Book Review: Knits, Knots, and Knives by Emmie Caldwell (Craft Fair Knitters Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Main characters and suspects, good mystery

Cons: A few things, but mostly minor

The Bottom Line:

Crafts, reenactment

Tempers flare into murder

Enjoyable book

Can Lia Knit Together the Clues from Another Knotty Murder?

The first two books in the Craft Fair Knitters Mysteries have really made me fall in love with Lia Geiger and her immediate family and friends.  So I was happy to rejoin her for Knits, Knots, and Knives, the third book in the series.

This particular weekend, the craft fair isn’t happening quite as usual.  The location where it is usually held is hosting a Civil War reenactment, and the barn has been set up to show the field hospital conditions.  That just means the crafter’s booths have been set up outside, and some of them, like Lia and her knitting friends, have been creating projects that tie in to the event.

However, the local reenactment group has developed conflicts of their own.  Local businessman Arden Sprouse has recently joined the group and taken over leadership.  Not all of his changes have been welcomed, however.  When the smoke of the day’s battle recreation clears, his dead body is found near the battleground.  Suspicion quickly falls on Lia’s neighbor, Jack.  But Lia knows he couldn’t have done it.  Can she prove it?

As I said at the beginning, I do like Lia and was looking forward to spending time with her again.  She’s a bit older, a widow, and has a grown daughter.  I really like their relationship and the dynamic that the older character brings to this cozy series.  There are another couple of series regulars I remembered, and I was happy to see them again.  Unfortunately, we don’t always get the reminders we need on who the minor characters in the series are, and there are a lot of them, from the fellow crafters with booths at the fair to Lia’s knitting friends.  Then again, they are minor characters, so it’s not critical to the story.

This wasn’t the case with the suspects.  I had no problem keeping them straight, and I found them very interesting.

The plot was strong as well.  I was fairly confused as to what was going on until we reached the end.  I did feel like the clue recaps could have been cut down, but that’s a minor complaint.  There were plenty of suspects, clues, and events to keep us entertained as we read.  I also enjoyed the sub-plots that really allowed for some good character development.

It was definitely fun to have the added twist of the reenactment in addition to the crafting fair.  I thought the two elements combined well in this book.

Knits, Knots, and Knives proves to be another enjoyable crafting themed cozy.  If you’ve been enjoying this series, you’ll be happy to revisit these characters.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.