, the jig will soon be up...

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When Pamela attends a senior luncheon with her best friend Bettina, who is a journalist, she expects a pleasant afternoon eating and watching entertainment.  But then a lively senior, Isobel Lister, enters the room and starts singing, and things change.  Pamela notices that not everyone is enjoying the entertainment, and one woman even walks out.  

When the hostess goes to find ISobel, she comes back almost immediately with the news that Isobel is dead.  Who could have killed her?  And why?  When Bettina convinces Pamela that they must at least investigate, they discover that the Lister family might be hiding secret, and those secrets got Isobel killed.  But with so many suspects, how is Pamela going to figure out who killed the woman?  Will she be able to find a killer, or will they celebrate the holiday by getting away with murder?...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read them all.  I've enjoyed most of them, too; quite a bit.  But there are things that have finally begun to irritate me.  There is too much repetition.  We already know Pamela insists on using her wedding china.  It doesn't have to be repeated every time she has a cup of coffee.  Same with Bettina's "sage green pottery," "whole wheat bread." and what is a 'serviceable compact?'  This could be what women keep in their purses to check their lipstick.  Why not just call it a car?   I do realize she is trying to acquaint new readers of these things, but they are not needed to be said every time she does something.  Unless she uses other plates, we don't need to hear of making whole wheat toast and putting it on wedding china.  I have ceramic hand-made dishes, but I don't tout it to everyone who will listen.  It's just gotten very annoying.

Sorry about the rant, but most of the book seemed to involve Pamela's day-to-day routine, with not as much attention to the mystery.  When she did, though, it kept me reading, and when the murderer was discovered it was a surprise, which is what a mystery should do.  There were clues, but many more red herrings.  The writing was very good, and I liked the fact that Pamela is finally trying to change her outlook on certain things.  (I will not say so as not to spoil the book for others).  Other than that, I enjoyed the book and will keep reading the series.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Knit-Murder-Nibble-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B359W341/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5303237020

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

Hanging Hannah (Jane & Winky, Amateur PIs. Book #2)

Author:    Evan Marshall

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781575665504; 9781980340003

Kensington Publishing

303 Pages

[Various Prices[; $2.99 Amazon

February 11, 2018

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After Jane's last brush with a murderer landed her with a feature in People magazine, she is eager to get back to her literary life as a book agent -- reading book proposals, making deals, talking to authors.  She's glad to put fame aside and now that her beloved son Nick's birthday is coming up, she's busy planning a birthday party for him.

She selects one of her favorite spots, a local inn, but before anyone can sing Happy Birthday and say "make a wish," the body of a young woman is found hanging from a tree in the woods back behind the inn.

No one seems to know who she is, but she has been murdered.

Found near the body is a clipping of the People magazine article about Jane, the only clue.  Why did this woman have it?  What does it have to do with her murder?  And why was she so interested in Jane and her neighbors?

The mystery deepens as more people start to die in Shady Hills while Jane and her detective friend hunt as fast as they can for clues as to the identity of the mystery woman -- and of the killer on the loose.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Jane Stuart is a literary agent who's just getting her life back to normal after finding a dead body.  She's planning her son's tenth birthday party at a friend's inn, and all seems to be going well.  The day of the party she hears a scream while the kids are on a scavenger hunt, and runs to find her son -- and the body of a dead woman hanging from a tree.  When it's determined that this is a homicide, Detective Stanley Greenberg is brought in to investigate.  But there's no clue as to whom the woman is, nor how she got there.  Jane's friend Louise thinks she saw her walking into the woods, But Louise has bigger problems of her own -- and Jane wants to help her.

Then Jane's assistant Daniel tells her he's going to marry his fiancée Laura, and he drops a bombshell on Jane about his past that has her stunned.  But more than this, an editor friend named Holly tells Jane that she's giving her a new client -- hot new star Goddess, who wants to write a book.  Jane accepts, but discovers that Goddess doesn't exactly live up to her name.  When there's another death soon after, Jane wants to know what's going on.  She also begins to wonder if the two might be connected.  But how?

It's when she starts thinking about things she knows, and some things that are practically dropped into her lap, she comes to a devastating conclusion about the killer.  Unfortunately, it may be too late for Jane, unless she can save herself somehow...

This is the second book in the series and I must say that I quite enjoyed it as much as the first.  Mr. Marshall is indeed a talented writer, and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering where the story is going to go next.  

Jane, finding herself lonely and missing her late husband, tries to pull herself into her work, but things keep getting in the way.  'Things' being dead bodies.  Unfortunately, she's once again involved in murder, and it escalates when something occurs to put her on her guard.  I shall not say more about that, not wanting to ruin the book for others who have not read it.

