Knit One, Kill Two (Knitting Mystery Series #1)

Disappointing cozy

As a big fan of cozy mysteries, as well as a knitter, I was excited to start this series. Overall the plot was very well developed, however, I could not get past the artificial, stilted dialog. The characters call each other by name in almost every sentence..."Hi Kelly, how are you"? "I'm fine Mimi." "Nice dog, Kelly." "Thank you, Mimi." "You are welcome, Kelly." It drove me to distraction! I'll give the second book in the series a try in the hopes that the writing style improves. If not, I'm definitely done with this series.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Cast On to Your Needles for a Fairly Interesting "Popcorn" Mystery

"Knit One, Kill Two" is the lead book in one of several mystery series published by Berkley's "Prime Crime" mystery division. Knowing the popularity of series sleuths, I think that Berkeley has hired a clutch of writers to create series of books, each themed around a particular aspect of their world. You have Gardening Mysteries, Coffeehouse Mysteries, Tea Mysteries, Bewitching Mysteries (centered around Wiccan in Indiana), etc.

Here, remembering how popular mystery characters are often knitting (think Miss Marple), we are offered Kelly Flynn, a CPA from Washington, D. C. Kelly has moved back temporarily (she thinks) to her old childhood home in Fort Connor, Colo. to close out the house of her murdered grandmother; she also meets the central workers and customers of the House of Lambspun, a custom-lot knitting shop that was formerly her grandmother's first house. As for the murder, too many coincidences are appearing in the case; why did a vagrant just happen along, kill the grandmother, and grab $20,000 that she had cashed a check for that morning from a predatory mortgage company? Why is no trace of that money to be found now? Why did Grandma take out the loan in the first place? And why is the purple knitting Grandma was working on gone, along with a broken knitting needle? Why did the killer take the time to also grab a unique family heirloom quilt?

Fortunately, when it looks like the police are taking the bird in hand, Kelly finds help and support in the regulars of the House of Lambspun. They're sometimes quirky, but they also make a good team in helping to pin the crime on the true killer.

Some aspects of this book are excellent; the problem is that they're mainly the background, not the plot. The description of the store, with its tons of hand-spun and -dyed yarns, the trip to the Wool Fair, and the coaching of Kelly to become a knitter are wonderful. Do they advance the plot? Not really, though they add atmosphere. Of course, if you're building a series, you want a rich background to bring the reader back for more books. In this, Maggie Sefton succeeds. A mystery's core, however, is the plot -- how well does the writer lay out the story, keeping things just opaque enough to prevent you from guessing or deducing the criminal until the reveal, that keeps you turning pages in the book you have? Here, the author also succeeds -- just. The story is enough to keep you going to the end, but it's not anything truly special.

(Unless you're a knitter, of course; the description of the dream fabric-arts store with an attached coffeehouse, and the people inhabiting it, will make your mouth water. Non-knitters note: it really is as easy to learn how to knit as this book suggests. I've begun the hobby recently, and have started picking it up in just a handful of days with short practice bursts. More intense sessions, such as Kelly does here, will get you in faster. And yes, fingering all that Merino and cashmere and alpaca wool is just as delicious as it sounds! Keep in mind that this fictional store sells mostly hand-spun and -dyed yarns; there are less expensive yarns available to work with that will be just as satisfying.)

Is this book -- and its brother books in the several Berkley series -- any threat to Agatha Christie or Kathy Reichs? No. But if you're looking for a quick, fairly entertaining read, or a fan of knitting, you can do worse than give this a try.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Knitters beware- good read

I loved the development of the characters; the home-town feeling to all the settings & the romance was even upbeat. The women characters are strong & interesting to read.
I liked this book and couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Knit What

I love this book! Kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing - thought I had the murder all figured out several times, not until the last few pages did I figure it out. Great read!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Quick and fun read

This book was very fun to read. The characters were interesting and made me feel like I could drive to Colorado and meet them all. The writer's descriptions of the scenes, especially in the yarn store, made it very easy to visualize everything I read. I love to knit and the colorful descriptions made me want to pick up my knitting and continue reading the book. I hope this author has many more books up her sleeve. I have already read the next two installments!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun and captivating read

I liked this book and the cast of characters so much that I have ordered the entire series currently available. Not only that, the description of the cozy yarn shop inspired me to get my knitting out again after 35 years. The author drew me in and I felt like I was there and part of the story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Title captures the type of book, grabs your attention

