My first Miss Goldenbaum novel and I don’t know if I should have come in this far into the series. There were so many people to keep track of when I was a little overwhelmed even with the cheat sheet in the front of the book story was well written in the town seemed really cute and I wanted to live there. It was well written and it did make me wanna go back to the first book of the series and start there.

The Herringbone Harbor Mystery is the newest addition to the Seaside Knitters Society series, set in the charming coastal town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. The story follows the close-knit group of friends—Birdie, Cass, Izzy, and Nell—as they become entangled in the investigation of a beloved community member's murder.

The novel has a great atmospheric setting and I love the deep bonds among the characters, it adds a deeper dive into the characters' lives and relationships while also adding to the mystery.

Overall, The Herringbone Harbor Mystery has a wonderful cozy atmosphere, well-developed relationships, and engaging setting. While some readers may find the mystery elements less compelling, fans of the series and those who enjoy character-driven cozy mysteries are likely to find it a satisfying read.

The murder victim was a highly liked member of the community. The knitters are determined to find the killer. A multi layered cozy mystery with characters that are likeable. Enjoyed this book! Thanks #Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

The Seaside Knitters – Birdie, Cass, Izzy, and Nell – are working on an afghan for the upcoming art auction to benefit Boston Children's Hospital. At their Thursday night get-together, Mayor Beatrice Scaglia drops by and shares the disturbing news that local businessman Nick Cabot may be challenging her in the upcoming Mayor's election. The four knitters are surprised when the Mayor insists they help discourage Nick from running for Mayor.

Another visitor to this Thursday night gathering is Gabby, Birdie's visiting teenage granddaughter, a partner in Sea Harbor's Pawfect Day Dog Walkers. Gabby and her partner Daisy drop by with Squid, Nick Cabot's pet, who they walk daily.

Another thread in this book revolves around the changes introduced at the Lazy Lobster and Soup Café. A well-known chef and local, Bobby Palazola, begins creating new dishes and hires Marco Costa to help him keep up. Nick Cabot advises Gracie, the restaurant's owner, not to trust Marco and promises to check him out more thoroughly for her.

Then, Gabby wakes Birdie, asking for help with Squid, Nick's dog, who came scratching at the door early in the morning. Trying to figure out why Squid was so unsettled, they soon find out Nick's house burned down – with Nick inside. The police discover someone shot Nick before the fire started.

While Nick is well-liked in the community, the four knitters begin to check out a few suspects. Gabby relates her observation of an irritable man verbally attacking Nick at his front door, wishing him dead for ruining his life, when she dropped Squid back home after his walk one night. Unfortunately, Nick downplayed it and never identified the man for Gabby.

Sally Goldenbaum writes a complex, layered mystery with interesting characters and challenging threads to follow as readers uncover the solution.

It was really sad when a man who was as loved as the murder victim was got killed. He was kind and generous to everyone and there weren't too many who had anything bad to say about him which made his death even more tragic.

It was so cool to see those who loved him most continuing to do things he would've done or wanted to do. Our fabulous four knitters were on the case in their usual subtle way they had of finding out clues and reporting back to their fellow knitters and loved ones over some amazing food and family time.

The showdown was a a surprise as was someone who stepped in to help. I loved how the victim's sweet pup got his forever home and an amazing tribute was paid to both him and his late owner. Yes, eye leakage can and may occur during certain parts of the book but it's all good.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

The Herringbone Harbor Mystery by Sally Goldenbaum is a charming and captivating addition to this cozy mystery series. The characters feel like old friends, with a warmth and depth that makes you genuinely care about them and their lives. The small-town setting of Herringbone Harbor is as cozy and welcoming as a cup of tea on a rainy day, drawing you into its close-knit community. What makes this mystery stand out is the unique twist of a murder victim who isn’t just a stranger to the characters but someone the reader has come to know and care about, adding an emotional weight to the story. (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own) Goldenbaum's writing beautifully balances intrigue and heartfelt connections, making this a delightful read for fans of cozy mysteries.

Cass and the seaside knitters are saddened when a beloved member of the community dies in a fire. When it turns out the man murdered before the fire was set, the ladies have their work cut out for them.

Was it the incumbent mayor the man was going to challenge in the next election? With fingers pointing and accusations being made, the ladies set out to separate back from fiction and determine who killed the man and tried to cover it up with a fire. Well, they saw the case, or will the heat be too much for them this time?