If you have not, I recommend that you do.  It is full of twists and unexpected happenings, and there is a subplot that is interesting, to say the least; and watching Jane put everything together is worth reading the book alone.  Ah, it is these twists that one has to watch for; they are the gist and meat of the book, and looking for them has you come to the same conclusion as Jane, although not so soon as to think you have got it all.

In the end, when we discover the murderer, one never knows what goes on in the mind of a sociopath; nor what one will strive for at any cost.  I look forward to the next in this series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Hannah-Winky-Suburban-Sleuths-ebook/dp/B079SCFY5S/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4769833255

More on Evan Marshall's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/evan-marshall/

Missing Marlene (Jane & Winky, Book 1)

Author:    Evan Marshall

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781575664200; 9781977073105

Kensington Publishing; Independent

271 Pages

Various Prices; $2.99 Amazon

June 1, 1999

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The last thing literary agent and widowed single mom Jane Stuart needs on a busy day is a call from her son Nick's school saying his nanny Marlene never showed up at the end of the day to pick him up.  That's odd, thinks Jane.  The pretty blonde, daughter of an old friend of Jane's, had always been reliable before and a great nanny to boot.  Jane feels a sense of obligation to her old friend and calls Ivy.  Truth be told, Ivy was the reason she hired Marlene in the first place. 

But Ivy has no idea where Marlene is.  Jane wonders.  If something's happened to Marlene, she should notify the police.  But when she does, the police figure Marlene has run away.  No one else cares.

What happened to Marlene?  Never one to settle, Jane starts to snoop.

Juggling book deals, rival agents, and a rocky romance with an author too handsome for his own good, Jane uncovers that Marlene had a secret life -- including some erotic videos, a boyfriend with violent tendencies (as well as a police record), and an off-again, on-again flirtation with a mystery man.  Jane finds out nothing about him, which makes her want to track him even more.

But it's Jane's trusted tortie Winky who uncovers the critical clue.  It is the last key which makes all the puzzle pieces fit.  As Jane and Winky get to the bottom of who the real killer is, they try desperately to get the police to make their move before the killer strikes again -- this time, with Jane as the next victim.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Jane Stuart is a struggling literary agent -- ever since her husband Kenneth died, most of his clients have gone elsewhere.  Still, it's what she knows, and she has a nine-year-old son to support.  With the help of her assistant Daniel Willoughby, she plans to keep her agency running.  She also has a nanny for her son Nick, but when she receives a call from his school that Marlene hasn't picked him up, she's at first angry.

When she gets Nick and goes home, she finds that all Marlene's belongings are gone.  Now she wants to know why Marlene just left without notice, and calls Ivy, Marlene's mother.  The two of them have no idea where she went, and Jane feels it's her duty to locate the young woman.  But it isn't going to be easy, since Marlene is nineteen and a legal adult, and no one is giving her definite answers.  

Still, Jane keeps on digging, and what she finds greatly disturbs her.  Was Marlene ever what she claimed to be?  And how far does Jane have to go to find out what happened to her?...

This is an older book, and the first in the series.  I believe I read this years ago, but sometimes it's nice to go back to the past and give these books a second go-round.  This time I am glad that I did.  The book was written well, and even though I thought that Jane had gone above and beyond looking for Marlene and answers, I understand that she has an innate curiosity about her and wanted to know the truth.

I did feel that Ivy blaming Jane for her daughter's disappearance was over the top.  Ivy should have kept track of her own child and not expected Jane to be a babysitter.  After all, wasn't that what Jane hired Marlene for?  You'd think a nanny would be responsible, but oh, well.

I didn't care for some of the secondary characters, not even Laura, whom I felt should have allowed Daniel to find his own path and be supportive of his choices; I didn't care for Roger (who would?); but I did sort of like Detective Greenberg, and of course Jane, Nick, and Florence.  These are characters I won't mind revisiting in future books.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is more complicated than anyone could have imagined, and well worth waiting for.  It comes together nicely in a believable package, and leaves us wanting to read the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Marlene-Winky-Suburban-Sleuths-ebook/dp/B079JZFZ9L/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4725851537

More on Evan Marshall's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/evan-marshall/

Knitty Gritty Murder (A Knit & Nibble Mystery Book 7)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #: 9781496733894

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$8.99; $7.69 Amazon

March 30, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Most times of the year, the tight-knit community gardens in quaint Arborville, New Jersey, overflow with seasonal vegetables and herbs.  But who planted the dead body?  Farm-to-table enthusiast Jenny Miller had a cookbook in the works when she was suddenly found strangled by a circular knitting needle in her own plot.  Now, the pressure is on Pamela and her neighbor Bettina as they weave together clues in search of the person who kept Jenny's renowned heirloom plants -- and budding career -- from growing.  With suspects and victims cropping up like weeds, it'll take a whole lot more than green thumbs and creative minds this spring to entangle the crafty culprit...

