Peggy Ehrhart writes the cozy series - all around a knitting community. This is a delightful addition. A little bit mystery, familiar characters and a nice place to visit

Although this is the 6th in a series and I'm a stickler for reading in order, I just couldn't help myself when I saw the cover. As a knitter and lover of cooking, this got me right in all the feels. This book was everything I thought it would be - sweet, cute, easy to read, solving a mystery and all the extras too!

I'm so glad I was approved for this eARC and will definitely backtrack to start at book 1 in this series. I think I even want to own the paperbacks to have them on my shelf!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Peggy Ehrhart and Kensington Publishing Corporation for providing me with an ecopy of this publication which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Pamela Paterson lives in Arborville, New Jersey and works for a magazine editing articles online. Her daughter attends college in Massachusetts, so it's only her and her two cats, Catrina and Ginger. She's attending a Halloween evening out complete with bonfire, and all her friends are dressed in costume. But when she and her friend Bettina Fraser hear a female screaming, they follow the voice and come across a dead woman. Another friend, Nell, assumes it's her neighbor Mary Lyon, because of the distinctive costume.

But when it's discovered that it's indeed a stranger, they start to wonder if Mary wasn't supposed to be the real victim. What can they do except warn Mary that someone might actually be after her. When she doesn't pay any attention to them, they worry but decide to leave it to the police. That is, until something else happens and now there are more worries than one...

I know; I said I wasn't going to read any more of these, but I figured since I'd already purchased them I may as well go ahead and finish. Actually, once you skip all the parts about eating and dinnerware, the book goes really fast, so there's that. Reading them together as I have, I got tired after book two about how Pamela uses her wedding china, and the color and shape of every dish every piece of food is served on (including the diner, where they use oval plates (does anyone really care?)

There is one thing that grossed me out though; Pamela mentions not once, but twice, how she's been wearing the same clothes all week. Eeeww. Does she have a washing machine? Other clothes? It's bad enough she doesn't care about her physical appearance (yet has time to comment on her friends' looks), but now not caring how wrinkled her clothes are getting? Seriously? Sorry, but I really don't go for bad hygiene, and not changing your clothes falls into that category, even if you work at home (I do, and trust me, I'll wear the same pair of jeans two days, but never more than that). Then there's the fact that she didn't want Richard, but now that he has someone else suddenly he's desirable? Yeah, how's that working for her? So Pamela is really going downhill in my eyes, in all areas.

I also didn't like the fact that she was describing college professors; the men are professional, as in wearing suits and ties, but the women all have grey hair, wear clothes that have no form and wear no makeup. What college is this?

Other than this, the plot was pretty decent, and even though I knew who the murderer was early on, it was still interesting to see how Pamela came to that conclusion. However, I really began to wonder how inept the police in this town were a couple of books ago, because there's never any police presence - except at the initial murder scene. We never see them question anyone; we get all our information secondhand through Bettina. They're never on top of the case and they're never anywhere at all where there might be trouble. What kind of police department is this?

So naturally, Pamela plays both detective and police department, getting the person to admit to her they committed the murder and then holding them until police arrive. You'd think the police would be embarrassed by this, but since they take all the credit, they never are. Well, you get my drift about this series, I hope..

Anyway, since there's only one more to read, I will probably go ahead and do so, and see if the author has decided to allow Pamela to do laundry.

Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart is the 6th book in her Knit & Nibble Mystery series. It is a cozy mystery set in the fictional small town of Arborville, New Jersey. The main characters are all part of a knitting group. The book starts off with good friends, Pamela and Bettina, attending the town’s Halloween bonfire. Screams are heard and the two women follow the screams to discover that a young woman has found a dead body. The victim is dressed as Little Bo Peep. With everyone in costume, it is difficult to pinpoint who was even at the bonfire, let alone who the murderer may be. Pamela, Bettina, and fellow knitter, Nell, have their hands full as they investigate the murder.

