WHILE MY PRETTY ONE KNITS (Anne Canadeo)

Initially, I had a little bit of trouble remembering who was who as I read this entertaining cozy knitting mystery, but I quickly straightened out the cast of characters in my mind.  Lucy, Suzanne, Maggie, Dana, and Phoebe are a group of woman at different stages of life who share a love of knitting and a close friendship.  They meet on a regular basis to knit and socialize at each other's homes or at the Black Sheep.  Maggie Messina, a widow and the owner of the Black Sheep knitting shop, is the mother-figure of the group.  She is also the prime suspect when Amanda Goran, who runs a rival knitting shop in Plum Harbor, MA, is murdered in her store.  When the murder weapon is found in Maggie's shop among the stock that she purchased from Amanda's estranged husband, Peter, the police close in, ready to close the case and arrest Maggie.  I did figure out who the murderer was early on in the book, but this was probably a function of my keen eye for detection rather than a problem with the plot! :) There are a couple of VERY likely suspects here!  I thoroughly enjoyed Canadeo's first knitting mystery.  This is truly a cozy, complete with small town charm, an unlikable victim, an amateur sleuth who is thrust by necessity into the role, and a perfect setting that evokes warmth and friendship.  I certainly plan to read the next installment in this series!