ASIN: B00FFFN7UK
ISBN-13: 978-0451415363
Publisher: Penguin Group
Line: Obsidian
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Pages: 320
Digital Retail: 24.95
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Genre: Mystery
Rating:
It’s autumn in Sea Harbor, and as the tourists leave, a mysterious guest arrives. When she’s implicated in a crime, the Seaside Knitters must quickly table their knitting project and search out a motif for murder.
Fall is usually a relaxing time in Sea Harbor, but it’s turning out to be a busy season for Izzy Chambers Perry. Not only is she helping the Seaside Knitters make a magnificent throw to celebrate the fortieth wedding anniversary of her aunt and uncle, but she and her husband are finally selling the cottage she lived in before she got married and had a darling baby girl. To Izzy’s surprise, newcomer Julia Ainsley seems determined to buy the home—although she’s never set foot inside.
But on the day of the open house, things take a dark turn. A body is uncovered in the cottage’s backyard. When the police find Julia’s name and phone number in the victim’s pocket, this slender thread of evidence makes her a person of interest. Soon the spotlight of suspicion widens to include old friends and town leaders as a tragic happening, long buried in the sleepy seaside town, is slowly brought to the surface.
Before the joyful anniversary celebration can be realized, the Seaside Knitters must work to unravel the real reason Julia Ainsley has come to their town—and the tangled and troubled ties from the past that bind friends and townsfolk together.
Review
For fans of: Elizabeth Lynn Casey
When Julia “Jules” Ainsley arrives in Sea Harbor, the Seaside Knitters don’t quite know what to make of her; she’s pretty, energetic, and seems intent on befriending the entire town. But while the woman’s eager to get to know others, she’s remarkably cagey about her own life. Where did she come from, what brought her to Sea Harbor, and how long does she intend to stay?
The third question’s answered when Jules makes an all-cash, over-the-asking-price offer on a rundown cottage, but that only leads to more questions – particularly when a local man’s stabbed to death on the grounds and it does nothing to lessen her interest. Why is she so intent on purchasing this particular piece of property? Did she have anything to do with the murder? Is she a friend or a foe? The Seaside Knitters are determined to solve the mystery that is Julia Ainsley – even if it kills them.
Murder in Merino is the eighth of Sally Goldenbaum’s Seaside Knitters Mysteries. Goldenbaum’s latest is more than just an intricately plotted murder mystery, full of viable suspects, clever clues, and expertly deployed red herrings – it’s also a story about the power of friendship and what it means to find one’s place in the world. It’s a story about secrets – ones that bind people together, and ones that tear them apart. And it’s a story about love – love that’s old, love that’s new, love that’s steadfast, and love that’s star-crossed.
The pace may be careful and unhurried, but the plot’s no less interesting for it, and I think Goldenbaum deserves a huge amount of credit for bucking the cozy trend and not treating murder like a punch line. The Seaside Knitters Mysteries are very character-driven tales, and Sea Harbor is a small, closely knit community, so when someone in one of Goldenbaum’s books dies, their absence is keenly felt, lending the story depth and weight.
I don’t think this is Goldenbaum’s best work; the prose is a tad overwrought and the narration borders on melodramatic, making it difficult to get into the flow of the story. The Seaside Knitters Mysteries arestill among my very favorite fictional vacation destinations, though. Goldenbaum’s protagonist, Nell Endicott, lives in a beautiful house in a gorgeous little coastal New England town and spends most of her time knitting and eating wonderful food in the company of close friends and family; who wouldn’t want to while away a rainy afternoon in an idyllic existence like that?
Reviewed by Kat