This is the first book that I have read in this series. It definitely can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed the likeable characters, the descriptions of food and knitting, and the antics of these amateur sleuths. I would like to go back and read the earlier books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Kensington Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Knit of the Living Dead is book 6 in Peggy Ehrhart’s Knit and Nibble mystery series. Okay, first off, how cute is the cover? This one is set in the fictional town of Arborville, New Jersey. Without giving too much away there’s a knitting group, a yarn blogger, a Halloween murder, a set of friends who play mystery sleuths and plenty of mention of cozy comfort foods. What more could you want from a cozy mystery?

As the story begins, friends Pamela, Bettina and Nell and are dressed up on Halloween night attending the town’s parade down Arborville Avenue which ends with a bonfire in the park. During the festivities a body is discovered nearby behind trees. The victim is dressed as Bo-Peep. Not too satisfied with the local police investigation, the ladies decide to do some investigating of their own. As the story flows there’s a few people who seem suspect and I didn’t guess who dunnit it until the author revealed it.

This is book 6 in the series and while this one reads as a stand-alone I would have liked to read the first book to get more of a feel for these characters.

Knit of the Living Dead was a quick and easy read and I would recommend it to fan of cozy mysteries revolving around knitting. I don’t knit, I crochet but the knitting group in the story Knit and Nibble sounds like fun and I enjoyed the descriptions of the yarns and the stitches etc.

I could also envision the Autumn setting and all the good food mentioned was making me hungry. The book ends with knitting instructions for a Halloween tote as well as a couple of simple recipes for a few of the goodies featured in the story.

Knit of the Living Dead

by Peggy Ehrhart

If you enjoy a cozy mystery with a lot of well-composed descriptions, likable characters, and clean language, you might enjoy the Knit & Nibble Mystery Series. In Knit of the Living Dead, Pamela, an editor for a fiber arts magazine, follows screams at a Halloween bonfire. She discovers a young woman who has found a dead body. With almost everyone in costume, it is difficult to tell who is in attendance, much less who the murderer is. It is possible that the deceased is not even the intended victim.

Pamela and her best friend and neighbor Bettina are joined in their sleuthing activities by Nell, an elderly member of their knitting club. They interview possible suspects under various guises, narrowing down the pool and often hoping the perpetrator is not someone nice that they have difficulty imagining as a killer. Both the murderer and the motivation are a surprise when revealed.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #6 in the Knit & Nibble Mystery Series, but would work as a standalone.
2. Includes directions for making a Trick-or-Treat tote for children and recipes for Pumpkin-Spice Crumb Cake and Candy Corn Halloween Cookies (which have a chocolate base).

Publication: August 25, 2020—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

Despite the festive atmosphere and good cheer, the bonfire awoke feelings more appropriate to a pagan celebration marking nature’s mysterious powers. The flames illuminated rapt faces, dramatizing features and rendering the familiar unfamiliar.

The air was chilly but still, and the day was bright and cloudless. Lawns on Angler Road were still green, with fallen leaves like bright paint spatters here and there.

Wilfred had outdone himself. The beef was meltingly tender, savory, and meaty, infused with the flavors of carrots, mushrooms, and the subtly sweet onions—all melded together during the stew’s long, slow cooking.

Another murder and lots of knitting in this series that already has several books in! The Halloween parade sounds like a great town event and a perfect set up for what follows.

I really enjoy a cosy mystery and this combines so many elements that I love: knitting, paranormal and romance. A really lovely fun read.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't able to put it down. It was a page turner for me. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart is the sixth book in the cozy A Knit & Nibble Mystery series. Each book of the series contains it’s own mystery that will be solved so they can be read as a standalone or in any order one chooses. However, those that follow from the beginning will see the full character development that carries over from book to book.

The main character of the Knit & Nibble series is Pamela Paterson who is on the older side for a cozy protagonist. Pamela found herself with an empty nest when her daughter headed off to college so she joined the Knit and Nibble knitting group. The group not only spends time together crafting their favorite projects but also cooks up some yummy treats as the name suggests.

