A MURDEROUS TANGLE is my first step into Ms. Goldenbaum’s world – and I will definitely be grabbing the two earlier titles that I missed to get caught up. There are a lot of characters in this story, yet I never felt lost and, in fact, soon became very comfortable with this small town, as well as its unique and at times quirky residents.

I loved the way this story played out at a comfortable pace, with some deep thinking, some emotions, and a lot of logical conclusions based on reality, not on the heat of the moment. There are red herrings and a few twists, turns and surprises – I expect that in a Cozy Mystery but I didn’t catch the bad guy until the reveal. Well, I don’t actually try to solve any mystery I’m more entertained by those twists and surprises along the journey. I love the friendships within this world, that is a huge part of what makes any story (for me) believable and relatable. In all, I had a really good time with A MURDEROUS TANGLE and would recommend this one to any reader who loves solving puzzles, small-town antics, real believable friendships and figuring out whodunit.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

A Murderous Tangle is the third book in the Seaside Knitters Mystery series.

This book introduces a new character Tess Bean. Tess in on the staff at the veterinary clinic and a part-time environmental science teacher. She has been able to get some of the students involved in cleaning up the shoreline and passing out literature to educate residents on how to save the environment.

When the body of the owner of the Harbor Club bar, Bobby Abbott, is found near his bar Izzy, Nell, Cass, and Birdie set their sight on finding who wanted Bobbie out of the picture. As they begin to think through possible suspects they find that some of their friends are quickly added to the list. Even Tess becomes a suspect as she was seen having a heated argument with Bobby.

Whether the Seaside Knitters are having a quiet supper at Nell’s or working on their knitting at Izzy’s store they will put all their effort into finding the killer.

The book is well-written and plotted with an interesting cast of characters. Once again the author writes a heart-warming story with people I would love to have as friends.
A knitting pattern and delicious recipes are also included in the book.

I am most interested in reading the next book in this delightful series.

This is the 3rd in this beloved series and I have loved the entire series. I love returning to vibrant picturesque Sea Harbor home of the Seaside Knitters club and all the wonderful charcters. The author has created a charming series that offers a well crafted sleuth, fun knitting and endearing charcters that we cozy readers adore. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

In the 3rd in series Christmas is fast approaching and the Seaside Knitters are preparing their crafts for Xmas. Little do they know that they are soon going to be investigating another murder !
Birdie’s granddaughter, Gabby, witnesses a argument between her science teacher Tess Bean and Harbor Club owner Bobby Abbott. When Bobby is found murdered a few days later Birdie is concerned and with the help of her favorite knitters she begins to ask questions around the village among the many unique charcters that make up the seaside village community.. She soon finds out the victim had been trying to shut a favorite local business of hers down and had contentious relationships with several people in town he was pressuring to sell. Their beloved cafe owner friend Tess was seen pushing the victim in the ocean in a dispute over his polluting the ocean and she is soon suspected by the police. Birdie is sure she is innocent and dives into this investigation much to the chagrin of the local police. With the help of her friends and neighbors Birdie is soon to piece together the right clues for the local police and solve the case. A savvy smart protagonist she is likable to readers, realistic and friendly . As the mystery deepens many clues abound and Birdie knows she is so close to figuring out who committed murder and why.

This was such a fun read and a excellent well crafted mystery to a pleasing conclusion. I love the setting, the beloved long time charcters and the introduction of a few new characters that are likable and fit right into the mystery. I love the theme here of ocean pollution and the author did a outstanding job of highlighting the need to recycle and not pollute our beaches.

This is a winning cozy mystery series and this 3rd in series is a winner ! The perfect mystery, great charcters and a wonderful seaside setting that every cozy reader will love. I look forward to the next in series.