Another entry in the series. It never gets old. I love the fact that the seaside knitters age from an octogenarian down to a 30 something member of the club. This book is for cozy mystery Leaver out there, regardless of age. it’s chock full of red herrings and will keep you guessing into the very end. Always excellent read.

"The Herringbone Harbor Mystery (A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery #18)" by Sally Goldenbaum is well into the series but is still fairly okay as a standalone book. My only issue was that it was somewhat difficult at times to understand who the perspective was coming from. It jumps around a little bit between some of the characters and I'd have to figure it out a bit. It also made it hard to keep track of who already knew what sometimes.

The mystery was around what happened to a well liked man in town. His only possible conflict that most people knew about was that the current mayor didn't want him running against her in the next election because he'd probably win. In the end things didn't go exactly how I expected them to but made sense, for the most part. I wouldn't totally have believed the killer would change the m.o. It seemed changed to create a more dramatic reveal scene and to be caught.

It's been some time since I last read a novel in this series and reading this one was like catching up with old friends and discovering what's going on in their life.
I think it's a mix of women's fiction and cozy mystery and I didn't feel that the mystery was the main topic. The life of the characters and their friends was at the center of the story and i enjoyed it even if I would have preferred some more mystery.
It's a slow burning story, don't expect a crime early in the plot and I really like the victim and felt a bit like when I read Games of Thrones and Ned Stark died.
I liked the story and appreciated the solution.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Herringbone Harbor Mystery is book #11 in the Seaside Knitters Society series by Sally Goldenbaum.

It was great to visit with the Seaside Knitters again. There is a house fire and it turns out the owner was murdered. I hate it when the victim is a nice person. The women investigate and there are twists and turns to keep you guessing who the murderer is. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The Seaside Knitters Society is a close-knit group of women who get together to create different projects once a week. They are also friends -- and some relatives -- who live in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts; a fishing town that they love. When an old friend from years ago returns, Nick Cabot, everyone is glad to see him. Well, almost everyone. The mayor isn't happy, because she thinks he plans to run against her. And a local chef isn't happy because he's a bit jealous of his presence. Other than that, Nick is a welcome addition once again, and he brightens the lives of everyone there.

One early morning, there's a fire and everyone seems to know whose home it was. No one is happy about it, and they wonder where's the body? Eventually, it's discovered, and it saddens those people in the town who knew and loved the residents. But why was the person murdered? The women know it was murder, and they set out to find the killer before they can strike again...

Full disclosure on my part is that I have not read anything by Ms. Goldenbaum for many years. Saying that, I have not read any of the others in this series, so perhaps I shouldn't have started with this one. The reason I say that is there are far too many characters to keep track of, and their relations to each other. Yes, there is a 'cheat sheet' in the front of the book; but if you are reading the digital version, as I am, you can't easily go back and check it out when you have questions. So you have to write the characters down with all their relations to each other to refer to. It's annoying, to say the least, but I am not dumping on the author; she writes well and the story line is very good.

What did bother me is the fact that someone was murdered who seemed by all appearances to be really nice and usually in mysteries, the slain person has some awful quality that we know will doom them. To add that we are supposed to feel sorry for the person who killed them, but I did not. Not a shred of sorrow on my part. I have my reasons, but murder is what it is and the reason for the killing did not make any sense to me.

Other than that, I will add again that the story is written well, the descriptions of the town itself are very good, and the quality of writing is high. Perhaps I will go back and begin again with the first book in the series and have another look at the Seaside Knitters!

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

Gentle Reader, you know my favorite mystery series is the Seaside Knitters Society series by Sally Goldenbaum. I love the little seaside village in Massachusetts, with its yarn studio, tea room, bookstore, and arts colony. The village large enough to have several successful restaurants such as Gracies, Sweet Petunia, and the deli, but small enough where everyone largely knows everyone else. Where friends have standing Friday night dinners and Thursday evening knit potlucks. I want all of that in real life. So every year I eagerly await the new mystery in Sea Harbor so I can visit with Nell, Izzy, Birdie, and Cass.

