Murder Wears Mittens

Murder Wears Mittens by Sally Goldenbaum is the first book in A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series. Cass Halloran is rushing to finish washing the lobster nets at the laundromat (who knew lobster nets needed washing) so she can get to her weekly knitting meeting (and dinner). She checks the dryer and notices some children's clothing. A young boy comes in from the rain, grabs the clothing and takes off on his bike with his dog. Cass spots that he left behind a little girl's uniform for Safe Sea's Elementary School. When Cass mentions it to the group, they agree to go with her to check out the situation. Cass, Izzy, Nell, and Birdie head over to the children's home (Christopher and Sarah Grace) the next day and discover they are alone. The kids do not know what happened to their mother, Kayla. Sister Fiona, Cass's aunt and principal of the children's school, quickly takes charge of the situation (she is a bossy woman). Kayla is soon found, but so is the body of Dolores Cardozo. Kayla has no recollection of the past day. When her bicycle is found outside Dolores' home, the police consider Kayla their prime suspect. The Seaside Knitters start digging into Dolores' life to uncover who might have wished her harm. Secrets are being disclosed and the killer has already shown what they will do to keep their skeletons locked away!

A Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series is a continuation of A Seaside Knitters Mystery series. It contains the same characters in the same town (which is disappointing). When you first open the book, you will find a long list of characters. I only mentioned a few above. There are too many characters to keep straight (along with their husband, relationships, etc.). I highly recommend reading A Seaside Knitters Mystery series prior to picking up Murder Wears Mittens (that is no guarantee that you will still be able to keep the characters straight). I did not enjoy Murder Wears Mittens as much as Death by Cashmere (first book in original series). I miss the book being centered around the knitting shop (they father around the dinner table now). I appreciate the strong, female characters in Murder Wears Mittens, and it is nice to see how the various characters have grown/evolved (especially Cass) since Death by Cashmere. My rating for Murder Wears Mittens is 3.5 out of 5 stars. The mystery has several components that are revealed as the group delves into Dolores' life. The suspect list is extremely small, and I thought the killer's identity was obvious. I believe most readers will figure out this puzzle before the reveal. The reason for Kayla's secrecy is a no-brainer. I wish there had been more time devoted in the story to the mystery. It seems like more time is spent on the group's meals than the whodunit. Murder Wears Mittens is easy to read, has a decent pace, good characters, and has a quaint seaside town. For those cozy mystery readers who prefer that the emphasis is placed on the cozy, you will love reading Murder Wears Mittens.