Coastal New England Cozy Mystery
This is a very good cozy mystery. Set in a small coastal New England town, the story centers around a group of knitters. The plot is excellent. The reader becomes fully invested in the characters. There are many suspects and the reader wants none of them to be guilty. I always enjoy this author's books. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

I do enjoy these ladies. Their spouses are pretty special too. Everyone should be so lucky to have a group like this to call their own. I loved the story line, especially the little surprises thrown in here and there. This story talks about and offers suggestions about our environment, which we should all be taking better care of. I love the relationship between Gabby and Birdie. Who wouldn’t want that with their grandchild? I wish Tess could come and work some of her magic on me. This was an interesting and entertaining story and I hope you’ll check it out. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

This is the first book I've read in the Seaside Knitters Society mystery series and I have to admit to feeling a bit confused on occasion as to who all the characters were but I was able to follow along for the most part. I thought the storyline was interesting with a few good red herrings but it was a little slow in a places. I did enjoy the book overall and plan to check out the other books in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

I came to this series late and have been enjoying playing catch up. As soon as I met the wonderful characters in this series, I knew I had found another author to follow - if she writes it, I will read it and enjoy it.
Christmas is just around the corner and there are crimes to solve before the celebrations begin. Bobby Abbott has been murdered and the town of Sea Harbor is seeing a string of thefts. Are the two things connected? Tess Bean had an argument with Bobby over climate change and Tess is sitting at the top of the list of suspects. Birdie, Cass, Izzy and Nell are certain that Tess isn't the killer so they do what they have done before - they investigate. Touching on current world issues as well as topics close to heart and home, this mystery has some sadness and a whole lot of love. The best word, I think, is heartwarming.
Spending time with the residents of Sea Harbor is time well spent. I'm still working my way through the list, savoring each one, so I don't know their full back story but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of this entry. Sally Goldenbaum provides a very complete list of characters to help keep people straight. It's nice to have a list but I found I didn't need to refer to it very often. Don't hesitate to jump into this series at any point, your welcome will be a warm one.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishers for the advanced readers copy. I very much enjoyed A Murderous Tangle. This is the third book in the Seaside Knitter's Society series. It is the first book I read in the series. As soon as I can, I will be reading more of the series.
Sally Goldenbaum has created a lovely village setting in Sea Harbour, Massachusetts. I would love to be able to live there or at least visit myself. She describe the sea, the beach, the forest, seafood, and the fishing industry so well.
In this book, the focus is on the village preparing for Christmas. The Knitter's Society consisting of Birdie, Nell, Cass, and Izzy are preparing to celebrate a hyyge event in the knitting store owned by Izzy. A newcomer in town, Tess Bean, is a young teacher with an environmental bent. She falls under suspicion when a local bar owner, who can be a bit smarmy, is killed.
Izzy, Cass, Nell, and Birdie work together finding the different threads that lead towards the discovery of the killer. The author portrays the women as working in parallel to the police, not competing with them. I also loved have older than normal amateur sleuths.
I highly recommend this series.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Climate change is real and environmental activist Tess Bean hopes to get the folks of Seaside Harbor to get on board with her ideas. Birdie’s granddaughter, Gabby is all-in on the efforts but Harbor Club owner Bobby Abbott is not a fan of Tess or her efforts. When Bobby is found dead on the beach below the bar’s deck Tess becomes suspect numero uno. Birdie, Nell, Cass, and Izzy learn their friend Gracie, owner of Easy Lobster and Soup Café is also on the suspect list.

The Seaside Knitters are also planning a Holiday event giving them time to gather and ponder other suspects as they try to get a murderer behind bars before the Christmas Bells ring. The knitters are also concerned about some thefts the local shop owners are dealing with. They don’t think the thefts are connected to the murder, but you never know, they could be.

___

The Seaside Knitters, their spouses, children, and friends gather together regularly for food and fellowship, but sometimes their dinners are focused on the latest local murder. In this small town, where everyone knows everyone, it is hard not to get involved. Let’s face it, they do have an excellent track record. With Gabby so involved with Tess and Gracie a suspect, they have no choice but to do some investigating of their own.

I have enjoyed this series from the beginning. The cast of characters is large but the author gives new readers a list at the beginning of the book to assist them in getting to know how everyone fits together. I love these characters and frankly, I would read their stories even if there wasn’t a murder mystery included. They have become old friends. I can easily picture myself pulling up a chair and knitting right along with them, discussing all the events of the day around town and in their home lives. I would also love to be invited to the Friday night dinners at Ben and Nell’s. This tight-knit group is what makes this series great.

