The Wedding Shawl

This was a great book. It had a lot more insight into the personal lives of the characters, with the mystery being a somewhat lesser thread throughout the book. The exploration of the history of Sea Harbor was also interesting, although my favorite portions of the book were those describing the many gatherings on the Endicott's deck, it made you wish you were there relaxing along with them! The mystery itself was a touch disappointing, and it will be interesting to see how the change in the cast of Sea Harbor characters will play out in future books in the series.

Izzy and Sam's wedding day is fast approaching. The ladies in the knitting group are making a wedding shawl for Izzy. A local hair stylist turns up dead, but it brings back memories of her best friend's death 15 years earlier. Are the two murders related? If so, was Andy, a friend of both women, the one who did it? Izzy and the others think not and set out to solve the unsolved murder of the past as well as Tiffany's recent one. I took too long of a break from the series so the characters don't seem like the friends they might have been if I'd continued the series back in the day.

In the fifth of the Seaside Knitters series the women are preparing for Izzy and Sam's wedding, to be held in Nell and Ben's garden, which is being given a face lift for the occasion. Meanwhile, Nell and her friends are knitting a shawl for Izzy to wear on her wedding day.

The planning is marred by the death of Tiffany Ciccolo, the stylist who was to do the hair and makeup for the women in the wedding party. Coincidentally, Tiffany's best friend in high school, Harmony Farrow, had been killed on their graduation night 15 years earlier, and the case had never been solved.

Another connection between the two deaths was Andy Risso whose high school girlfriend had been Harmony, and who had been also been seeing Tiffany. Tiffany was obviously show more more serious about Andy than he was about her, and they were seen publicly arguing the day before she was killed.

Andy had been the chief suspect for Harmony's death, but his involvement couldn't be proven, so the case was shelved. Now, he's the chief suspect in Tiffany's death. Nell, Birdie and Cass are certain that he's innocent, and are determined to prove it before the wedding so it won't cast a pall on the happy day.

The relationship between Nell and Birdie is wonderful. The women have known each other for so long that they can almost read each other's mind. And their friendship has grown to include Nell's niece Izzy and her friend Cass. The descriptions of their social gatherings are envy-inducing, as is the way their respective menfolk look after them.

The book is written in a matter-of-fact style that makes the reader feel as if s/he's conversing with the narrator. Be prepared to want to snack while reading this book: their many feasts are described in mouthwatering detail. show less

I have reached the end of the published novels in this series. This has been a lovely journey up to the wedding of Izzy and Sam. Goldenbaum writes a gentle mystery series set in coastal Massachusetts. This story involves a 15-year-old cold case involving the drowning of a young girl right before high school graduation. The dead girl's mother returns to Sea Harbor to sort through her feelings and her life. Then, the best friend of the drowned girl is murdered. Cass, Birdie, Nell, and Izzy must race to solve the murders and also prepare for the wedding. I would love to know many of the people in Sea Harbor. These are people who care and do everything possible to help a friend. The friendship involved when Cass, Birdie, and Nell work show more together to knit Izzy a breath taking wedding shawl. A bittersweet ending once the mystery is solved does not rain on the wedding. show less

This is the fith book in the Seaside Knitters series. Izzy Chambers left her legal career in Boston and moved to Sea Harbor, MA and opened a knitting yarn supply store in this quaint little village. Izzy had spent summers here with her aunt and uncle. Izzy's wedding is quickly approaching and the SeaSide Knitter are starting to put the final touches on a special wedding shawl that she will wear one her wedding day. Izzy Aunt Nell and long time friend, Birdie, are scheduled to talk with the hair stylist about what they would like done with their hair. The hair stylist misses the apppointment as is seen later that day at one of the local eateries. A couple days later she is found dead in her office at the hair salon. Thirteen years before show more this young ladies best friend had died in an unexplained drowning at a nearby quarry. Suspicion centers on Andy the boyfriend of the drowned girl. And the mother of the drowned girl show up back in town after being gone for most of the thirteen years since the drowning. Maybe she has come back to seek revenge. He was questioned about the drowning, but was never charged with causing her death. So the knitting group gets together to try and find the murderer, so that everyones mind can be on Izzy's wedding. The knitting group is comprised of a 30 something lobster fisherwoman, Birdie a spry 80 year old.

I really liked the story, the characters and setting. I may not have smelled the salt sea air, but I could really invision the surroundings as I read the book. show less

This is the fith book in the Seaside Knitters series. Izzy Chambers left her legal career in Boston and moved to Sea Harbor, MA and opened a knitting yarn supply store in this quaint little village. Izzy had spent summers here with her aunt and uncle. Izzy's wedding is quickly approaching and the SeaSide Knitter are starting to put the final touches on a special wedding shawl that she will wear one her wedding day. Izzy Aunt Nell and long time friend, Birdie, are scheduled to talk with the hair stylist about what they would like done with their hair. The hair stylist misses the apppointment as is seen later that day at one of the local eateries. A couple days later she is found dead in her office at the hair salon. Thirteen years before show more this young ladies best friend had died in an unexplained drowning at a nearby quarry. Suspicion centers on Andy the boyfriend of the drowned girl. And the mother of the drowned girl show up back in town after being gone for most of the thirteen years since the drowning. Maybe she has come back to seek revenge. He was questioned about the drowning, but was never charged with causing her death. So the knitting group gets together to try and find the murderer, so that everyones mind can be on Izzy's wedding. The knitting group is comprised of a 30 something lobster fisherwoman, Birdie a spry 80 year old.

I really liked the story, the characters and setting. I may not have smelled the salt sea air, but I could really invision the surroundings as I read the book.

Fred show less

Izzy Chambers and Sam Perry are planning their wedding in Aunt Nell and Uncle Ben's back yard. They have hired Claire to fix up the garden. Claire is a recent returnee to town having left when her daughter died suspiciously 15 years earlier. But Tiffany, the hairstylist seems to be having all the wedding problems, missing scheduled appointments. Then she was found dead and some think there are ties to the older case. So Izzy needs to get things solved before it ruins her wedding. As a side theme the Seaside Knitters group is creating a special shawl for Izzy for the wedding. Things are obviously resolved, and the shawl completed on time, so the wedding can be a beautiful celebration in the last chapter.