Member Reviews
I've been a big fan of Sally Goldenbaum from the beginning of the series; I would love it if Sea Harbor really existed and I could meet Nell, Izzy, Birdie and Cass. That being said, this isn't my favorite of her books, because I didn't care enough about the new characters and there wasn't enough fun time with my favorite recurring characters. When the person murdered isn't that likable, you want to have a reason to care about some of the suspects. In this book, there were too many new characters introduced without enough back story. Still, it's a fun fast read, and I enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this.
Ahhh, Christmas, snowy scenes, festive parties ... dead bodies!
Sea Harbor is just the right size for most people to be on at least nodding terms with the other residents of the small coastal town. It is also home to Birdie, Nell, Izzy and Cass, close friends, unwilling sleuths, collectively known as the Seaside Knitters.
Ollie Bishop has been friends with Nell Endicott since college. Married to her best friend, Maddie, she hasn't seen him since he was widowed but he is in town with his new wife, Lidia, who is catering the mayor's Christmas party. Lidia is a go-getter who has plans for Sea Harbor she doesn't have universal acceptance but is pretty close.
For the first time the Mayor's Christmas party is by invitation only, causing irritation for both those included and left out. The mayor's new house is beautiful, the wine flows, the celebrity chef's food is sublime and the four friends are enjoying themselves until a body is discovered in the snow, changing the mood for everyone.
This is the fifth outing for the Seaside Knitters and I enjoyed reading about the four main protagonists and their families. The murder investigation is quite low key, there are no run ins with local law enforcement or underlying danger to those involved, instead the book centres around the friendships, community spirit and talking things through.
I have to admit I worked it all out quite quickly but still enjoyed reading what is my first Christmas book of the year! There is a knitting pattern alongside a festive recipe at the end of the book which was nice.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this festive read and recommend it as an easy read for a busy season.
One of Nell's college friends comes in town with his wife, Lidia, a celebrity chef invited to cater a party. But the party is spoiled when Lidia's body is found in a snow bank.
This is book 16 of the Seaside Knitters series, but the first one I read. This holiday themed cozy mystery about friends and family has great characters (although there are a lot of them to sort through). I will definitely go back to the beginning of the series.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you for this ARC! I have to admit, the cover made me want to read this book. I love Christmas and I love cats! It did not disappoint and was a totally cozy story. The main characters have a great friendship and I want to go back and reread the first 3 books in the series now! The mystery is engaging and this is a great, light read.
I found this book a cozy read. The holiday theme is just the thing to get into the spirit. I found that the knitting theme, story, and characters made this series fun to read.
The book also includes a list of the cast of characters in A Dark and Snowy Night. I found this really helpful, being new to the series. This can serve as a refresher/reminder on who the characters are. The story has instructions and tips on how to create a marblehead cowl, as well as a recipe for Christmas morning souffle.
My thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review!
A Dark and Snowy Night is a delightful, cozy mystery novel that continues the adventures of the Seaside Knitters. Nell's old college friend comes to town with his famous chef wife who is catering the mayor's fancy holiday party. Unfortunately, the party ends with a murder and several of Sea Harbor's beloved citizens are prime suspects. Nell, Birdie, Izzy, and Cass are determined to prove their friends innocent and catch the real culprit. While Sea Harbor is already the perfect setting, the fact that this book takes place during Christmas adds to the cozy vibe. There is plenty of holiday food, fireside chats, heavy snowfall, and knitted sweaters. I definitely recommend A Dark and Snowy Night!
Sally Goldenbaum brings lots of action to A Dark and Snowy Night, her newest Seaside Knitters Society Mystery, with a complex plot that keeps readers engaged. A celebrity chef is found murdered after a festive holiday party at the mayor’s renovated residence.
The Seaside knitters – Birdie, Cass, Izzy, and Nell – begin checking things out since the husband of the dead chef is a dear friend of Nell and Ben’s. Ms. Goldenbaum writes an intriguing story using entangled relationships from the past to provide motives for several suspects. In the end, Ms. Goldenbaum’s novel is an exceptional entry for this warm and comfortable series.
This is a good read. I believe even the author mixed up the character names a couple of times. I did have trouble keeping track of everyone and understanding their relationships in the story.
Molly and Shannon were important characters but I had trouble understanding about them. It just seemed like to much to sort out along with the story. Darci and Dirk was an odd pair all along and I was sure that Dirk had murdered Lidia. When Izzy was sorting out all the details about Lidia, her mother and Dirk I had to keep going back to put the pieces together myself.
Ollie is a very nice gentleman but losing 2 wives that were total opposites was odd. I never really understood how Lidia worked her way into his life.
The neighbor's house that was broken into at the beginning never did make sense to me. I had to keep going back to try and figure some things out. I finally gave up on some stuff and kept on reading. The story really was intriguing but it was too mottled for me.
I like the story and plot but I guess the writing just was not for me.
The recipes sound wonderful.
I would try another story by this author but it will be a while before I try again.