Pamela and her best friend and fellow knitter, Bettina, first became involved in what has become a habit for them in solving murders when a body was found at Pamela’s home. This time around however it’s Halloween in town and Pamela and Bettina find themselves investigating when a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep has been murdered during the town’s festivities

I have followed the Knit & Nibble series from the beginning as this one has an endearing quality to me reminding me of my own knitting grandmother. The characters in this cozy series keep me coming back time and again as I always get a good chuckle out of their antics and whatever mayhem they become involved in during the stories. However, I’ve said from book to book that I always find myself coming to the same conclusion of wishing the author would break away from the overly descriptive recipes and knitting and spend more time on the mystery and characters leaving my rating at 3 1/2 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the sixth in the series but only the second I have read. The mystery was ok but it is the characters that keep you reading.

If you're looking for a nice quick cozy read than look no further than Knit of the Living Dead.
You've got friendships, knitting, food and murder all set around Halloween 🎃
What more could you want from a cozy?
In all seriousness though I enjoyed this book. I loved the knitting theme it has and even though this was my first book that I've read in the series I don't feel like I'm missing out on information by coming in at book six.
My only compliant is how much detail was given to dishware and the food they ate. It didn't really add anything to the story. Otherwise it's a book I flew through in one sitting and had a great time reading. I recommend you check out this series for yourself.

Thank to netgalley, the author and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love knitting mysteries, and I adored this book. Great mystery, great characters, lovely setting, and well paced.

I really loved this book in a new to my series. Tha characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. I characters are fun, the setting is cozy, and the mystery was interesting. This is a great book to read for Halloween. The mystery is full of twists and turns and no shortage of suspects. I can't wait to read more of this series.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

While I do enjoy this series, my issue is that the author seems to overstretch the little details. In this book Pamela and her knitter friends set out to solve a Halloween murder. There were enough twists and turns to keep me interested, but I would like more focus on the mystery and less on the mundane events.

Arborville, NJ is celebrating Halloween with their annual parade and bonfire. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina investigate a scream and find the body of a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep. But was she the intended victim? Within a few days there's another murder. It's the woman that provided the Little Bo Peep costume. Each of the dead women had a strand of yarn around their neck. Pamela and Bettina start investigating the murders. Will they be the next victims?

It’s Halloween in Arborville, and no one is recognizable except Pamela Patterson. She’s wearing basic black slacks and sweater, with only cat ears to define her costume. She’s definitely underdressed in a crowd of mermaids, Greek goddesses, Raggedy Ann and Andy, and the usual wizards and zombies.

When a scream is heard, it’s hard to tell if it’s sound effects or someone in need of help. The second scream sends Pamela and her friends running to find two teenagers, likely looking for a quiet spot for a bit of alone time, babbling about a dead woman. Further investigation proves Bo Peep is indeed dead. Even though the costume bonnet hides her face, Pamela’s friend and fellow knitter, Nell, says it’s her neighbor. Mary. Nell recognizes the costume, and how many Bo Peeps are there likely to be? mystery

The bizarre twist is the body has thick strands of yarn wrapped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, a reporter, have assisted the police in cases where yarn was a clue so feel obligated to help this time too—or at least that’s what they tell themselves. Nell has always discouraged their involvement. This time however, Nell is the one pushing for them to ask questions and is willing to help. More murders just add to the confusion.

Pamela has lived alone since her husband died and their daughter left for college. She’s been fine with that, has two cats for company, and her job as editor for a knitting magazine keeps her busy. She has a routine to follow, only disrupted when Bettina wants company on one of her jaunts. Bettina tried to encourage Pamela’s interest in Richard, a new neighbor, but Pamela made sure to discourage that idea. Now she’s beginning to wonder if that was the right decision. There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely.

This is book six of the series and one of the more complicated cases Pamela’s dealt with. Her personal life seems ready for change so readers will look forward to seeing what’s next for her. This tale will get you in the mood for goblins and ghosts, and bowls of candy. Pamela shares the pattern for a Halloween tote, a recipe for pumpkin spice crumb cake, and Roland’s easy candy corn cookies.