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Pamela Paterson lives in Arborville, New Jersey and works for a crafts magazine doing online editing of articles.  Her daughter Penny is finishing college in Massachusetts, but has returned home on break.  Pamela also has two cats, Catrina and Ginger, that keep her company when Penny's gone.

She also started the Knit & Nibble group, where a group of knitters meet once a week at rotating homes to work on their projects and enjoy a dessert made by the host.  But the talk this week centers on the death of gardener -- and hopeful cookbook writer -- Jenny Miller, who was strangled with a circular knitting needle.  Even though everyone wants Pamela and her best friend Bettina to stay out of the investigation, Bettina, who is a reporter for the weekly newspaper, can't do so, and Pamela, as her best friend, has an innate curiosity that always gets her involved in these things.

At first they have no idea who would want the woman dead, but when they speak to other members of the community garden where she had her plot, it seems she wasn't well-liked.  Even though any one of them could have done the deed, Bettina and Pamela have no proof and no idea.  Without help from the local police, they're determined to discover who wanted Jenny permanently planted underground...

This is the seventh book in the series, and I have to say that in ways it might have been the best.  There was less mention of everyone's dinnerware sets, and since we really don't care about what everyone is using to eat on, it actually helped in the book.  Unfortunately, there were still pages upon pages of every single item Pamela cooked and how long it took her to cook and assemble.  I really don't care, and just skimmed over every single recipe instruction.

However, the mystery itself was interesting in the fact of the murder weapon was different.  I did enjoy the addition of the other cat, poor thing; and that Pamela is finally moving forward in her life.  It added to the story line.  We still have the other characters who are regulars, and Penny, who startles her mother into making a decision (read the book and you will see what it is!).  

Aside from this, I liked this installment to the story, and since it has morphed into something truly delightful, I will continue to read it.  When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it's rather sad what drove this person to commit murder, but with an unhinged mind one can't reason.  I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

https://www.amazon.com/Knitty-Gritty-Murder-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496733894/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3780747113

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

A Fatal Yarn (A Knit & Nibble Mystery #5)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496723642

Kensington Publishing

236 Pages

$7.99; $.99 (sale) Amazon

March 31, 2020

⭐⭐

The trees in Arborville, New Jersey, have started sporting sweaters.  Part of the trend of public knitting art?  Not exactly.  An anonymous activist has been wrapping trunks in yarn to cover red X's that mark certain trees for removal by the town so they don't interfere with power lines.  When the town's mayor -- who supports cutting down the trees -- is murdered, Pamela wonders if the tree hugger committed homicide to prevent arborcide.  A knitter is arrested, but it's one of Knit and Nibble's own -- the harmless Roland DeCamp, who was seen arguing with the mayor.  Pamela is sure the police are barking up the wrong tree.  With the help of her reporter friend Bettina, she branches off on her own investigation to root out the real killer...

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Pamela Paterson is a widow living in Arborville, New Jersey.  She works from home for a craft magazine, and is the creator of the Knit and Nibble group, which are people who go from home to home each week with their knitting projects, and the host feeds the "nibbles."  She's wondering who's putting knitted sweaters on trees, but when the mayor is suddenly murdered, the trees take a back seat to her looking into who had motive to kill him, since the person who was arrested is the knitters' own Roland DeCamp, the sole male and quietest of the group.  Now Pamela and her best friend Bettina Fraser, who is a newspaper reporter, are on the trail of a killer...

This is the fifth book in the series and I have to say it's the weakest.  There were things that bothered me aside from the usual, which is the incessant rattling on of what everyone is eating and wearing.  Our protagonist, Pamela, doesn't fall into the "wearing" category because she never wears anything but jeans and cotton tops.  How boring.  So naturally, she's always mentally commenting on Bettina's scarlet hair (not found in nature) and clothing.  Nothing like constantly critiquing your best friend, right?

I've pretty much had it with this series.  Besides what I've mentioned above (and in other reviews on other books of this author), Pamela doesn't appear to be as smart as she's made out to be.  She's been a widow for seven years, but isn't ready to date again?  Does she believe her late husband wants her to be alone the rest of her life?  And I don't think much of a man who will give away his pet because his new girlfriend is superstitious.  What happens if the relationship doesn't work?  Now his beloved pet isn't there, either.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Both of them.  My own opinion, people.

