A Fatal Fleece (Seaside Knitters Mysteries) [Hardcover]

There's someone new in Sea Harbor!! Gabby is a granddaughter Birdie didn't know she had. Joe Marietti found out about his son shortly before he died but knew nothing about Gabby. Her great-uncle Nick has brought her to Sea Harbor for a visit. She is a very intuitive little lady and quickly makes friends with almost the entire town. She even starts a new trend.

Gabby makes friends with Finnegan, an old fisherman that has become quite a recluse since his wife passed away. Before Gabby he was only close to lobsterwoman Cass Halloran and her mom. Cass tried to brighten up his life and wardrobe by making him a bright yellow fleece vest. He loved it. The property he owns has become quite the scene of disrepair and many people are trying to get him to sell it. He has refused all offers.

The whole town is in shock when Cass finds the old man dead. She immediately becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Her friends know Cass would never hurt a soul. Now they just have to prove it. It may not be easy because they have a ten year old who wants to help and they all need to keep her safe.

Dollycas's Thoughts

The friendships that bind the people of Sea Harbor together are what makes reading this story and the rest of this series pure pleasure. They stick together in good times and bad, have each others back, and get together each and every week for dinner, discussion, and dissection of the current crime that needs to be solved.

Finnegan was not part of the core group of characters that got together for the weekly feast, (yes they are feasts, these people cook up some scrumptious food,) but I quickly felt for him as he was grieving all that he had lost. Gabby reaching out to him was so perfect. It is amazing how kids can do things adults just can't do.

Part of the charm of the Seaside Knitters Mysteries is the setting of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts and the way Sally describes it perfectly. The pictures are so clear in your mind that you feel like you are walking down the streets, pulling weeds in the garden, sitting in Izzy's yarn studio knitting or crocheting your latest project, or enjoying a glass of wine with some friends.

You do not need to be a knitter or even the least bit crafty to enjoy these mysteries. The plots are riveting, the characters are real and the setting is rich. I enjoy each trip to Sea Harbor and know you will too!

In Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, the Seaside Knitters (Nell Endicott, Birdie Favazza and Cass Halloran) and the Seaside Knitting Studio owner Izzy Perry are close knit friends. Birdie's kind-hearted brother-in-law Nicholas Marietti (younger sibling to her late husband Joseph) arrives in town. He takes Birdie with him to meet a female he brought with him.

The next day Izzy, her Aunt Nell and Cass meet at the store where a ten years old girl Gabby asks all sorts of questions when her grandma Birdie arrives. Gabby's grandfather was Joseph who was unaware he had a love child. Gabby becomes friends with everyone even misanthropic fisherman, Finn who refuses to sell or keep his property up to the standard the council demands. When Cass finds his corpse, she becomes the prime suspect so the Seaside Knitters including the precious newest member Gabby investigate.

This regional Seaside Knitters amateur sleuth (see A Holiday Yarn and The Wedding Shawl) is a fun whodunit starring intrepid females. Gabby adds freshness to the mix though her extroverted trusting nature seems out of place for someone growing up near Central Park. The rotating perspective of the key cast enhances an engaging cozy as a precocious tweener brings New York shtick to Massachusetts.

Harriet Klausner

This mystery series has several strong points: it has a lovely seaside setting, a group of friends of different ages all of whom have an interest in knitting, and a cast of both male and female characters who help each other and enjoy lots of time in pleasant company. Since I've read the other books in the series, I found it easy to come back to the familiar characters, but if you're starting off on the series with this one, or with any of the others, be prepared for a large cast. There is a list at the beginning of the book of over 30 characters, not counting some of the spouses, which is quite daunting.

I thought the best book in this series was Patterns in the Sand. The others, including this one, I thought were quite OK, but the plot moves slowly. This one dragged throughout the last third of the book.

Read this one when you're on vacation--perhaps at the seashore, at the cottage, or otherwise taking it easy. The characters in the book seem to do nothing but meet each other at restaurants, have potluck dinners, and drink. Of course this is a good way to gossip and exchange clues, but still...this aspect seems a little overdone. As for knitting and needlework mysteries, those by Maggie Sefton and Anne Canadeo probably have tighter plots, but this one does have the lovely seaside setting.