Pamela and Bettina bring such a wonderful relationship to their mystery-solving that you could almost read this book just to enjoy their interactions. An entertaining read which sits well in the cozy mystery genre.

In this installment, another resident of Arborville is found murdered, this time in a community garden with circular knitting needles wrapped around their throat! And once again, Pamela and Bettina are on the hunt to find the killer.

I actually enjoyed this book, and I am not sure if it is something different with the writing style or if it is because I listened to the audio, but I enjoyed this book more than I have others in the past.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. this was a great quick read. the mystery was interesting and I really liked the characters and want to know more.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This is a entertaining read. I like how this author mentions every characters knitting projects. It will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page. I would recommend reading the first book in this series to get to know the characters better. You never know who did it. But overall this book is well written. This book is in stores for $8.99 (USD).

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the 7th book in A knit and Nibble Mystery series. This was a fun and cute mystery with great characters. The mystery was good, but it was not the best. This book was mostly the characters with I really enjoyed. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corporation) or author (Peggy Ehrhart) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Pamela and Bettina are once again trying to solve a local murder.
A young woman's dead body is found in the community garden. She was strangled with a circular knitting needle so is the murderer a knitter or a gardner?
I like the characters and the stories in this series. I don't care for all of the extra information such as what Bettina's wearing and what Pamela's making for dinner each day. I like recipes at the end, but not as such a big part of the story.

The more I read this series the more it grows on me. The story does still focus very, very heavily on the minute details. However as the characters are developing, I enjoy the books more. Murders are being committed with circular knitting needles at the community garden. This has the knit and nibble group very interested in the crimes. I do enjoy the descriptions of the town and at times find myself wishing I was in Pamela's kitchen. This is my favorite book in the series!

This is a fun hobby themed cozy. The characters are interesting and relatable. The mystery is intriguing. Clues are scatters throughout so put in your detective hat.

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

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

I enjoyed this delightful mystery and seeing how the characters continue to grow. The mystery is well-plotted and challenging. The focus is on the core group of characters, primarily Pamela, Bettina, Pamela’s daughter Penny and the cats we met in the beginning, and the Knit and Nibble knitting group. The New Jersey setting sounds like a lovely oasis outside the bigger cities, including the nearby Big Apple.

A very distressed Marlene went to the Bettina’s after finding the body of Jenny Miller when going to work in her plot at the Arborville community garden. The young woman’s body was in the plot she shared with her mother, Janice, and a circular knitting needle was wrapped around her neck. Marlene went to see Bettina as it is well-known that Pamela and best friend Bettina have helped solve murders in Arborville and they are both in the Knit and Nibble knitting group. Bettina also wrote for the weekly Arborville Advocate paper, and she would want to include the death in the next issue.

The weekly knitting group met that evening. Claire was a visitor who was interested in joining the group. Jenny had rented an apartment from Claire and her husband. Comments were made that the daily paper included the murder weapon, an item that Claire and one other knitter used that evening. Were it not for Nell, the oldest member of the group, they would have spent the night discussing the grisly crime. They did talk about the book that Jenny had been writing about growing, cooking, and eating healthy foods with healthy recipes.

Pamela’s daughter Penny was due to come home from college for the summer at the end of the week. Penny worried in the past about her mother looking into murders, even when it was to get innocent friends off the police department’s suspect list. Pamela’s husband had died young in an accident, and Penny didn’t want anything to happen to her mother, too. If Pamela or Bettina did any sleuthing, it had to stop by the time Penny arrived.

Bettina and Pamela talked with several people, including Helen, the renter across the hall from Jenny. Helen had been caring for Jenny’s cat and needed to find a home for her, so Pamela would foster Precious, or keep her if her two cats approved. They also talked with gardeners who were said to have disputes with Jenny, but none sounded serious enough to kill someone over. The person also had to be a knitter, or at least have access to the special knitting needle. The caterer Jenny worked for was rumored to be angry with her, and her home overlooked the community garden. A few days after Jenny’s funeral, Janice was found murdered in the same place, with the same kind of weapon, her daughter had been.

One of the author’s strong points is how well she demonstrates the characters, especially through their easy conversations. I like both Pamela and Bettina, as well as Penny and the other knitters. Pamela continues to face changes in her life, including that when her daughter graduates from college, she will probably move to a bigger city. Adapting to pets and an empty home during the school year, Pamela continues to work from home and deflect attempts of others to play matchmaker. Pamela will spread her wings a little more in this mystery, and I’m looking forward to seeing more about it next time.

The story drew me in from the start and held my attention through all but one little section. To me, the lengthy description of making a special cake was excessive since the recipe was not included. It would probably make more sense to the reader who loves baking tips. The number and type of suspects was excellent, as were the clues. I did not have any idea who the killer was or why, so the resolution was a complete surprise. All loose ends were tied up, and the ending was satisfactory. I highly recommend this cozy mystery and series!