I also get tired of the fact that there are no clues leading to the identity of the murderer, but Pamela puts it together like that!...and the conclusion is there.  It seems that the author is more concerned with what everyone is eating, wearing, and what dishes they're using to serve on, etc., than the murder or the solving of it.  (I also get tired of Nell looking down on people who eat sugar and criticizing them for it.  It is none of her business what other people eat). 

When my eyes stopped glazing over, I had finished the book. I've read five of these, but I can't say that I will read any more of them.

https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Yarn-Knit-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496723643/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3753139309

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

Silent Knit, Deadly Knit (A Knit & Nibble Mystery #4)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496723635

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$7.99; $1.99 Amazon

October 29, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

Pamela has been in merry spirits since her artsy daughter Penny returned home from college for the holidays.  But their mother-daughter bonding time gets cut short when a terrified Penny stumbles upon the dumped body of Millicent Farthingale, a wealthy craft shop owner who was popular for all the wrong reasons.  From a scheming business partner to a seedy husband several years her junior, Millicent attracted scammers so in love with her assets, they'd toss her down a chimney to get their paws on them.  Now, with only a hand-knit red scarf connecting the killer to the crime, Pamela and the Knit and Nibblers could use some extra creativity as they find out who's really naughty or nice in Arborville -- because going up against a looming culprit is DIY or die!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ 

Pamela Paterson is getting ready for Christmas with her daughter Penny, who is home from college for the holidays.  But things aren't very merry when she receives a frantic phone call -- Penny has found the body of a local craft store owner in a nature preserve where she was sketching.

When Pamela and her best friend Bettina, who is a reporter for the weekly newspaper The Advocate, get involved, they know there's a killer out there and they're determined to find out who it is.  But just questioning people isn't going anywhere, and the dead woman's husband might have a motive but he also has an alibi.  Now they have a couple of others to focus on, but they haven't ruled him out.  

They're also trying to get ready for Christmas, with wrapping last-minute gifts and planning parties, and Pamela has been cooking up a storm.  When one of the suspects suddenly turns up closer than Pamela would like, she's on the hunt to figure it out.  But will she be able to do it before the holidays are over?

This is the fourth book in the series, and I honestly don't know why I'm continuing on with it.  I guess because I bought the books, I tell myself I should finish them.

The main problem with the books is the fact that people are rarely knitting.  They're always eating.  And we get long, detailed descriptions of what they're eating.  Over and over.  We know that Pamela loves whole-grain bread, because she tells us every time she has a slice.  We also know she drinks tons of coffee.  There were over four pages detailing every step of making the poppy seed cake.  Why?  Why are we told in every single book about Pamela's wedding china?  About Bettina's sage green dishes?  Do we really care?  Who does that?  We're told about Bettina's pumpkin-colored coat numerous times.  It's as if the author needed a heavy word count.  The result?  Very little time was spent on the mystery.

To top it off, there were no clues apparent to us on who the murderer might be, until after they were discovered and Pamela explained it -- and we wouldn't have figured it out anyway!  Not with that one clue.  Why didn't the police get closer to the killer?  They never do, and they're inept in these books.  There is no detective presence at all, just Bettina relaying messages.  

In the end, this book gave us exactly what all the other books have done: unanswered questions as to what happened to various characters.  It's as annoying as Nell, who disapproves of anyone eating anything that isn't healthy.  (None of her business, and she shouldn't spout it off to people).  What others eat isn't anyone's business but their own.  (No, I don't want to see people gorge themselves, but not my circus, not my monkeys).

I know this sounds like a rant, but I wish there were more murder clues and less descriptions of food and dinnerware.  Saying that, when the killer was discovered, it came as a surprise, because...there were no clues.  Ah, well.  I guess I'll just go have a cup of coffee, with cream, in my pretty red reindeer mug and have a slice of homemade banana swirl bread on a blue-rimmed plate...

https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Knit-Deadly-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496723635/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3750520001

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

Knit One, Die Two (A Knit & Nibble Mystery #3)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496713315

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$7.99; $1.99 Amazon

April 30, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

Knit and Nibble's numbers are growing!  In addition to a litter of adorable kittens, the knitting club just welcomed their newest member, Caralee Lorimer, who's learning to knit for her upcoming role in A Tale of Two Cities.  According to the amateur actress, the behind-the-scenes drama at hte theater is getting downright catty, and Caralee wants a reckoning for Arborville's pretentious suburbanites.  Her claws are out, and just like her character inthe play, Caralee is ready to name names.  But before she can finish her snitchy stitches, Caralee is killed in a suspicious theater accident.  Someone thinks they've staged a perfect murder, but Pamela and her Knit and Nibblers are ready to pounce on the real killer...before it's curtains for anyone else!

