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/

Irish Soda Bread Murder

Authors:    Carlene O'Connor/Peggy Ehrhart/Liz Ireland

Genre:       Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496751089

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$27.00; $13.77 Amazon

December 24, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's almost time for the delicious warmth of Irish soda bread, but be careful where you bite -- some of these recipes call for murder in this delicious collection of cozy mystery novellas featuring the popular St. Paddy's Day treat.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR

There's very little time left before her wedding, but nonetheless Tara Meehan is helping out at her Uncle Johnny's salvage mill for the day.  Aunt Rose set up a convention for local psychics, including a bake sale to raise money for charity, but now she's sick and available only via an iPad Johnny is carrying.  The event promises to deliver a real pot of gold until Rose's biggest rival shows up.  Before Tara can utter a simple "top o' the morning" to the man, he drops dead -- with Johnny's soda bread in his hands.  It's up to Tara to identify the deadly baker before another victim ends up chasing the rainbow straight into a grave...

AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER by PEGGY EHRHART

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year, the Arborville, New Jersey, Advocate is sponsoring a soda bread-baking competition.  Bettina Fraser is excited -- her bake-off idea was the one to get the green light!  But when a town councilman acting as a judge keels over after sampling an entry, the party atmosphere dies just as quickly.  Now it's up to Bettina and her Knit and Nibble knitting club bestie, Pamela Paterson, to find the killer responsible for the murderous morsel. 

MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN by LIZ IRELAND

When April Claus arrives in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon, to check on her flooded inn, her biggest worry is to keep everyone from realizing her three companions -- Jingles, Juniper, and Butterbean -- are elves.  But soon enough she has more serious worries -- it looks like her hapless caretaker Ernie has been storing stolen goods at the inn!  The none of Ernie's shady pals is found dead, and the murder weapon turns up in a decorative loaf of soda bread at April's craft fair booth.  It's up to April to uncover the killer before she spends St. Patrick's Day in the county jail!

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This is an anthology of short novellas by three authors who are fairly well-known in the cozy world.  (And if you don't, you should pick up on of their other books!)  Of course, we all have our favorites, but I do love anthologies as you can finish them very quickly and they are interesting.  That is, if they are done well, which these three certainly are.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Irish Soda Bread Murder:  When Tara Meehan moved from the states to Ireland to scatter her mother's ashes, she discovered her Uncle Johnny, who owns a salvage mill and welcomed her into his life.  Since then, she's been running a successful business and has acquired a fiancé as well.  On this day, though, there is going to be a psychic fair that will benefit charity.  There is also a bake sale, and since her Aunt Rose is ill, it was up to Johnny to bake the soda bread.  But all is not well when the first person to try the bread -- another psychic, Ronan Stone, eats it and is found dead.  Now everyone present is a suspect, and it's up to Tara to find the killer, as the police are stumped.  

This is a very good mystery.  With all the psychics as suspect, and all seem to have motives, including Rose, Tara needs to find out who hated Ronan enough to kill him.  She listens in to the police interviews to gather clues, and then has a chance to figure it out later in the night, with everyone present.  The murderer was well hidden, and I didn't figure it out until Tara did.  A worthy read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐An Irish Recipe For Murder:  When Bettina and Pamela are at a soda bread bake-off, it doesn't last long.  The man tasting the bread falls over ill from the first bread offered.  He later dies, and the woman who baked it is riddled with guilt.  But is she a killer?  Neither Bettina nor Pamela think so, and they must put their heads together to figure it out.

A good mystery.  I have read all the books in the original series, and enjoyed them.  This addition is enjoyable as well.  I have my own issues with Pamela, but it did not color my enjoyment of this.  The clues are hidden well, and the murderer was a complete surprise.  This was the best part, as figuring it out wasn't easy, and the reason for the murder was rather sad.  Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man:  When April Claus is called away early from the North Pole to her inn in Oregon, it's due to a broken pipe that has leaked everywhere.  When she arrives with three of her elves, not only is there water everywhere, but a foul smell no one can figure out.  Also, her caretaker Ernie seems to be missing.  Since her main goal is to keep the elves from being recognized, she's surprised when people liken them to leprechauns and want them to appear in their St. Paddy's day parade.  With that solved, there's a new riddle: who sent her a text, and why is there a dead body inside her front door?

