Member Review

On Skein of Death by Allie Pleiter is the debut of A Riverbank Knitting Mystery series. Libby Beckett is newly divorced and has taken her settlement to fulfil her dream of opening Y.A.R.N. Her dream is threatened when the three-day event she organized is canceled after the Norwegian knitwear designer is found murdered. Libby cannot rest until she learns the identity of the guilty party. There were some elements I liked and others that I did not. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the yarn shop, the yarn, the finished creations, and the gorgeous knitting needles. I also liked the picturesque descriptions of Collinstown, Maryland with its charming shops and friendly residents. The story is told in the first person which leads to a lot of internal thinking by Libby. There is repetition of information (details about characters and especially the murder). The whodunit was straightforward. Perle Langager is murdered in a fashion that suits the story. There are a limited number of suspects with the guilty party extremely obvious. I kept hoping for a surprise character or twist. The reveal wrapped up the mystery leaving no lingering questions. There is humor scattered throughout courtesy of Libby’s mother and her gaggle of friends. There is romance as well between Libby and her old high school beau, Gavin who is the current mayor. This is relaxing tale that will appeal to readers looking for lighter fare. On Skein of Death is a blithe cozy mystery with creative yarn art, a cute canine, a dead knitwear designer, a sleuthing shop owner, plenty of pie, and creative knits.