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson is a widow who lives in Arborville, New Jersey and does online editing for a craft magazine.  She started the Knit and Nibble knitting club, and they have a new member - Caralee Lorimer, an actress who's learning to knit for her role in A Tale of Two Cities.  But it's not long before they hear of an accident at the theater, and Caralee is found dead.  But both Pamela and her best friend Bettina think it was murder, and set out to find the truth.  Unfortunately, it's not going to be easy, and their suspects all have a reason to want the woman dead...

This is the third book in the series and I've actually been reading them in order.  I guess my main problem with it is I don't understand the author's obsession with dinnerware and food.  She needs to describe each plate that is used by each member of the club -- whether it's wedding china or thrift store finds, and then every dish that is made and served is described in innumerable sentences.  Honestly, I don't care who serves what on which dish.  Unless it's the murder weapon, what does it matter?  It's pages of the story that don't need to be there, and takes away from the mystery.  That and the fact that we're told every single thing that Bettina wears and all Pamela ever wears is jeans and a cotton top.

Pamela isn't quite forty, but she acts much older.  She doesn't act like an amateur sleuth, but more like a nosy neighbor.  She doesn't have the "sleuthing qualities" that I've come to love in most cozies, and she's just nosy enough to want to know what is going on, including wondering about where her handsome neighbor is, but not enough to find out.  

Then, she has six kittens to "dispose of."  I say that because she obviously knows nothing about kittens or cats.  As a lifetime cat owner, you don't dispose of kittens by giving them away to just anyone (for the record, I spay and neuter my cats).  Where was the mention of taking them to the vet?  Was she planning on giving them their first shots?  Did she care if they were immunized?  Even if she didn't plan on the kittens, she should have been a responsible pet owner.  Make sure the cats will be well cared for and kept indoors.  I'd rather read about this than someone's wedding china.  Enough of my rant...

Back to the story: trying to figure out who killed Caralee.  When it's discovered that she left clues behind, both Pamela and Bettina decide to look further for a killer.  They come across several suspects, and they try and figure out what it was that Caralee was trying to say.  What they did find was that Caralee hated Arborville, and some of the people in it.  She wasn't a likeable person at all in my book.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, I had it figured out before that, but the motive wasn't worth killing for, in my opinion.  The author also did what she did in the last book -- left questions unanswered that I would have liked to have known, leaving me feeling as if the food mattered more than resolutions to some of the questionable characters.  But ah, well...I don't expect them to be told in the next book, either.

https://www.amazon.com/Knit-One-Nibble-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B07G6RYBLH/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3749743737

More on Peggy Ehrhart's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/peggy-ehrhart/

Killing Time (A Dodie O'Dell Mystery Book 6)

Author:  Suzanne Trauth
Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516107261
Lyrical Underground
218 Pages
$15.95; $7.49 Amazon
June 2, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With Halloween just around the corner, Dodie O'Dell is making preparations to transform the Windjammer Restaurant on the Jersey Shore into a haunted house, while the Etonville Little Theatre is staging Dracula.  But casting the titular Transylvanian is proving challenging.  The amateur actors in the company are not shy about chewing the scenery, but who among them can convincingly sink their fangs into a victim's neck?  When a mysterious newcomer with a transfixing Eastern European accent lands the part, rumors that he might be an actual vampire start to take flight -- not unlike the bat who's recently been spotted in the town park.

But everyone's blood really runs cold when a stranger is found in the cemetery with a real stake in his heart.  Dodie decides to put her Halloween theme menu on the back burner and stick her neck out to bring the killer into the light of day.  She'd better keep her wits about her, though -- or Dodie may be the next one to go down for the Count...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Dodie O'Dell is manager of the Windjammer Restaurant in Etonville, New Jersey.  Their restaurant is near by the Etonville Little Theatre, and each time the ELT puts on a play, the Windjammer coordinates their menus to fit.  Right now they're planning on running Dracula, and Dodie is looking forward to it, visiting the theatre and her friends.  She's as surprised as everyone that the man chosen to play the famous count is from out of town and living with his wife in what the locals consider a haunted house.  When Dodie meets Carlos Villiarios, she's not sure what to make of him.  He's mysterious, tall, dark, and fits the role perfectly.

She's also looking forward to Halloween, when she can wear her specially chosen costume for her fiancé, Bill, who also happens to be police chief in their little town.  The costume's a hit, and Dodie can start planning her wedding, but something inside her is keeping her from making the plans with her wedding planner, her best friend Lola.

But the theatre has problems of its own, with accidents and lights failing, and her friend Lola is worried that the show won't go on.  But it does; and things seem to settle down.  Then there's a costume party at Carlos's home, with his wife Bella reading fortunes to keep the fun going, and during the party Dodie notices a man dressed as the Grim Reaper standing in a corner.  He meets eyes with Carlos, and then seems to disappear from sight.