Always fun to visit the Seaside Knitters Society and the lovely ladies who are such great characters. Mystery, family, knitting and friendship make another awesome whodunit! Love how the characters have developed over the series. Keep this series going! Thanks #netgalley and #Keningston for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.
Another great book in this series. Love catching up with the characters and meeting new ones.
In this book, Nell's college friend comes to town for a holiday party. But when someone from the Mayor's party is found deceased, the knitters need to put their gifts aside and do some sleuthing.
As always, drama, mystery, and lots of friendship.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This one is as much about family and friends and the ties that bind them together, as solving a murder. Although it took me awhile to get into the story, that was what kept me reading. I found myself liking the characters, even when I had to keep flipping back to confirm who they were and how they were connected. I'm honestly not sure if that is because I am new to this series, quite frankly the author did an excellent job filling in the background, but the changing points of view confused me somewhat initially. After getting to know them, however, the final reveal was both satisfying and sad.
Although, as noted, this was my first visit to the Seaside Knitters Society, the memories and ties that bound the friends together are strong. They genuinely care about each other and their extended families. They are delighted to reconnect with Oliver/Ollie and his celebrity chef wife, Lidia. Thus, even though they barely knew her, Lidia's murder is upsetting and unbalances their world. Toss in a peeping Tom next door to Cass' home and the sudden disappearance of her Mary Poppins like nanny, Molly, along with her beloved senior rescue dog, and Cass is even more off-balance. Then, just as suddenly, Old Dog is back and Molly reappears the morning after the murder.
Is there some connection there? Molly's friend Shannon, who worked the party that Lidia was there to prepare the food for, had nothing good to say about one of the kitchen workers. Why has Oliver been so vague when it comes to sharing not just Lidia's background but what she was really like? Secrets? Could Lidia's plan to buy a popular restaurant and then tear it down to replace it with her own design be connected? How does this all connect to Lidia's murder, or does it? Will the murder be solved in time for everyone to enjoy Christmas? Who....oh, never mind. No more teases. Read the book.
Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for inviting me over to check out the Seaside Knitters Society. Even if it took me awhile to warm up to them, I liked them and will be back.
family-dynamics, friendship, amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, cozy-mystery, knitting, murder, murder-investigation****
Murder among friends and acquaintances. The characters are so engaging that I feel that I know them. A gathering of many to celebrate takes a turn when one of their number is found dead in the snow. Let the sleuthing begin! Well done and with much misdirection, and red herrings to add to the suspense and a plot twist that comes out of nowhere! Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
It’s holiday season in the picturesque, coastal town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts! But in USA Today bestselling author Sally Goldenbaum’s latest Seaside Knitters Society mystery, the knitting club sleuths will have to take a break from crafting cozy Christmas gifts to investigate a murder at the Mayor’s holiday party.
This was another great mystery and catching up with the Knitting gang. I love all the friendships and unique characters. This one is full of twists and turns.
#ADarkandSnowyNight #NetGalley
When I read this series I always wish I had this cadre of good friends around me, especially the ones that know how to cook. One of Nell's college friends comes to Sea Harbor with his new wife, celebrity chef Lidia Carson for a fantastic dinner hosted by Mayor Scaglia. When someone is found dead in a snowbank, the knitter friends search for the killer. Love this series. If only I could knit by osmosis.
Love this series and this newest addition did not disappoint.. it's the holiday season, the friends are knitting, there's a possible peeping tom and soon there's a dead body. Read carefully, The clues are there to guide you! Nell takes the lead and a friend from her college days adds to the story!
My first book by Daily Goldenbaum. I loved this book! The story was engaging and fun. I had a great time reading this book. Hope to read more in the series!
"A Dark and Snowy Night" is a cozy mystery. It's the 16th book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this novel didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous novels. However, there were a lot of characters to keep track of if you just jump in at this point. The characters spent a lot of time at the beginning thinking about their relationships, so it took a bit to get into more active scenes.
The characters were interesting and acted in realistic ways. This was a clue-based puzzle mystery, though the author withheld the final clues from the reader (so the sleuths knew more than the reader) until the big reveal. However, I correctly guessed whodunit at about halfway through and then guessed why even before the characters were told that information, so this didn't really prevent whodunit from being guessable.
There were only a couple uses of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery.
I absolutely love cozy mysteries and "A Dark and Snowy Night" was a wonderful addition to the genre. Great read!
The Seaside Knitters are joined by Ollie, Nell's college best friend's husband who is in town with his second wife, a famous chef. Upon her murder, the 4 gals investigate. Could it have been Cass's Poppons-like nanny? Don Wooten of the Ocean's Edge? Handsome but jerkish Dirk?
Sally Goldenbaum brings Sea Harbor to life; this coastal Maine villagr is like my second home, fill of caring neighbors and good eats. I want to go visit and become a regular.
4.4/5
16th volume and I still want more
Izzy and her friends are again in the middle of a murder and just as the holidays approach. The mayor is hosting a lavish party when Nell finds a dead body. There are so many suspects and too few clues, but the Seaside knitters save the season