This year's book is The Herringbone Harbor Mystery. It's early summer in Sea Harbor, but everyone is starting to think about the fall mayoral election. Mayor Beatrice has run unopposed for several years, and some locals think it might be time for a change in leadership. Everyone is looking forward to the summer tourist season and a possibly exciting mayoral race if Nick Cabot can be convinced to run opposite Beatrice. But those summer plans are derailed when murder and a fire devastate the town.

Victims in previous books were known to our little band of knitting detectives, but in this book, Ms. Goldenbaum spends so much more time on the grief and shattering disbelief that affects the main characters. There are many discussions and passages where internal ruminations on grief occur. While some might find this off-putting, I found it very comforting, because one week into the book a friend of mine, a friend of 31 years, was found dead in his house. I was plunged into a similar unexpected grief. Reading about Nell's and Birdie's feelings and grief was actually very helpful to me. It wasn't until I read the acknowledgments at the end of the book that I learned that Ms. Goldenbaum lost her husband of many years while she was writing this book. It's very clear that she was processing her own grief in her story. My deepest sympathies to Ms. Goldenbaum and her family. I hope writing the book helped her through her grief as reading it did mine.

As for the plotlines in The Herringbone Harbor Mystery, I did suspect the murderer quite early on, but the denouement was deftly handled and still afforded me a surprise or two. The subplot surrounding Gracie's lobster shack provided a necessary redirection from the main murder plot. Gracie is a nice addition to the group, and I hope we continue to see more of her in future stories. I enjoyed meeting more of the extensive Palazola clan, all of whom seem to have the magic touch to create restaurants I'd love to eat in.

While the series builds on former stories, it's easy to start with any of the novels. The four main characters are so well drawn that the differences in personalities are noticeable, but the reasons why these 4 women are such deep friends is evident. You will easily succumb to their charms and want to live in Sea Harbor, too.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sea Harbor, Massachusetts is getting ready for the tourists to descend on their wonderful town. Izzy is stocking up on varieties of yarn and planning new classes. Birdie’s granddaughter Gabby and her friend Daisy have started a successful little dog-walking business. There’s a new chef at the Lazy Lobster and Soup Café. The Seaside Knitters are creating a herringbone patterned afghan with each person knitting a long panel that will all be knitted together as their entry for the upcoming art auction. And the mayor is running around town trying to stay on top of it all.

Then one evening Birdie is awakened and sees smoke down by the harbor and hears sirens. Then Cass wakes up, smells burning wood, sees the smoke, and hears the sirens. Next, it’s Izzy’s turn. Then Nell. They all trusted the Sea Harbor Fire Department to take care of the fire. The next morning one of the dogs Gabby walks showed up at their door lost and scared. Soon the news is out. The home on fire belonged to a popular resident of the town and the dog’s owner. Nick Cabot was found dead in the ruins but he did not die in the fire. The police are investigating a homicide.

There are many questions surrounding Nick’s death and the Seaside Knitters are ready to untangle the clues and knit them back together to catch Nick’s killer before they cast on a new victim.

It is always a delight to return to Sea Harbor and catch up with my favorite knitters, Birdie, Cass, Nell, and Izzy. I love that they are collaborating on a knitting project for the art auction. You just have to look at the gorgeous cover to get a peak at the finished afghan. They get together every Thursday night to knit, eat, drink a little wine, and discuss everything happening around town. Nell’s house is usually a gathering place on Friday nights or whenever they need to all put their heads together about the current murder. This group of women and their spouses are all genuine and giving people. They are ready to lend a hand or a listening ear or with the best advice they can for anyone and everyone. Their friendships are solid and that is what makes this series one of my favorites.

The murder in this story was hard to take. We just meet Nick Cabot and learn of all the good things he did for others, that he wanted to run for mayor, and that he had a great shaggy pup named Squid. Then he was gone. It was hard to believe and even harder to pin down who would have killed him but the knitters came up with a few suspects. You know the author was going to throw in some twists and turns and she did. This story was perfectly plotted. A phone call that almost wasn’t made, made everything clear leading to a heartbreaking confession. I was surprised by whodunit, why, and how it happened. It was an emotional end to the case. The end of the story was filled with emotions too.

Sally Goldenbaum is an incredible storyteller. In The Herringbone Harbor Mystery, we are treated to a complicated mystery, set on the beautiful Massachusetts coast, with characters that leap off the page to bring readers into their lives. The theme of friendship is knitted into each book in the series. The Seaside Knitters have the golden gift of each other, a gift many of us long to have. And for us armchair sleuths to have a mystery to solve would be icing on the cake. Curling up with a newly created afghan would be special too.