Even though I said it was unnecessary, Ms. Goldenbaum always writes an intriguing mystery and I love that she focuses on a hot topic in the world today. Tess is passionate about her cause but would she kill someone? Would Gracie? There are plenty of clues, twists, and turns to untangle. The group works together to ferret out the answers needed and it is fun to follow them each and every step of the way. I have come to believe that following complex knitting patterns gives these women the brainpower and the temperament needed to solve these mysteries. I didn’t even come close.

Even in the winter Sea Harbor sounds like a wonderful place. There is always something happening. Heck, picking up garbage on the beach even sounds like fun as long as there are no dead bodies 😀

One little thing that really tugged on my heart is that Izzy is dealing with an elderly dog. I have two border collies that are 16 years young but are dealing with the aches and pains of aging too. Izzy meets Tess when she takes her dog to the vet. Tess basically takes over the visit meeting Izzy at her car, carries the dog in, sets the dog down and immediately starts massaging the dog in an amazing and soothing way. You could tell the dog enjoyed the treatment and felt better after. Most humans love their aching muscles massaged so why wouldn’t dogs.

This is another spectacular book from Sally Goldenbaum. The author’s descriptive writing style draws the reader in for a story that unfolds at a comfortable pace. A Murderous Tangle is a mystery filled with cozy characters in a charming small town that will have you a little sad when it ends and anxious for your next visit.

I don't know how she does it, but this author always manages to come up with just the perfect knitting situations to create the perfect cozy atmosphere in this series. I've really grown to love all these main characters, and yes, even though there are a lot of them, I don't get confused. I wasn't sure what to think about their new friend Tess at first, but she eventually fit in with the group.

I eventually guessed who the killer was, and that's another thing I've liked about this series in what I've read. Maybe it's what makes it so peaceful and leaves me thinking about the characters, but it's a nice break sometimes not to have a main character have a dangerous standoff with the killer. Sometimes the killer is even one of their own and not normally a bad person. I absolutely loved the last scene in the book! It was the perfect cozy Christmas!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

I love this series and this is an excellent addition.
It was engrossing and entertaining and it kept me guessing till the end.
I was happy to meet again the fleshed out cast of characters and visit the lovely setting.
The mystery was solid, full of twists and turns.
A very entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Christmas is coming to Sea Harbor, and Nell and her friends are looking forward to it in their cozy small town. Birdies granddaughter and her school mates have a new environmental teacher who has gotten the girls to enthusiastically promote the message of the need to care for the ocean. A shadow is thrown over it all when a bar owner, new to town and abrasive to some, is murdered. With friends old and new falling under suspicion Nell and her friends decide they need to help solve the murder to bring a sense of peace back to their town.
What I enjoyed is that they do so by talking to people and observing actions, this is not a mystery where you are left wondering why a character walks into danger to confront a murderer, risking their lives. By the end of the book I was ready to pack up my bags, move to Sea Harbor and take up knitting so I could join this group of intelligent, caring women, I can only wish it really existed.
I read this advanced readers copy from Netgalley, and this positive review is my own, honest review.

Fans of this series set in the coastal community of Sea Harbor will love this new addition.
The seaside knitters work on solving the murder of a local man as well as taking care of younger children such as adventurous Gabby and older family members.
Contemporary themes of eco-concerns and the anti-plastic campaigns are woven into the theme of community and shared concerns.

Birdie's granddaughter Gabby is living with her in Sea Harbor. Gabby is very fond of her new science teacher, Tess, who is teaching them about taking care of the environment. A local bar owner, Bobby Abbott is known to throw things into the ocean from his porch, and his workers put cigarettes and other non recyclable objects into the recycle bins of their neighbor, Gracie's Lobster cafe. Gabby had seen Tess push Bobby into the ocean, so when Bobby is found murdered, she is very worried about Tess.