This book is chocked full of quirky, funny, interesting characters. I could not put it down. I also loved the patterns and recipes at the back of the book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great debit mystery

CPA Kelly Flynn feels alone when she learns the stunning news that her beloved Aunt Helen, who raised her, was murdered in her home in what the police declared a ¿burglary gone bad. Kelly accompanied by her dog Carl heads home to Fort Connor, Colorado for the funeral and to deal with the estate. Her aunt¿s lawyer Mr. Chambers shocks her with the fact that frugal Helen borrowed $20,000 against her home, but has no idea what she did with the money or why she needed it since it never went to Kelly. The accountant also sees other discrepancies with the official books on the case as she knows her feisty aunt would have put up a fight if it was a robbery; since she did not she knew her killer................... In town, her aunt¿s friends adopt Kelly and make her feel at home. They needle her into joining their knitting circle, which meets at Mimi Shafer¿s shop, the former barn of Kelly¿s aunt. As the circle converts her into a dye-in-the-wool scarf knitter, she investigates what happened to her aunt because the bottom line fails to add up correctly................ This is first stitch in a new needlepoint amateur sleuth tale starring a likable accountant and a host of eccentric townsfolk. The story line neatly knits together a murder pattern that the police failed to see. Amateur sleuth fans who appreciate Monica Ferris¿s Betsy Devonshire tales will want to read this Rocky Mountains¿ cleverly crafted who-done-it............ Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Relaxing read

This book was fun to read. The characters were entertaining. Eventhough I knit, someone who doesn't can enjoy the story.

Coffee put me to sleep

I fell in love with the human characters, the town, and the mountains but then the drug of choice raised its ugly head -- coffee. On every other page, it seemed anyway, someone was talking about coffee or drinking coffee and wishing for coffee. Coffee, itself became a main character. It drove me crazy. I barely managed to get through the first book in the series. I did try the second book but it was even worse. The coffee character was even bigger. So distracting was Coffee, I gave it up as a worthless read. Sorry I just can't recommend the series unless you drink a can of the dark stuff a day.

Excellent 1st in a series!!

I have read many within this enjoyable series and I finally picked up the one that started it all.

A murdered aunt, a cozy knitting shop, lady knitters that enjoy their craft, and friendship. It makes you wish you were the main character within this mystery....you won't want to leave this knitting shop.

It was excellent!

Just a so-so read for me.

Just a so-so read for me.

Great read, light and cozy!

I thoroughly enjoyed Maggie Sefton's first Knitting Mystery. It hosts a group of friends, new and old, and a yarn shop that I seriously wished exists in my hometown. This book actually got me knitting again, after a long absence. I enjoyed seeing Kelly go from new girl to dear friend. There were mornings I wished I had some of Eduardo's coffee, the descriptions were so vivid and delicious! If you are looking for a light, easy mystery - this is the book for you. Sefton does a wonderful job describing every detail and gives the reader a vivid picture of life around the yarn shop. You'll really love it. Now, I have to get back to the hat I'm knitting and the second book in the series!

Fun!

This was a fun introduction to the title character and the town. If you like to knit are area just thinking about it, you will enjoy the cozy knitting shop that is the central meeting place for the towns knitters. The added bonus to the murder mystery is the knitting pattern and recipe. Definately a fun read!

I want to read more in this series.

after reading this book I would now like to learn how to knit.

Wonderful

These books are a great series, make a lovely gift! I enjoyed them very much.

Not A Good Choice

I like to knit. I like mysteries, but I did not like this book. It is written more in the style of a romance than a mystery. And there were typos and errors in the book that make it seem very cheaply thrown together. A big disappointment. I did not finish it.

mystery , knitting

I bought this book during the summer and enjoyed it so much I bought it as a gift for someone at Christmas in a knitting swap. The person was so happy she wanted to know who bought the books. I also lent it to my mom who also liked it and lent it to someone else.

Good read- Can't wait til the next on in the series

Knitting for your brain..

The author's familiarity with a LYS makes you want to run out and start another project, or just buy more yarn!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome book!!!!!

I love mysteries, and I love knitting, so this book was perfect for me ' and probably for a lot of others '. It was very interesting, and knitting is a big part, so that makes it all the better. I think you will enjoy it more if you knit, but if you don't, you'll still love it!