When a body is found in the cemetery later that night, it turns out to be the man in the Grim Reaper costume.  Now Dodie has questions about what's going on.  She knows that Carlos knew the man even if he denies it; she saw him but it seems no one else did; and why doesn't anyone know anything about Carlos's past?  Dodie has a mystery on her hands, and even when Bill tells her to leave it alone, she can't.  But will looking into the mystery put her in danger?...

I know it's not even near Halloween, but I do so like Ms. Trauth's books that I wanted to read this latest one, and I wasn't disappointed.  I began this book in the dentist's office (I was there for a cleaning, but my husband was getting a crown, so...) and it was so enjoyable that I hated to put it down until I got home.  Oh, well...

I love the characters in this town.  They're like a family to each other, watching each other's backs and even the Banger sisters are a hoot, hearing a snippet of something and running with it like they're running with the bulls in Pamplona.  These are people you'd like to spend time with, given the chance.

Dodie is an intelligent woman who likes the puzzle of a mystery, and even though she's the manager of a restaurant, she'd rather be taking those pieces and putting them together.  The problem she has is trying to keep everything she's doing from Bill; but she doesn't hide information that she gleans.  She gives every bit of it to him when she discovers it, which shows they're more or less a team, and I like that.

As to the mystery, it was done nicely; and even though I figured out what was going on a lot earlier than Dodie (I read a lot of mysteries) I relished watching her take each little thread she found and weave it slowly together, along with the others, to give her a tapestry of what she was looking for.

And what she discovered wasn't what she expected to find -- nor me.  There was an intriguing twist toward the end that even I didn't expect, and I found it fascinating.  When everything came together and the murderer was discovered, it was definitely a surprise; and then there was even one more surprise that was given to the reader that leaves us looking forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Time-Dodie-ODell-Mystery/dp/1516107268/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3389907316

More on Suzanne Trauth's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/suzanne-trauth/

Hummus and Homicide (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)

Author:  Tina Kashian
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9781496713476; [9781541468382]
Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]
320 Pages
$7.99; $21.72; $5.99 Amazon
February 27, 2018

✮✮

Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn't mind.  She doesn't even mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen.  Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to roasted red pepper.  It's fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch up with her old BFF, who's married to a cop now.

She could do without Heather Banks, though.  the Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high school...and unfortunately, she's just taken over as the local health inspector.  Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen - where she's tallied up a whole list of bogus violations - she falls down dead in the street.  Word on the grapevine is it's homicide, and Lucy's the number one suspect.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy Berberian leaves her job as a patent attorney in Philadelphia to return home, but hasn't told her parents the entire story.  The minute she returns her mother expects her to help out at the restaurant - a place she hates and couldn't wait to leave; but when she comes across her old enemy Heather Banks - who made her miserable in high school - she realizes that it's not over when she finds out Heather is the new health inspector.

To make matters worse, Heather finds all sorts of violations at the restaurant, when her father, the previous inspector, never found a single one in thirty years.  Lucy knows it's only out of vindictiveness.  But then Heather is found dead outside the restaurant, and she's been poisoned.  Now Lucy is on the hot seat, suspected of killing her.  She enlists the help of her best friend Katie to help her find out who killed Heather before she's sent away for the crime...

I wanted to read this because it sounded from the blurb that it might be a great series to begin reading.  However, there's things I couldn't get past and others I just didn't like.  First off, calling Gadoo the cat her mother's pet is a little off the mark.  The cat lives outside and her mother feeds it.  Basically, her mother is feeding a stray cat.  He comes around for the food.  He isn't allowed in the home, and it doesn't appear that they care for him in any other way - no vaccinations, no place to sleep, etc.  Just a stray cat that they've decided to name.

Then, this is not a town I'd want to visit.  Heather has apparently been holding a grudge against Lucy since high school, and decides to 'get even' by giving her parents a bad health inspection - which, I would think, they could challenge and have her fired for; after all, if they've passed every single other inspection in thirty years it would be pretty obvious to everyone who knows Heather and Lucy that it was out of spite and nothing else.  Ditto for the Detective, Calvin Clemmons.  He's holding a grudge against Lucy's sister Emma for breaking up with him in high school, and it appears that he's giving Lucy a hard time about being the main suspect in the murder because of it.  Jeez.  Who would live in a town where people can't move on with their lives?