What a fun romp with these characters as they solved another mystery! The mystery was good and as a knitter myself I totally relate to these characters. The food sounds good too!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars, Really 3.5 stars, but I really liked it.

Book 7 in the series. While this book can be read as a stand alone, there are a lot of characters and you'll be happier if you start from the beginning.

I have read just about every knitting mystery series there is, and this series is one of the keepers. It took me a bit of time in the first book to warm up to them, but now I happily greet each new book in the series. And this one is probably my favorite so far. Can you beat death by circular needle?!

The Knit and Nibblers are a lovely group, with Pamela and Bettina taking the main character spots, and of course the cats always add more fun with their brief appearances. This book added gardening to the knitting and I was sold.

My only complaint about the series is the author still goes in to way too much detail about the food that gets served at each get together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
Full disclosure, this book is part of an established cozy mystery series, and I have not read the previous books. I think that this book can be read as a stand alone, but I think you would probably appreciate the character/ plot developments more if you read the series from the beginning. I did like the 2 main characters and enjoyed their friendship, but I think I would have connected a bit more if I had more of the history of the pair.
I did note that this book has an audiobook and I know a group of ladies who knit and listen to audiobooks together, and I am going to suggest this to my friend as I think there will be quite a bit there that the knitters will be able to relate to. Also if you like a matchmaking friend and a scared cat in need of a new home storyline, then I think you might enjoy.
This was a fairly quick and entertaining read so if you’re looking for a bit of an escapist read where knitting needles take on a sinister tone, I would recommend this book. 3.5 stars

In Peggy Ehrhart's Knitty Gritty Murder, the 7th installment in the Knit & Nibble Crafty cozy mystery book series, this intriguing new tale will captivate you and get you in the mood to knit and purl your own clothes. For Pamela Paterson and the Knit & Nibble Knitters, it all started for them when a local community gardener named Jenny Miller was found murdered near her plot with a circular knitting needle in Arborville, New Jersey. That began the talk of the town when Pamela and her neighbor/good friend Bettina Fraser started their sleuthing to know more about Jenny and the town gossip about the grow produce and within their inner circles. One person or another, they questioned and interviewed people who were close to her and wanted to do her harm. When they thought they had their suspect, they were wrong when Jenny's mother was found dead in the same way. Who would do such a thing? As they closed in to solving this puzzle, the answer began to take form into Pamela's mind and planted a trap to lure the culprit to confess with the cold-hard truth.

Knitty Gritty Murder, like other books in this series, gets bogged down in the details. However, this addition is better than some of the others. There are scenes, especially those when the knitting group gets together, that will keep readers attached to their seats. The investigation of a murder of a young woman who is strangled with a circular knitting needle while out in the garden is unique and intriguing. It becomes more intriguing when the victim’s mother falls prey to the same fate.

I enjoy the friendship between Pamala and Bettina, the characters are well written, and you definitely get a good sense of them as individuals. I don’t like the fact that Pamala’s daughter seems to treat her mother as if she is ready for the old folks’ home. Pamala is, by all indications, barely in her 50’s, yet she acts at times and is treated as if she is in her 80’s. This grates on the reader, more so if the reader is a woman entering her 50’s or already there. The knitting group, even the garden in this story are the best parts, and if the story had used more about both and less cooking and grocery shopping, it would have made for a better read.

The murder(s) are interesting; even with the evidence being sparse, readers will most likely already know who the killer is. However, there are suspects, even a few members of the knitting group and the garden co-op, who are under suspicion and lend an air of intrigue to an otherwise hum-drum cast. There are a few twists but nothing too drastic, red herrings are far and few, and frankly, easily missed. Knitty Gritty Murder is an easy read, made for someone who just wants to kick back and not have to be overly attentive. If they love knitting, gardens, and characters that are predictable, they will enjoy this book and series.

Not my type of book, requested this book for my mother who likes cozy mysteries. Not my type of book ever, no thank you

Knitty Gritty Murder by Peggy Ehrhart is the seventh 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 as the community of Arborville, New Jersey comes together in the community gardens they find more than plants when the body of a farm to table enthusiast, Jenny Miller, is found strangled with with a knitting needle in her own garden plot.

I began following this series in the beginning as this one has an endearing quality to me reminding me of my own knitting grandmother. I came to love the characters in here and their quirky antics and continue to come back time and time again. However, each time I remind readers in my reviews that this one does have one big drawback to me that always leaves the books at three and a half stars and that is the overdoing of the details of the knitting and cooking in the stories. I keep wishing that time was spent more on elaborating on the mystery but alas I still enjoy Pamela and Bettina to much to not join them on their journey.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

I read all the books in this series as I love Pamela, Bettina and the cats.
This was an excellent addition, an engrossing and entertaining story.
I appreciated that there are some possible changes in Pamela's life and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I found the part about Pamela's work as fascinating as usual.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The seventh book in the Knit & Nibble mystery series finds the small town of Arborville, New Jersey once more rocked by murder. Young, beautiful Jenny Miller is found strangled to death by her plot in the community garden. Most curiously, the murder weapon was a circular knitting needle, which immediately draws the attention of the town’s main knitting, and occasionally sleuthing, circle.