Although I'm not big on fantasy, I really enjoyed this story.  The elves bring a little laughter to the tale, and April is up to her ears in both getting her inn ready for summer and trying to figure out who killed the man.  It doesn't help that her local nemesis is making her life miserable as well.  But when the ending comes, it's all that one would desire, with a nice resolution to everything, and another story well worth reading.  Recommended.

In the end, I enjoyed all three tales and these are perfect for St. Patrick's Day stories.  I would definitely recommend them to others.  

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

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Bread-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B0CZGHNYY7/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6813348226

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

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

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

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 Milkshake Murder (Anthology)

Authors:    Carlene O'Connor; Peggy Ehrhart; Liz Ireland

Genre:       Mystery/Fantasy

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496745033

Kensington Cozies

352 Pages

$27.00; $22.95

December 26, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An Irish anthology of cozy mysteries featuring a trio of today's top cozy mystery authors that will make other cozy anthologies green with envy.

IRISH MILKSHAKE MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR

In advance of their St. Patrick's Day wedding, Tara Meehan and Danny O'Donnel are off to the Aran Islands with their bridesmaids and groomsmen for a joint hen and stag party.  The weekend kicks off with the ferry trip to Inishmore, as the passengers enjoy boozy milkshakes on booard and entertainment from a pair of famous Irish-dancing twin brothers.  But faster than Tara can say, "Oh, Danny Boy," a murder shamrocks the boat as someone's spied shake turns out to be their final round.  Stuck in a rural island cottage, while a storm rages outside, Tara must find the Celtic killer before her luck runs out...

MURDER MOST IRISH by PEGGY EHRHART

St. Patrick's Day is drawing near in Arborville, New Jersey and the folks at Hyler's Luncheonette are getting into the holiday spirit with a new, limited-time Irish-themed menu item -- a festive green milkshake appropriately named, "The Leprechaun."  It's a hit, until a patron is felled by one of the frothy concoctions during a sheep parade through the town.  Now, it's up to Pamela Paterson and her Knit & Nibble knitting club pal, Bettina Fraser, to catch a murderer and put a stop to the shear madness...

MRS. CLAUS AND THE LUCKLESS LEPRECHAUN by LIZ IRELAND

Spring in Santaland means two things: the elves have more leisure time and iceball season is in full swing!  To celebrate, April Claus's friend, Claire, whips up some minty milkshakes for her bustling ice cream shop, Santaland Scoop.  But when the St. Paddy's promotion makes one elf the target of a decidedly unlucky strike, Mrs. Claus and her friends must figure out if the attack was a failed hit job, a crime of passion, or an extremely unfortunate accident...

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This is an anthology of short stories by three well-known cozy mystery writers.  They all take place around St. Patrick's Day, and have that particular theme; although they are very different in content.  For the most part, I enjoyed each of them.

In the first by Carlene O'Connor, Tara Meehan is looking forward to her St. Patrick's Day wedding to Danny O'Donnell, an Irish charmer.  But she's not thrilled that her best friend Breanna has planned a 'hen party' for her, as she's not much for that kind of festivities.  But she goes along with it, even when she discovers that Breanna has invited one of her "frenemies" from the states, Rachel, to join in.  When they are boarding the boat to take them to Inishmore, one of the three Aran Islands, a pair of twin Irish dancers beg to be let aboard since they missed their own boat.

What follows is nearly chaos.  Breanna is serving up 'boozy milkshakes to everyone (doesn't sound appetizing to me, but then again, I don't drink), and during the ride it begins to rain and the boat sways, and...someone is killed.  Murdered, in fact.  When they arrive on the island, now closed up because of the storm, Tara vows to solve the murder.  The police don't seem to believe them at first, but then things get really strange.  Tara and the remaining members of her group must stick together to solve the crime.  The ending was indeed surprising, and Ms. O'Coonor brings us another tasty mystery.  Five Stars.