I waited to read this one for spooky season & it was the best decision, I absolutely loved getting into the Halloween mood with this adorable title. I'm not normally a fan of not reading series in order, I made an exception for this one, and know I'll be reading more from Ehrhart in the near future! With a great small-town setting, and fun, well-written characters, I am so glad I got to read this Knit & Nibble mystery.

LOVED the knitting instructions & recipes that were included, such a special touch that makes you feel like you're a part of the story!

Halloween has come to Arborville, and Pamela Paterson’s main concern is whether she’s underdressed, as usual, for the town’s annual bonfire celebrations, especially in comparison with her friends, Bettina and Nell, who have gone all out with their costumes. All thought of frivolity is swiftly pushed out of their heads however when two teenagers stumble across a freshly murdered corpse in the shadows beyond the bonfire glade. Nell recognizes the distinctive outfit on the murdered woman as being the one her neighbor Mary Lyon had talked about wearing to the bonfire on her knitting blog. So she’s in for a surprise when the dead woman turns out to be someone else altogether.

While Nell is usually discouraging of Pamela and Bettina getting involved in murder investigations, she does feel that she ought to warn Mary that perhaps the other woman was killed in a case of mistaken identity. Her suspicions are confirmed when Mary admits to loaning the costume she’d planned to wear to her hairdresser, Dawn Filbert, at the last minute. Mary, however, is hard pressed to believe that anyone would want to kill her, and is convinced that someone must have had it in for Dawn.

Bettina, being both an ace reporter and no huge fan of the local police, is determined to get to the bottom of the case, with Pamela’s help of course. But when more dead bodies show up, it becomes apparent that Dawn’s death was not enough to slake a calculating killer’s thirst for vengeance.

This sixth installment of the Knit & Nibble mystery series finds our intrepid heroines getting involved in far many more turbulent Arborville relationships than they’d bargained for. The highlight of those, if such can be said for something that causes Pamela such grief, is the examination of what could have been between her and her handsome architect neighbor, Richard Larkin. It was nice as well to see the usually straight-laced Nell join in on the sleuthing. The extra snippets of information from the articles Pamela reads as part of her job as associate editor of a fiber arts magazine were also enjoyable, particularly when they came to bear on the murder mystery itself.

As always, this book included a knitting pattern at the end, though we were treated to two recipes instead of the usual one this time! I opted for the slightly more complicated cake recipe over the unusual though intriguing chocolate-candy corn cookies:

QUOTE
Pumpkin-Spice Crumb Cake

2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup butter (= one stick, and put it out to soften in advance)
2 eggs, separated into medium-size bowls (yolks in one, whites in the other)
½ cup milk
1 tsp. pumpkin spice, or 1 ½ tsp. if you want more intense flavor

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, or squish it in with your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Set aside ½ cup of this crumb mixture for the topping.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and set them aside. Beat the egg yolks until they are lemon-colored and blend the milk with them.

Add the yolks and milk to the crumb mixture in the large bowl. Stir to moisten. Fold in the beaten egg whites. The batter may seem stiff and lumpy, but that’s okay.

Turn the batter into a greased or buttered square pan, 9”x9”x2”.

Blend the pumpkin spice into the ½ cup of the crumb mixture you set aside and use a small spoon to sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Pat down the crumb mixture with the back of the spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Check for doneness by sticking a wooden toothpick into the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.

Let the crumb cake cool before cutting and serving. To serve, leave it in the baking pan, cut it into quarters, and lift out the quarters with a wide, flat spatula or a pancake turner. This recipe makes 8 not-too-big, not-too-small servings, but it’s easier to lift out quarters and then cut them into serving sizes.
END QUOTE

While this was, indeed, a delicious crumb cake, I didn’t feel that it was very pumpkin spicy. I think that the next time I try this, I’ll probably add some of the pumpkin pie spice blend to the batter itself instead of just putting it in the crumb topping. If you like a milder cake, then this recipe is most likely perfect for you as is.

Next week, we head southwest to solve another murder mystery while continuing to indulge my seasonal craving for pumpkin baked goods. Do join me!