Each of the books in this series can be read on its own. There are 11 books before the 7 published by Kensington cozies. You truly can start anywhere but if you can start at the beginning you will get to know Nell, Birdie, Izzy, and Cass from the start and see their friendships and lives build to where they are today.

This book is a masterpiece of love, mystery and community. When a beloved member of the community is found dead in his fire torched home the Seaside Knitters gather to figure out what all happened. There are several subplots that keep the group busy and eventually it all comes together. The author filled this book with love and joy and some sadness, all reflected from her personal journey in writing this book. It is an excellent read and the best of the series. Treat yourself to this lovely story and heartwarming friendships that span generations.
I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

The Seaside Knitters are busy with new vacationer classes and a collaborative blanket project at the Yarn Studio, while Birdie’s granddaughter and her friend Daisy run a summer dog-walking business. The Lazy Lobster restaurant is buzzing with a new celebrity chef, adding to the lively atmosphere in their coastal town.

But the summer takes a dark turn when Birdie witnesses a fire from her balcony, which destroys a house in Fishermen’s Village. The blaze reveals a shocking tragedy: a beloved businessman and mayoral candidate is found dead inside. With the teenagers having walked his dog, Squid, and possibly being the last to see him alive, the knitters are drawn into unraveling the threads of a dangerous mystery.

Well written with brilliant characters. A great read!

Izzy and the seaside knitters are busy with projects and preparing for a tourist season. in their lovely seaside village. When a terrible fire happens to a friend Izzy is on the case with red herrings and clues to be questioned. She has the help of her wonderful group as they gain closure on the murder.
I love the friendships in this series. The small village by the sea is so charming to readers. The sleuth is always well crafted and kept this reader turning pages. The knitting projects are delightful. This is a endearing series that cozy readers love. I look forward to the next in series.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

This was an ok cozy mystery for me. There were too many characters and POVs to keep track of and I often got the characters mixed up. Most of the dialogue contained everyday chatter that didn’t relate to the murder they were trying to solve which made the story drag on forever. I just wanted to skip to the end and find out what happened. I skimmed the pages in the second half of the book until I found my answer. It was easy for me to figure out who the killer was but I was surprised by the circumstances in which it happened. The book includes instructions for knitting a herringbone scarf and blanket and a recipe for Creamy Broccoli With Pasta. Unfortunately, I will not be reading more of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This latest in the long running series might be most appreciated by those familiar with the many characters. It's a classic cozy set in a small town that has an amazingly high murder rate- murders which are solved by our intrepid group of knitters. This time out, there's a dog as well. There are some red herrings. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I can't put my finger on why this one didn't resonate with me the way the earlier books have so over to others.

Thank you, Netgalley, for an ARC of this book. This is my honest opinion. This is book 18 in a series, and I have read other books, but not all in the series. You could read this book as a standalone without any trouble, but having read others, you get a background on the characters and a full understanding of the story.
I liked the story it had a few twists in the mystery. Yet I also felt the characters didn’t ring true to previous books. Once they find out a dear friend has been killed they seem to be walking around in a fog which in past books was not the case. A huge plus for the series is the lovely knitting pattern and recipes included at the end.

The seaside knitters are back to their knitting at the beginning of the summer. Gabby, Birdie's granddaughter is visiting for the summer, and she and her friend have started a dog walking business. Gabby brings Squid (Nick's dog which Gabby loves) to meet the folks in the knitting group. Bobby Palazola is now the Chef at Gracie's Lazy Lobster. Gracie has also hired Elena's husband Marco. There seem to be some problems with the food, and Nick has suggested that they be made by Marco, who is also working with the chef at a new restaurant which is about to open in the old bank building.
Than, Nick's house is burned down and the police find Nick has been shot dead in his house. There are several possible murderers, including Marco, who Nick was suggesting should be fired from the Lazy Lobster, and Bobby, who had yelled at Nick. Also Mayor Beatrice Scaglia has been very upset when it was suggested that Nick should take her place as Mayor.

However, the Seaside knitters get their act together and eventually figure out why there were problems in the restaurant and what happened to Nick. This is a very good addition to the series on the Massachusetts sea side. I thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC so that I could read it before publication.