Then, and I quote, the author writes: "Lucy felt as if she were being sucked back into the fold like quicksand: no amount of professional accomplishments mattered.  Family helped family, and their expectations could be stifling and overwhelming.  It was partly why she'd fled years ago."  This does not sound like a woman who's happy to be working in a restaurant she couldn't wait to escape from.  And therein lies the biggest problem:  I had a hard time reconciling the fact that she'd so willingly want to keep the restaurant she wanted to get away from.  (She also stated that she can't cook, so why would she want to keep the restaurant otherwise?)

There was a lot of repetition in sentences, and I really have to wonder if there is any other way to say someone is hungry or thirsty instead of constantly repeating "it made her mouth water."  Every time I hear that phrase in any book, I picture the person with drool dripping from their mouth or sucking back saliva.  I've never been so enamored of an aroma that that has happened.  I find it annoying, and it was said more than once here.  I also got tired of the 'mother cliché:  get married!  I want grandchildren!  Yeah, nothing says love like pushing your daughter into marriage so she can pop out grandchildren for you; ignore the fact that she has the right to choose what she wants out of life.  With a mother like this, I dread the rest of the books in the series.

I also thought it was ridiculous that the detective would accuse Lucy of murder because of a bad health inspection at the restaurant.  Honestly?  She's going to kill someone because they gave her demerits?  Yeah, that's believable.  Truth to tell, I lost interest in the book around the 30% mark, but I trudged on anyway, hoping it would improve.  It didn't.  However, I will read the next in the series and hope for the best.  Also, here's what I'd like to see in future books:  Her mother to leave her alone to decide if - and when - she chooses to get married and stop harping on grandkids (nag the other daughter - she's already married, and in ten years has only produced one child); and Gadoo to become an indoor cat and be cared for properly, not to be left to fend on his own at night.

https://www.amazon.com/Hummus-Homicide-Kebab-Kitchen-Mystery/dp/1496713478/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2227324054

More on Tina Kashian's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/tina-kashian/

Murder on Memory Lake (A Ferrara Family Mystery #1)

Author:  J.D. Griffo
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496713940; 9781977359322
Kensington Publishing
334 Pages
$5.86; $26.20; $5.99 Amazon
July 31, 2018

✮✮

Alberta Scaglione's spinster aunt had some secrets - like the fortune she squirreled away and a secret lake house in Tranquility, New Jersey.  More surprising: she's left it all to Alberta.  Alberta, a widow, is no spring chicken and she's gotten used to disappointment.  So having a beautiful view, surrounded by hydrangeas, honeysuckle, and her cat, Lola, sounds blissful after years of yelling and bickering and cooking countless lasagnas.

But Tranquility isn't as peaceful as it sounds.  There's a body in the water - and it belongs to Alberta's childhood nemesis.  Alberta suspects foul play and when Alberta's estranged granddaughter, an aspiring crime reporter, shows up, it only makes sense for them to team up and investigate...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Alberta Scaglione hasn't had an easy life.  She was married to a man who didn't love her, and her only daughter fights with her constantly - which culminates in her daughter moving out of state to get away with her.  She's a 64-year-old widow who doesn't have much in life - until a spinster aunt leaves her over three million dollars and a lakefront home in Tranquility, New Jersey.  Now she's enjoying her chance to relax and live her life the way she wants.

At least she was, until a body floats on the lake in front of her.  It turns out to be an old enemy from school, and when Alberta notifies the police, she's convinced the woman was murdered.  They don't believe her until after the autopsy report, and she decides to leave it at that.  But when her granddaughter arrives in Tranquility, things change.  Jinx's personality is like her grandmother's, but she's trying to make it as a reporter.  She's tired of fluff pieces and wants to investigate the murder.  When her editor tells her no, she convinces Alberta to help her, and along with Alberta's sister Helen and sister-in-law Joyce, they try and figure out who killed the woman.  But will it bring Jinx the new job or just danger?...

This is the first in a new series and I really wanted to like this book.  Sadly, it pretty much lost me at the beginning by showing me that Alberta isn't the 'nice' woman she's supposed to be.  A relative - the one who eventually leaves her money - is in a nursing home and she repeatedly whispers to her, "Just go already.  There is nothing left for you here, so just die for Crise sake."  Does that sound like a warm, loving woman?  Especially since the hearing is the last to go and the woman heard every word?  I remember when I lost my father, and I spent my time telling him how much I loved him.  It still breaks my heart to this very day.

Anyway, she's a nasty human being; what she said notwithstanding, she was constantly arguing and yelling at her daughter and the author tells us that because it's what they've always done we're just supposed to shrug our shoulders and think this is fine.  Sorry, but this is not acceptable behavior and it's abusive.  No wonder her daughter moved away.

Then her granddaughter convinces her that breaking and entering is an acceptable way to get information and clues to the murder, so she decides to go ahead with it, knowing it's illegal.  I've never liked it when characters do that, mainly because the person who isn't supposed to be home always shows up (in this I wasn't disappointed).