The Seaside Knitters including Birdie, Cass (a lobster woman), Nell, and Izzie need to figure out who the murderer is in order to save Tess from suspicion and/or arrest. The knitters are also being plagued by small thefts from the shops on Harbor Road. When they finally get some clues and put their heads together, both the thefts and the murder are solved by the knitters (they are NOT the same person).

At the end of the book there is a recipe and a pattern for a lovely cowl.

This is a lovely hug of a book. Admittedly it has a murder at its centre but its heart is all about family, friendship and being there for people.

Birdie, Nell, Cass, and Izzy, are looking forward to the festivities of Christmas when a body is found near one of their favourite restaurants, owned by Gracie, another member of their small group of friends.

The murder is only one thread in this book although the others all, in some way, lead to or from it. The relationships between the main characters, their spouses and family members would be confusing, at least to begin with, if the very welcome cast list at the beginning was missing but there are no unnecessary characters included. The various storylines are, of necessity, similar because they all happen in the same location but also as varied as life in every small town is.

I love Sally Goldenbaum's storytelling and ability to paint pictures of confident, successful, family minded and/or career oriented women in small town environments. Done so successfully in her Crestwood Quilters series these qualities and the evolving friendships seem deeper, stronger and somehow more up to date this time around. As for the murder I didn't solve it before the reveal but it was satisfyingly fitting as the main reason for everything that happened without taking away from the comfy caring side of life shown with such aplomb.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books set in small town environments especially with a positive message and a mystery to solve.

The knitters are sure that Gracie didn't kill Bobby the bar owner, even though he has been pressuring her to sell her own restaurant so that he can expand. They're also pretty sure Tess, the new teacher and environmentalist in town didn't do it either. Birdie has been a little way of Tess, who has fully engaged the imagination and admiration of her grand daughter Gabby but that doesn't mean anything once the team swings into action to find the real killer. Sea Harbor, like so many small towns, has a lot of secrets and they come out as the knitters investigate. I don't know how I've missed this series (it's right up my alley what with the knitting and the setting) but I was fine with it as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a classic cozy and a good read.

Birdie, Cass, Nell, and Izzy are a group of colorful characters in this engaging cozy mystery. They belong to a group called the Seaside Knitters. They're trying to get organized for a special event they are going to put on with a Danish theme.
Also in town is an environmental activist, who is trying to help keep the ocean and beaches clean
When a man is killed they try to figure out how and why? The murderer shocked me. I need to read more of this series

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Goldenbaum has done it again! She has written a mystery that will tantalize you from beginning to the end. Jump on board for the book everyone will talking about. Enjoy!

Mysteriously odd thefts, murder and intrigue are all central themes in this installment of the Seaside Knitters series. If you haven't read any of the series, I would highly recommend starting at the beginning to get the full enjoyment of the series and to get to know the characters so well that they will feel like old friends. However, it isn't absolutely necessary to enjoy this book as it is well written and stands on it's own very well, but you would be missing out on a lot of enjoyable stories! This book addresses some very sad everyday issues in an interesting and heartwarming manner while also wrapping an intriguing murder plot into the story. You will enjoy the book while ending with a sense of anticipation for the next book to come out or at least I did! I can't wait to see what happens in the lives of these friends in the next book!

Birdie, Nell, Izzy and Cass are at it again as the Seaside knitters are getting ready to display their holiday ware for a gathering coming up. This is the 3rd in the knitters society series. Birdie’s granddaughter Gabby has become enamored of her new teacher and environmental activist Tess Bean. Tess is getting students involved to work to clean up the ocean and beaches. Birdie is a little concerned about her influence on Gabby so she and the knitters get to know her. Tess is also questioning the “clean” practices of the local business owners. Gabby witnesses a heated argument between Tess and local bar owner Bobby Abbott and when he winds up dead Tess becomes a suspect. The knitters friend Gracie (owner of a local café they like to go to) is also a prime suspect as Bobby was pushing to expand and pressure Gracie to sell. There is so much going on with the murder and thefts that the knitters jump in to solve this and protect their community in time for the upcoming holidays. This is an enjoyable and fast paced read.