Peggy Ehrhart's mystery is different in that it begins at a well-loved local diner, and of course, someone dies.  But why?  Pamela Paterson and her partner-in-crime, Bettina Fraser work together to come up with a plausible reason for the murder, and, of course, a suitable suspect.  But no one that they speak to seems to have a motive to have wanted the person dead.  The more they look, the less likely their main suspects seem to be.  In this one, I figured out the person and the reason before Pamela and Bettina, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the mystery.  It was well written and worth the read.

My only complaints are that the author spends too much time telling us that Pamela uses her wedding China (we know) and Bettina uses her sage green pottery (we know).  Unfortunately for me, Pamela seems like a dull character with little personality and 'oomph' in her life.  I do wish she'd change, but we can't have everything, can we?  However, Wilfred's (Bettina's husband) makes some delicious meals and I'd love to eat there!  Four Stars.

The last story is by Liz Ireland, who writes about life in Santaland.  Her protagonist is April Claus, Santa Claus's wife, who is a young bride who's made friends with many of the elves.  She and her friend Juniper attend a local iceball game, a noted elf event.  But after the game, there is an elf found unconscious on the ice, and April doesn't think it was an accident.  She and her friends need to find out who attacked the famous iceball player and why, and they need to do so before St. Patrick's Day hits and the elf's fair is fully in swing.

I have to confess that I am not a fan of fantasy, so this one didn't really draw me in as much as the other two.  I also would have liked to have seen more interaction between April and Nick.  Ah, well.  The mystery is very good, though, and there's enough action to keep you interested.  When the ending comes, I was a tad disappointed, but that's just me.  Others will probably like this story as well.  Four Stars.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Milkshake-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B0C15WZR8D/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5659610695

More on Carlene O'Connor's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/o/carlene-oconnor/

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

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

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/

Christmas Scarf Murder

Authors:  Carlene O'Connor; Maddie Day; Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery/Christmas

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496737229

Kensington Cozies

384 Pages

$21.49. $9.06 Amazon

September 27, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

CHRISTMAS SCARF MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR: When grinchy thefts steal the good cheer at a local nursing home, Siobhan O'Sullivan manages to to identify one missing item before Kilbane, Ireland's Christmas tractor parade -- a hideous shamrock scarf wrapped around a very dead body.  Now, with her holiday farmhouse bash approaching, Siobhan must dash to stop a deadly Secret Santa from gifting another unwanted surprise.

SCARFED DOWN by MADDIE DAY:  It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas at Pans 'N Pancakes, as twelve days of menu specials dazzle hungry locals.  But the festivities go cold the instant a diner dies while knitting a brilliant green scarf.  With Aunt Adele tied into a murder investigation, it's all on Robbie Jordan to find out who's really been naughty or nice in South Lick, Indiana.

DEATH BY CHRISTMAS SCARF by PEGGY EHRHART:  Suspects pile up faster than New Jersey snow when frosty-tempered Carys Walnutt is found strangled by a handmade scarf auctioned at Arborville's tree-lighint ceremony.  Between a winning bidder hiding behind the alias "S. Claws" and a victim who deserved coal in her stocking, can Pamela Paterson and the crafty Knit and Nibble ladies freeze a killer's merry murder plot?

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The blurb pretty much tells you all about the plot in each of these short novellas, so I am not going to expand too much on that, because adding much more would spoil the entire book, but I will try to do my best.

I love Christmas, and I love reading about Christmas.  I also love mysteries, so this book was perfect in more ways than one.  I could put it down after reading one story and not feel guilty that I had decorating to do, and then pick it up and go on to the next.  It also gave me a chance to digest the previous story and gather my thoughts.  Since I love all these authors, that didn't hurt, either.