Jenny apparently did not knit, and no one knows who the needle could have possibly belonged to. Marlene Pepper, the community garden administrator, is adamant that Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser, two members of the Knit & Nibble group with a knack for solving crimes, get to the bottom of this case too. According to Marlene, the community garden has been contentious enough an issue without a murder muddying things further in the court of public opinion.

As Bettina is a reporter for the Arborville Advocate, she’s more than happy to snoop around and ask a few questions, with quiet, thoughtful Pamela in tow. Pamela needs to be more circumspect than her brash friend, however, as her nearly-adult daughter Penny is due home from college soon and highly disapproves of Pamela putting herself in danger. But when suspicions fall on a possible new member of the knitting group, could danger be heading Pamela’s way regardless?

This was another entertaining fair play mystery that featured some really terrific, quietly sensitive explorations of Pamela’s psyche. Widowed several years prior, she’s been cagey about dating again, something her daughter is starting to worry about. Pamela’s mixed feelings about not being alone while encouraging Penny to pursue her dreams are eminently relatable to any parent, single or otherwise.

As with all the other books in this series, there was a knitting pattern included as well as the following recipe, lightly edited for space:

QUOTE
Rhubarb Cheesecake Pie

For the rhubarb compote:
2 cups of raw rhubarb, sliced thin (about ½ pound)
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. water

For the graham cracker crust:
12 whole graham crackers (the rectangles, not the squares)
4 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese (2 8 oz. packages), allowed to sit out and soften for an hour or so
⅔ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla

For the topping:
½ cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
2 tbsp. sugar

In a small saucepan, gently cook the rhubarb, ½ cup sugar, and 1 tbsp. water, covered, until the rhubarb is soft and jam-like, about 15 minutes. If the rhubarb is soft but the compote is still soupy, boil it at high heat with the cover off for a few minutes at the end. Remove it from the heat and let it cool while you work on the cheesecake. The compote can be made ahead and chilled or even frozen. If you freeze it, thaw it before adding it to the cheesecake.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Reduce the graham crackers to crumbs by putting them in a ziplock bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin. You will probably have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your ziplock bag. In a small bowl, mix the crumbs with 4 tbsp. melted butter and 3 tbsp. sugar until they resemble moist sand. Press them onto the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan using your fingers and the back of a spoon. Refrigerate.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until it’s smooth. Beat in ⅔ cup sugar, then the eggs and ½ tsp. vanilla.

Pour or spoon the cream cheese mixture into the graham-cracker crust and spread it evenly. Use a spoon to drop the rhubarb compote here and there on top of the cream cheese mixture, taking care not to push deeply enough to disturb the graham-cracker crust. You want to create the effect of the rhubarb being marbled through the cheesecake mixture.

Bake the cheesecake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is almost set and the edges are slightly brown. Let it cool and then refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.

Pour the cream into a medium-sized bowl, add the sour cream and 2 tbsp. sugar. Beat on high speed until the mixture holds soft peaks. As you serve the cheesecake, add a few spoonfuls of the topping to each piece. Refrigerate leftovers of the cheesecake. Cover the leftover topping with plastic wrap and refrigerate it too.
END QUOTE

I could not for the life of me find rhubarb at the grocery store, so settled for ordering rhubarb compote, which came as a (yummy) green liquid instead of the expected red. It still made for a lovely contrast, though, with the rest of the cheesecake pie. To make up for not making the compote from scratch, I decided to put together the graham cracker crust myself instead of using store-bought, as Peggy Ehrhart suggests in the book as a worthy alternative. I actually only realized that the pie pan I’d chosen for the dish was too small after chilling the crust, so had to hastily reshape it into a bigger pan. I should probably have crushed the graham crackers more finely as well, but the crust turned out alright overall.

The real standout was the cheesecake filling with the rhubarb swirl! The tartness of the rhubarb compote cuts wonderfully through the heavy richness of the cheesecake, encouraged by the hints of sour cream in the whipped topping. I’m not a huge cheesecake fan, but this had me going back for seconds and thirds! This was definitely an unusual, tasty dessert to whip out the next time you want to make something out of the ordinary, and a great use of rhubarb if you have it!

Next week, we head to the Midwest for an #OwnVoices debut that will have us baking Asian-spiced goodies while investigating murder. Do join me!