First Line: Pamela Paterson was feeling unimaginative.
During Arborville's Halloween celebration, Pamela Paterson discovers the body of a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep, strands of yarn wrapped around her neck. It's no time at all before she and her best friend, Bettina, are hot on the trail of the killer.
Knit of the Living Dead, the solid sixth entry in Peggy Ehrhart's Knit & Nibble cozy series, provides some Halloween murder and mayhem for the residents of Arborville, New Jersey. As much as I like this series, it's one that I shouldn't read more than once per year because of the author's repetitive use of vivid colors and the daily rituals her characters share. How repetitive? I know the color of Bettina's dishes faster than I can name my own, and I could take charge in Pamela's kitchen whenever Bettina comes over in the morning for coffee.
This is definitely a series which shows the power of friendship and of what can be accomplished when good people join forces. This latest book, however, isn't the strongest in the series. I knew the identity of the killer the first time the person was described, and the will-she or won't-she of Pamela's possible relationship with next-door neighbor Richard is getting tired. Even the knitting sessions that I so look forward to seemed a bit lackluster.
But every book in a series can't be a blockbuster, no matter how talented the writer. Ehrhart's Knit & Nibble series is one that I turn to whenever I need to spend some light-hearted sleuthing with good-hearted people, and Knit of the Living Dead certainly hasn't changed that.
This isn't my kind of book, but I love the pun in the title.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got a notification that you'd commented on this post, I was a bit surprised because I knew it wasn't your kind of book.
DeleteOne of the surefire things you can say about cozies is that the authors have come up with some fantastic titles for their books, especially if you like puns.
Yes. I do like the puns in cozy titles. And often I like the cover illustrations, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, they excel in their titles and covers.
DeleteI'm another one who rarely reads a cozy, but appreciates the title puns.
ReplyDeleteAnd in this case, I also like the cover - too bad the story didn't quite live up to it!
I think cozies have cornered the market on the best cover artists.
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