The first story by Ms. O'Connor was definitely my favorite.  I don't know if it's the idea of family at Christmas, or just the Irish setting, or even her protagonist's way of thinking; but I loved the way Siobhan came to her conclusion as to whom committed the murder, and why.  The entire novella was fun, mostly centering on solving the thefts and the murder, but we did get a glimpse of Siobhan doing was everyone else is doing at Christmas, and that made it more enjoyable for me.  The ending wasn't as big a surprise to me, but as I've said on and on, I read a lot of mysteries and am pretty good at figuring out the killer.  Still and all, a quite enjoyable read.

The second story also came in second place.  Ms. Day's protagonist is a smart woman, and she always shares her information with the police, which I like.  None of this 'I'll figure it out before them even if it puts me in danger.'  Or, as we also call it, TSTL.  When the victim is murdered, it involves her beloved Aunt Adele, and Robbie has no choice but to get involved herself.  The information she gleans from locals actually helps, but it isn't until the climax that we get to find out who the real killer is, and the reason for the murder.  Of course, a Merry Christmas at the end as we expect.

The third by Ms. Ehrhart is also very good, but I felt that there was so much more extraneous information that wasn't needed, such as what dishes were being used and why (is it really important to the story?) and every food item Pamela bought was organic or special.  I would have liked to have a little more of the investigation to go on.  However, I do love Bettina's energy and the fact that she and Pamela are the best of friends.  They also make the best of sleuths together, too, which is where this story shines.  A nice ending to the book.

In the end, this is a very good read for the holiday season and I would definitely recommend it to others.

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

https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Scarf-Murder-Carlene-OConnor-ebook/dp/B09PJ228LB/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5151869218

Death of a Knit Wit (A Knit & Nibble Mystery Book 8)

Author:    Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496733900

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

February 22, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pamela has organized a weekend-long knitting bee as part of a conference on fiber arts and crafts at Wendelstaff College.  But when pompous Professor Robert Greer-Gordon Critter, the keynote speaker at the conference, crashes the bee, he seems more interested in flirting than knitting.  The man's reputation as a philanderer supersedes his academic reputation.  After coffee and cookies are served, the professor suddenly collapses, seemingly poisoned -- but how?  Everyone had the coffee and cookies.  Joined by her bestie Bettina and the Knit and Nibble ladies, Pamela sorts through everything from red socks to red herrings to unravel tne means and motives of a killer dead set on teaching the professor a lesson...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Pamela Paterson's employer couples with Wendelstaff College to give a conference, all seems to be going well.  That is, until the speaker, Professor Robert Greer-Gordon Critter, is heckled by his ex-wife.  Hoping everything else will run smoothly, Pamela discovers it won't...when he's visiting the local ladies who are knitting, it's to have coffee and cookies and discuss his books and knitting.  But he never gets that far -- as he drops to the floor, unable to breathe, and later at the hospital is pronounced dead.  When Pamela discovers that he's been poisoned, no one knows how, as everyone else had the same food and drink as the man, and they're all fine.

Now she, along with her reporter neighbor Bettina, are off and running once again to find a killer.  But with so many suspects in the mix, it could be quite a problem to untangle a killer...

This is the eighth book in the series and I have read every one.  First off, the bad: while I do love this series, I also get tired of hearing every single time anyone eats, the pottery (or china) that they are eating on.  Who really cares?  We get that Bettina has sage-green pottery, but does it matter to the food that is plated?  No.  Also, there is a lot of food mentioned in  the book, like, every single detail of every single thing that they eat.  Again, who cares?  Do we really need to know each ingredient in a salad?  Is is relevant to the murder?  No.  So I would like to see less of this in future books.  And again, I believe that I have mentioned this before, but we get an awful lot of information on food, but Pamela's grooming habits are atrocious.  Does she ever take a shower?  She gets out of bed and dresses -- no mention of showering, and only once of brushing her teeth, and that's because her neighbor gave her a toothbrush!

Also, I don't see why she gets upset at Bettina when she wants to know about Pamela's dates.  Is it a secret?  They're friends.  And Bettina is a reporter, so she's naturally curious.  Pamela keeps it too close to her chest, and that's not normal.  Getting mad at Bettina seems so off the wall to me.  Ah, well...

