How to Knit a Murder

Another easy read that keeps the murder from upsetting you, but makes you feel the sorrow in the lives of the characters touched. Goodreads: A mysterious woman arrives in picturesque Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, and the Seaside Knitters welcome her into their cozy world of intricate patterns and colorful skeins. Unfortunately, nothing frays a warm introduction like cold-blooded murder . . . With her shy manner and baggy jeans, Rose Chopra becomes an unlikely superhero the night she stumbles into Izzy Perry?s shop and inadvertently saves a shipment of yarn from water damage. When the Seaside Knitters help the enigmatic handywoman settle into town and find work at a popular real estate company, Rose proves she can fix just about show more anything¥until a potential homebuyer is killed and she becomes entangled in murder . . . The moment controversial entrepreneur Spencer Paxton is found dead in a pricey ocean-side house, accusations fly at the last person on the propertyÂ¥Rose. But the Seaside Knitters have their doubts. After all, Spencer?s political aspirations as well as his company?s plans to pave over Sea Harbor?s historic art district with luxury apartments earned him some very real enemies . . . Now, Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must swap knitting for sleuthing as they struggle to move the needle on a twisted homicide case causing turmoil across town. As tensions build in the sleepy New England community and Rose?s secret past unravels, the ladies face an unsettling realizationÂ¥true victims aren?t always the ones buried six feet under . . . show less

How to Knit a Murder by Sally Goldenbaum takes us to Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. Rose Chopra has returned to town to heal after the death of her mother. Rose is admiring the display in The Seaside Knitting Studio when Bree McIntosh draws her inside. Rose saves a new shipment of yarn from water damage and then proceeds to fix the leak for Izzy Perry. When Izzy learns that Rose is staying at a run down boardinghouse, she invites her to live in the apartment above the shop. Stella Palazola, a local realtor, offers Rose a job as the fix-it person for her listings. Spencer Paxton III has been making enemies with his plans to destroy Sea Harbor’s historic district and his political aspirations. Spencer wishes to purchase a home that he show more father tried to acquire many years ago. That listing needs some dry wall repaired from squirrel damage and it is Rose’s first job with Stella. When Spencer is found dead inside the home, fingers point at Rose since she was the last person known to have been on the property. The Seaside Knitters rally round Rose and begin exploring Spencer’s murder. They have no shortage of suspects including Mayor Scaglia. Can the group stitch together the clues to reveal the killer?

How to Knit a Murder is part of A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series. If you have not read any of the previous twelve books in the series, I do not recommend starting with How to Knit a Murder (it would be confusing for new readers). While I enjoyed the earlier books in this series, I was not drawn into this one. I found the pace to be slow (the book dragged for me) with the murder not occurring until I was 39% through the book. By the time Spencer was found dead, I already knew the killers’ identity (plus I knew Spencer would be the one to die). There was little investigating by the knitting group (they did discuss the case). There are many cozy moments in the story with the group enjoying their Thursday night get togethers, chatting, eating, and knitting. I liked the reference to Grey’s Anatomy made by Mae. Bullying and its devastating effects are addressed in How to Knit a Murder. There is a knitting pattern for a slouchy cardigan at the end. How to Knit a Murder does contain all our favorite knitters plus the new addition of Rose with a quaint small town (good basis for a cozy). The characters are well-developed, but there are a number of them. It can be hard to keep them all straight. I like the charming town of Sea Harbor with the various artistic characters (creative bunch of people) and the charming knitting shop (I wish we had one in my town). I would, though, like the author needs to focus on the mystery element (make the story less predictable). The author needs to deviate from her formula and provide a complex mystery with active investigating (less eating). I hope Sally Goldenbaum ups her game in the next installment in A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series. I am giving How to Knit a Murder 3 out of 5 stars. show less

3.5 stars

How to knit a murder is a story that's told from so many point of views that made me wonder, how I was able to remember half of the characters in it. I know it's book #13 in the series, but I couldn't resist the cover and I just wanted to read it. I didn't like two things about it though. The first thing was the multiple POV's because I kept losing track of them and it took me a while to fully grasp who was who. The second thing is the murder I was promised. The dead person is very much alive for half the book and the mystery was too short. I did like the reveal though, even if it were a little sad. I do not recommend to read this book as stand-alone. These characters have formed relationships over the past books that I feel show more like the reader needs to see herself. I did enjoy some of the parts of this book and that's why it gets 3.5 stars from me. I read it in one sitting and it was pleasant to read which is the reason why I am rounding the stars to 4 instead of three. show less

The Seaside Knitters series by Sally Goldenbaum delights the reader with the wonderful food and enduring friendships. Goldenbaum knits a fantastic tale with the seasonal splendor transporting the reader to the beauty of Massachusetts. I adore the friendship and loyalty of this small coastal community, and the sense that every citizen actively works and very few individuals do nothing. The murder of a Spencer Paxton creates ridges of the past to explore in order to find the killer. Goldenbaum plunges into school bullying and the effects of this bullying, and wonders if this explains Paxton’s death. In the past, school bullying attracted too little attention, but now the situation screams in the newspapers, as student bring guns to show more settle bullying. Sally Goldenbaum’s How to Knit a Murder, reads quickly but gives a pleasant diversion. show less

Sometimes you just need to read a cozy mystery set in a quaint seaside town full of characters you feel you know. But don’t be fooled, this is a twisted contemporary story of murder and long buried secrets set around an artist community in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. I enjoyed reading this book through the holidays, and didn’t realize until I finished that it was part of a series. Now I can look up the earlier tales in the Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series. Bonus: if you knit there is a pattern included. 4 stars

I enjoyed this book. This is the first of Sally Goldenbaum's books I have read, but I really liked the characters, the setting, and the mystery itself. When a man is killed in a mansion he has just bought, there are plenty of suspects. A teenaged bully, the victim grew up to be just as unlikeable as he was as a teen. The knitters managed to unravel the mystery though. I look forward to reading more in this series.

How To Knit A Murder is the thirteenth book in the A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series.

I always enjoy visiting Sea Harbor and visit with Izzy Perry and her fellow knitters and friends.

Rose Chopra has returned to Sea Harbor to hopefully rid her mind of the terrible experiences she had growing up in Sea Harbor. As she is entering Seaside Knitting studio owner, Izzy Perry, is asking her assistant, Mae, for help locating a plumber as there is a pipe leaking in the storeroom. Rose quickly replied that she wasn’t a plumber, but experience as a fixer-upper and would be happy to try to repair the leak. Once the leak was repaired and Izzy learns where Rose is staying she offers her the apartment above her studio. Then, Stella Palazola, show more who works at he uncles real estate office next door to Izzy’s, hires her to do minor repairs to houses that they have on the market.

Spencer Paxton III meanwhile has his mind set on acquiring the home of deceased Anthony Bianchi. Paxton has a reputation of being bully since his high school days and will do whatever it takes to acquire the Bianchi property. Rose has been given the job to make repairs to the property to ready it for the market. One morning Paxton is found dead on the third floor of the house. Since Rose had been working in the room that Paxton’s body was found and becomes the prime suspect. Even though Rose doesn’t want to share much about her past, Izzy and her friends from the studio don’t believe she killed Paxton and set off to find the killer and clear Rose’s name. It soon becomes apparent that are several other suspects for the Seaside Knitters Society.

This a well-written and plotted story with a very interesting cast of characters. I would love to live in Sea Harbor and visit with them on a daily basis.

A pattern for a Slouchy Cardigan is also included with the book.

I will definitely be watching for the next book in this enjoyable series. show less