I was disappointed, however, that the characters were so stereotypical - right down to spouting Italian at every opportunity.  Not only is Alberta nasty and mean, her sister Helen, an ex-nun, throws insults around like a Frisbee; and the sister-in-law sure likes her liquor - having no problem drinking first thing in the morning.  What a fun group of people.

In the end, I didn't find the "collection" interesting, and the characters just grated on me, which made me skim through the end of the book.  Sorry, but I won't be reading any more in this series.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Memory-Ferrara-Family-Mystery/dp/149671394X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2707942657

More on J.D. Griffo's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/j-d-griffo/

Just in Time (A Dodie O'Dell Mystery #4)

Author:  Suzanne Trauth
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781516107223
Lyrical Underground
$15.00; $5.99 Amazon
September 25, 2018

✮✮✮✮

Business is humming at Dodie O'Dell's Windjammer Restaurant, where she offers theme menus connected to the Eltonville Little Theatre's amateur productions.  This June, the theater is collaborating with the neighboring Creston Players to stage Bye Bye Birdie under the stars - their first musical!  There's a contest in the play to pick a fan to receive Conrad Birdie's last kiss before he ships off for the Army, so Dodie plans a contest to pick the food for a pre-show picnic.

But before the show opens, Ruby, the rehearsal accompanist, is found dead in her car.  Why would anyone murder the crusty old gal who loved to sneak a smoke and a nip between wisecracks?  Once again, the resourceful restaurant manager must play the part of amateur sleuth, accompanied by Police Chief Bill Thompson, who also happens to be her beau.  Confronted with a chorus of suspects, she'll need to stay composed to catch the killer - or it'll be bye bye Dodie...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Dodie O'Dell works at the Windjammer Cafe, and is helping with the Etonville Little Theater's latest production, Bye, Bye, Birdie.  They're performing with members of nearby Creston's theater group, and all seems to be coming together at first.  But soon it's apparent that there is trouble with the cast that keeps things from running smoothly.  The director Walter is unhappy that the woman he's enamored of, Lola, is involved with another member of the crew, Dale Undershot.  Pauli, a local teen who's a whiz on computers and technology, is hankering for Janice, who plays the lead, but she seems to only have eyes for Romeo, who's playing Conrad Birdie.  And so it goes...

However, an elderly woman from Creston, Ruby Passonata, is the pianist and she's a genius at it but not very nice to the people around her.  In fact, there isn't anyone who wants to spend time with her and after seeing Dodie and her boyfriend Bill, who's the police chief of Etonville, she makes a cryptic remark about relationships that Dodie just doesn't understand.  When Ruby dies in what at first appears to be an accident but is soon discovered to be an attempt at hiding a murder, Bill is stumped and asks Dodie to keep her ears open and see if she hears anything about the Creston Players that could hint at who wanted to kill Ruby. 

When Dodie and Lola venture out to Creston to Ruby's apartment to see if she has the cue notes needed for the play, they don't expect it to be so clean, Dodie finds a scrapbook that Ruby kept which details her early years, is surprised to find Ruby went to a prestigious music academy, and traveled world wide playing.  But the scrapbook mysteriously ends in 1969 and Dodie wants to know what stopped Ruby.  So she decides to try and find out why Ruby stopped her burgeoning career and wound up playing for a small town theater group.  So Dodie sets forth merely to find out more about the reclusive woman, but doesn't realize that in doing so she might be putting her own life in danger.

First off, I have to say that this is the first book I've read of Ms. Trauth's, yet because it is the fourth in the series I rather expected more from the author.  I knew very little about the numerous characters and they seemed way too quirky for me.  In most books there is only one person who is quirky, but in this book everyone except Bill seems to be a little bit over the top in that area.  The other thing that bothered me is the way like, Pauli like, talks.  He sounds like a Valley girl.  I would have enjoyed his character more if he could actually form complete sentences once in a while.

While I knew who the killer was almost immediately, (to be fair, though, I read a lot of mysteries, so unless it's hidden well, I can usually figure it out just by something that's said or done early on), it was still interesting to me to learn the reasons why they wanted Ruby dead.  Bits and pieces were strewn throughout the story, so you didn't learn it all at once, and that's always a good thing.  

The plot was done well, and I thought that everything came together nicely in the end; there were a couple of harrowing moments for Dodie, but she bore them out decently and I have to say that I enjoyed the ending, giving us a promise of what is to come in future books.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Time-Dodie-ODell-Mystery-ebook/dp/B078QTBB4F/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2533527036

More on Suzanne Trauth's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/suzanne-trauth/