However, the mystery itself was done really well, and there were very few clues to the murderer.  I did discover the killer before Pamela, but then again, maybe we were supposed to.  I did enjoy visiting her home and friends again, and, of course, the cats.  I was glad to see that they also played a role in the books and weren't just relegated to the cover.

When Bettina and Pamela start questioning people at the college, they don't think it could be as hard as it is, but each person they question leads them to someone else.  It seems the professor was not well-liked, and no one mourns him.  Finding a murderer among them takes more thought than either knew, and in their travels we learn more about the surrounding areas and even a local outdoor market that sounds unique.  All of it was intriguing, and looking for the killer was even more so.

In the end, it all came together very nicely, with the ends woven in together tightly and the finished product something you can enjoy while reading.  I think the author did a very good job with this book, and I do look forward to the next in the series.  This book can be read as a stand alone.  Recommended.

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

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Knit-Wit-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496733908/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4489030819

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

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...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

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/

Knit of the Living Dead (A Knit & Nibble Mystery #6)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book; Audiobook

ISBN #:  9781496723659

Kensington Publishing

285 Pages

$7.99; $6.89 Amazon

August 25, 2020

⭐⭐⭐

Among the countless revelers at the town's much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder.  In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck.  Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it'll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep's dark, endless sleep...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson lives in Arborville, New Jersey and works for a magazine editing articles online.  Her daughter attends college in Massachusetts, so it's only her and her two cats, Catrina and Ginger.  She's attending a Halloween evening out complete with bonfire, and all her friends are dressed in costume.  But when she and her friend Bettina Fraser hear a female screaming, they follow the voice and come across a dead woman.  Another friend, Nell, assumes it's her neighbor Mary Lyon, because of the distinctive costume.

But when it's discovered that it's indeed a stranger, they start to wonder if Mary wasn't supposed to be the real victim.  What can they do except warn Mary that someone might actually be after her.  When she doesn't pay any attention to them, they worry but decide to leave it to the police.  That is, until something else happens and now there are more worries than  one...

I know; I said I wasn't going to read any more of these, but I figured since I'd already purchased them I may as well go ahead and finish.  Actually, once you skip all the parts about eating and dinnerware, the book goes really fast, so there's that.  Reading them together as I have, I got tired after book two about how Pamela uses her wedding china, and the color and shape of every dish every piece of food is served on (including the diner, where they use oval plates (does anyone really care?)

There is one thing that grossed me out though; Pamela mentions not once, but twice, how she's been wearing the same clothes all week.  Eeeww.  Does she have a washing machine?  Other clothes?  It's bad enough she doesn't care about her physical appearance (yet has time to comment on her friends' looks), but now not caring how wrinkled her clothes are getting?  Seriously?  Sorry, but I really don't go for bad hygiene, and not changing your clothes falls into that category, even if you work at home (I do, and trust me, I'll wear the same pair of jeans two days, but never more than that).  Then there's the fact that she didn't want Richard, but now that he has someone else suddenly he's desirable?  Yeah, how's that working for her?  So Pamela is really going downhill in my eyes, in all areas.  

I also didn't like the fact that she was describing college professors;  the men are professional, as in wearing suits and ties, but the women all have grey hair, wear clothes that have no form and wear no makeup.  What college is this? 

Other than this, the plot was pretty decent, and even though I knew who the murderer was early on, it was still interesting to see how Pamela came to that conclusion.  However, I really began to wonder how inept the police in this town were a couple of books ago, because there's never any police presence - except at the initial murder scene.  We never see them question anyone; we get all our information secondhand through Bettina.  They're never on top of the case and they're never anywhere at all where there might be trouble.  What kind of police department is this?

So naturally, Pamela plays both detective and police department, getting the person to admit to her they committed the murder and then holding them until police arrive.  You'd think the police would be embarrassed by this, but since they take all the credit, they never are.   Well, you get my drift about this series, I hope..

