A Knit Before Dying

A Knit Before Dying

by Sadie Hartwell

NYC fashion designer Josie is settling into her new life in rural Connecticut as the owner of a yarn shop and landlord. Hopefully, her new tenant, an antiques dealer, will help bring some life to the sleepy downtown. However, when an unexpected death calls up memories of a unsolved missing persons case, yarn is the last thing on her mind.

It will be difficult for me to review this book without giving away too many spoilers, but I will try. While the first chapter helps set up the scene, it almost wasn't enough to engage me enough to keep reading. Honestly, if I weren't reading this for a Book Bingo square, I might not have continued past that first chapter.

As the book continued, I did grow more interested in the story. However, it felt as if the main character was a little too focused on the cold case than the current mystery. Her obsession made me think early on that the two might be connected.

There were also several places that felt heavy on the narrative. This was especially evident in areas where information was repeated or situations were summarized when I would have liked to have seen them occur.

When the current mystery's whodunit is revealed, it felt a little too easy. However, as I continued reading, I realized this might have been intentional based on the information I learned about the cold case.

The ending felt incomplete. (view spoiler)[Although the cold case was solved, I would have liked to know if they actually found the body. (hide spoiler)]

Despite all these criticisms, however, I did find the story satisfying and engaging and look forward to reading more in this series. Overall, I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.