A Stitch before Dying by Anne Canadeo Cozy of the Month

A Stitch before Dying by Anne Canadeo

From Amazon.com
Stitching it together . . .


The Black Sheep Knitters: a fivesome with a knack for knitting—and for solving crimes.

When Maggie Messina, owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is invited to give knitting workshops at a Berkshires spa resort, she manages to negotiate a cottage that fits all five of the Black Sheep for what promises to be a weekend of knitting bliss. But while the friends are expert at counting stitches, they haven’t counted on murder.

Guests and staff at the Crystal Lake Inn are as varied as a mixed bag of yarn, but most colorful is certainly the owner, charismatic self-help guru and former psychiatrist Dr. Max Flemming. The doctor may have told all in a revealing autobiography, but from his ex-wife to the widow of his former business partner—both employees at the inn—Max seems mired in shad­ows from his past. And when a killer strikes during a mountaintop retreat, the Black Sheep wonder what the good doctor might be hiding.

The police seem to be following the wrong thread. But while Maggie’s workshops have given the knitters a unique view of the tensions at the little inn, can they make sense of a crime that is as complexly stranded as a Fair Isle sweater? When the killer murders a second time, the Black Sheep won­der if they’ve dropped a stitch and put themselves in mortal danger. . . .


My Take:
This is the third book in the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Series.  But you definately don't need to read the others to enjoy this book.  Although there is reference to the other books it doesn't distract fom this one.  You will probably want to read the other books though.  I, myself have already bought the first in this series to read.

Maggie is the main character but the other members of this knitting club each has their own voice.  Maggie is offered a job teaching knitting workshops at a New Age getaway and has asked her fellow friends to come along with her for the weekend.  She is to teach such classes as Random Knitting (knitting without a pattern).  They also offer spa treatments and other New Age workshops.

One of the programs is a trip to the top of the Mountain for an overnight session to see the stars.  Lead my the owner Dr. Max Fleming the tranquil retreat turns deadly when one of the participants is found dead in their sleeping module the next day.

There are plenty of people who would like to see Crystal Lake to fail so the suspect list is quite long.

This charming cozy kept me guessing to the very end and I didn't know who did it till the very end.

Great Book!!

I was sent a review copy from Gallery Books.