This is my least favorite in the series, but since there's only one more to read, I will probably go ahead and do so, and see if the author has decided to allow Pamela to do laundry.

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

 

https://www.amazon.com/Knit-Living-Dead-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496723651/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3776394264

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...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

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/

Died in the Wool (A Knit & Nibble Mystery #2)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart

Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496713292

Kensington Publishing

253 Pages

$7.99; $1.99 Amazon

August 28, 2018

⭐⭐⭐

Pamela is ready to kick back and relax after a busy day selling stuffed aardvarks to benefit Arborville High School's sports program at the annual town festival.  But just as she's packing up, she makes a terrible discovery -- someone's stashed a body under the Knit and Nibble's table.  the victim is Randall Jefferson, a decidedly unpopular history teacher after his recent op-ed criticizing the school's sports program.  But the primary suspect has an alibi, and the only clue is a stuffed aardvark found on the victim's chest...Now the Knit and Nibblers must unravel the case quickly -- before a crafty killer repeats a deadly pattern.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson is a widow living in Arborville, and along with her friends, they've created the Knit & Nibble club, a group of knitters who create for both themselves and charity.  They've knitted a box of aardvarks, the high school mascot, and are selling them to benefit the school's sports program.  But when they're boxing up to leave, Pamela notices that two of the aardvarks are missing, and can't imagine where they've gone.

At least until she discovers a body under the table with an aardvark on his chest.  The victim is history teacher Randall Jefferson, an outspoken opponent of sports.  The main suspect is the football coach, but when he has an alibi, the knitters get involved because everyone is getting rid of their aardvarks thinking one of them killed the man.  So Pamela and her best friend Bettina, who works for a local newspaper, are on the case, trying to figure it all out.  But the killer might be closer than even Pamela can discover...

This started off as an interesting book, but then it started to get tedious.  Do we really need to know what Pamela eats every day?  Especially when it's the same thing?  We already know poor Catrina gets fed once or twice a day, which is crazy.  (Cats aren't dogs -- they won't eat every piece of food in their bowl until they roll over in pain.  When they're done eating, they walk away.  You can leave hard food in their bowl, and this is what I do for my fur babies.  I give them soft food in the morning for breakfast, and leave the hard food out all day.  Not a problem, then you don't have to keep mentioning when you feed your cat).

We also don't need to know Pamela's clothing choices, since she never wears anything but jeans.  There are endless descriptions of food, and what they're eating on (do we care it's wedding china?).  Do we care that sandwiches were served on "cream-colored oval plates?"  No, not really.  Who does this?  So unfortunately, because of the eternal descriptions of things that didn't matter (including everything that went into every recipe) I didn't enjoy this book as much as I should.

The ending felt rather rushed to me.  The killer was obvious from the beginning of the book, but of course it took Pamela longer to discover who it was.  When it was revealed, the answer of her figuring it out didn't really make any sense to me,  And there were questions left unanswered that I would really have liked to know.  I am going to hide them in a spoiler below so as not to ruin the book for those who have not read it:

First, why was the brother disinherited? What did Nell know that would have made the killer figure out she was next on the list? We never learned that, either. Yes, we knew that Nell knew about the brother (at the end) but we never heard why he was disinherited, and that would have been nice to know. That would have been a nice addition and completed the story. Was it because he didn't marry the killer's mother? What a stupid reason to be disinherited. But again, we never found out, and that was frustrating. Also, how long was the body under the table? Not long, since it hadn't started smelling, but it couldn't have been there overnight, so why didn't anyone notice the killing?

 

Other than that, the book was alright and I will read the next to see where the story line goes.  Hopefully, Pamela and her friends will concern themselves more with a mystery and less with what they're eating.

https://www.amazon.com/Died-Wool-Knit-Nibble-Mystery/dp/149671329X/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3742660594

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

Murder, She Knit (A Knit and Nibble Mystery #1)

Author:  Peggy Ehrhart
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496713278
Kensington Publishing
288 Pages
$7.99; $1.99 Amazon
March 27, 2018

⭐⭐⭐

Pamela is hosting the next Knit and Nibble meeting and can't wait to liven up her otherwise empty home with colorful yarn, baking, and a little harmless gossip.  She even recruits Amy Morgan, an old friend who recently moved to town, as the group's newest member.  But on the night of the gathering, Amy doesn't show.  Not until Pamela finds the woman dead outside - a knitting needle stabbed through the front of her handmade sweater...       

