Book Review: Died in the Wool by Peggy Ehrhart

Pamela Paterson and her Knit and Nibble knitting club are selling stuffed aardvarks at the annual town festival to help raise money for Arborville, New Jersey’s High School’s sports program. But just as she’s packing up, she makes a shocking discovery—someone’s stashed a dead body under their display table. 

The victim is Randall Jefferson, a history teacher who has been decidedly unpopular since 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. [summary via Amazon]

THEME: Knitting. The series centres around the "Aborville Knit and Nibble Knitting group.

CRIME:  History teacher, Randall Jefferson, is murdered. He has been very vocal in his opposition to the high school athletic program. However, it seems more people outside of the school had a "beef" with him. 

DENOUEMENT: This is only the second book I've read in this series, but I really like how the mystery unravels. Friends and Knit & Nibblers, Pamela and Bettina, team up to go "snooping" and I like how they collect the clues and solve the mystery!

FURRY SIDEKICK: Catrina, is the adorable feline that Pamela adopted in the first book. She's joined by Woofus, Bettina's dog, and its fun to watch them romp through the pages.

ROMANCE: Is there something starting with Pamela's neighbour, Richard Larkin? Oh I hope so!

MY VERDICT: Being a knitter, I really like this series! The author includes a "knit and a nibble" at the end of the book, and I like checking out the knitting pattern after the mystery. Although, I do wish she included the aardvark pattern, because they are so cute! Died in the Wool was a really fun addition to the series, and I will definitely be continuing on!

Book Review: Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart

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 . . .[summary via Amazon]

Being not just a knitter, but also a indie dyer of self-striping yarn, I absolutely love reading cozy mysteries that centre around a knitting group. It was with absolute delight that I picked up this new-to-me series, and I found not just a great mystery, but a delightful knitting group that I can't wait to visit with again!

Pamela Paterson is hosting her regular knitting group, Knit & Nibble, when she discovers the body of a long-time friend outside her house! Pamela feels compelled to investigate the crime, especially as Amy Morgan was not just a great friend to her, but also because she is a fellow knitter! As clues unravel, Pamela can't help but wonder if the crime relates to a mystery skein of yarn that Amy had in her possession! Together with her knitting group, Pamela must put all her best detecting skills to work to solve the crime!!

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. Pamela is a smart, intelligent sleuth, with a really interesting job - she works at home for a fibre-related magazine. As a knitter I found her job really intriguing, and I love the way the fibre is woven into each storyline of this book. This is something that I think fibre-lovers will appreciate immensely!

The mystery was very detailed, and I found myself grasping for clues, and trying to solve it before Pamela, but not succeeding. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, as it unfolded.

Murder, She Knit is a fabulous beginning to what looks like a great series, and I can't wait to visit with Pamela and her friends again!