Someone committed murder before taking off with Amy's knitting bag, and Pamela realizes that only she can spot the deadly details hidden in mysterious skeins.  But when another murder occurs, naming the culprit - and living to spin the tale - will be more difficult than Pamela ever imagined...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Pamela Paterson is a widow who lives in a small town with a daughter in college and whose social life consists of a knitting group that meets once a week.  It's a varied group that includes both the wealthy and those not so much, but they all have one thing in common, and that's their knitting.

When Pamela is leaving the local co-op grocery she sees an old colleague of her late husband's who helped her get through her grieving, and invites her to join the group.  But Amy Morgan never shows up, and Pamela wonders what happened.  She doesn't have long to wait, as when she's searching for the small kitten she's been feeding outside, she comes across Amy - dead in the bushes, stabbed with a knitting needle.

Now Pamela is curious who wanted to kill Amy, and why.  And when there's another murder, she's convinced the two are connected, even though the police don't.  So it's up to Pamela and her friend Bettina to find the truth before someone else gets killed...

This book could have had so many possibilities, but wasted them.  It wasn't a bad book, not at all; but it missed opportunities and there were several things that bothered me.

First, I don't really approve of underage drinking.  Her daughter is eighteen, and Pamela has no problem giving her wine, because he daughter thinks since she's a college student it somehow makes it okay for her to do so.  Really?  Underage drinking is fine in Pamela's book?  It's not in mine.  Sorry, but I wouldn't give a teenager a drink any more than I'd hand a twelve-year-old my keys and tell them to take the car.

Secondly, Pamela was extremely rude to her neighbor, Richard Larkin.  She just decided that her friend Bettina was 'setting her up' so when he asked a couple of the neighbors in the day after Thanksgiving for an after-Thanksgiving dinner, she decided not to go because of it.  That's just so rude.  She doesn't want to have anything to do with him because after her husband has been dead five years, she's not ready to date.  Fine.  But to not go?  Not fine.

Then, where were the police in this story?  They were rarely in it at all, and only on the periphery.  It's as if they didn't care that people had died, they didn't give any indication they were investigating.  We were told they were asking questions, but we weren't made a part of those questions so we could figure out for ourselves who the murderer was by the responses.  In a mystery, the police shouldn't maybe be omnipresent, but they should at least be there.

But, in the end, it didn't matter.  I knew who the killer was almost immediately - and it was from a single paragraph spoken by one of the characters (and I'm not saying who it was) and it was pretty obvious and also the reason for the murder.

However, one fact did change in the book, and it has to do with the reason for the murder and also indicates what was said, so please do not read it if you haven't read the book:

The amount stolen was said as being $250,000, but at the end of the book it changed to $500,000. That's a pretty big difference and should have been caught by the editor. After all, I caught it. It's the details that count, people, and make all the difference in the book.

Other than that, I did like Catrina the cat, although Penny got on my nerves somewhat.  She seemed slightly self-centered, and trust me, not all teenagers are self-centered; Penny was concerned with what Penny wanted, and didn't even ask how her mother was doing living by herself.  She just didn't seem to care.  Pamela needs to socialize more than she does; go to dinner out once in a while, go somewhere other than the co-op.  When she's not investigating, she's a recluse.  She's also emotionless.  Did her emotions die when her husband did?  Because she never seemed happy nor excited nor anything, really.  Pamela is a pretty bland character.

All in all, while I knew who the killer was, it wasn't a bad book, and it had a decent plot.  It just could have been so much better.  I will read the next in the series in the hopes that it will improve.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-She-Knit-Nibble-Mystery/dp/1496713273/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2943880566

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