SPRING FEVER (Mary Kay Andrews)

Mary Kay Andrews' novels are always relaxing and fun, with just enough quirky characters to to pique your interest without being too unbelievable.  In Spring Fever, Annajane Hudgens is attending the wedding of her ex-husband, Mason Bayless, who is also the brother of her best friend Pokey.  The problem is that Annajane has never quite fallen out of love with Mason despite her recent engagement and her plans to move out of state.  She has worked for years for Quixie, the North Carolina soda company owned by Mason's family, but has recently sold her loft and accepted a position with a PR firm in Atlanta to make a fresh start and be closer to her fiance, Shane.  Mason's wedding to the despicable Celia, who is eager to push Annajane out of the company and out of the Bayless family's lives, is the impetus that Annajane needs to move on with her life.  When Mason's daughter Sophie has an attack of appendicitis, though, the wedding is brought to a screeching halt and Annajane is caught in the middle of yet another Bayless family crisis.

One of the things that I found very enjoyable is the sensible way Annajane and Mason conduct their lives and relationship.  There are no hysterics, no wild car chases, no murders.  There is a hastily rescheduled wedding (will it take place?), an unplanned pregnancy, and some intriguing corporate shenanigans, though, so don't worry about being bored by good sense.  Celia is obviously a gold-digger, Davis is a jerk, and Sallie is a snob, so there are plenty of colorful characters to go around and there are a couple of nice twists near the end..  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Celia's trailer-trash family, but overall, this book was a delight from start to finish.

TILL DEATH DO US PURL (Anne Canadeo)

Like Sally Goldenbaum's Seaside Knitters, the Black Sheep Knitters are all about friendship, but I think that Canadeo's characters are more true-to-life.  We were lucky enough to have Author Anne Canadeo visit the Windsor Locks Public Library last Friday to talk about her career as a writer and how she develops her wonderful characters.  Anne admitted that she is not an expert knitter (but she has friends who are) and she develops all of the recipes in her novels herself.  The flourless chocolate cake in this one is delicious, by the way!

When bride-to-be Rebecca Bailey's society wedding is moved forward to accommodate deadlines at her in-law' chemical business, she asks Maggie Messina and the Black Sheep knitters to help her complete the unique wedding gown that she has been knitting. Then, just 2 days after the nuptials, an explosion at the At-Las laboratory tragically takes the life of brilliant young scientist Jeremy Lassiter, Rebecca's groom.  The town of Plum Harbor is stunned, especially when doubts are raised about the actual circumstances of Jeremy's death.  Could bride Rebecca be implicated?  What about Jeremy's own father or his former business partner, Lewis Atkins?  When Maggie's car is vandalized it becomes evident that someone doesn't want the Black Sheep knitters investigating!

As usual, the characters are what draw the reader into Canadeo's series.  The mystery is excellent, but it is the  Black Sheep knitters that give the reader that warm and fuzzy feeling and make you want to come back for more.  Maggie, widowed and a little lonely, is a giver who shares her knitting expertise and sympathy without reservation.  Lucy, still wary after a divorce, left her law practice to find peace and a new life in Plum Harbor. She also finds handsome veterinarian Mat!.  Suzanne, with her large family and busy real estate career, still finds time to knit and dish out creative snacks, and college student Phoebe, with her multi-colored hair and rock-star boyfriend, proves an able shop assistant, tenant, and friend to Maggie.  Psychologist Dana always has some insight into the criminal mind. Together, with the addition of sundry locals who come and go in each novel, they make up the Black Sheep knitters.  I want to be friends with these women!  This series is highly recommended for the characters, plot, and excellent writing.  Great job, Anne!

A FATAL FLEECE (Sally Goldenbaum)

While Sally Goldenbaum's Seaside Knitter mysteries are wonderful cozies, they are mostly about close friendship and community.  Nell, Ben, Izzy, Sam, Birdie, Cass, and the rest are, in many respects, too good to be true:  They exercise faithfully, eat abundantly without ever gaining weight, and they age gracefully without worrying about excessive sun exposure, senior moments, or retirement funds.  You will not find an edgy mystery here, but you will find an intriguing group of people who support and love each other while relentlessly investigating crimes against cherished friends and neighbors.  I would consider this series to be inspirational in tone.

Francis Finnegan is an eccentric old man who owns a piece of prime Sea Harbor real estate.  Since the death of his beloved wife, Moira, he has let his beachfront property become unkempt and overgrown and has developed a reputation for being surly and uncooperative, especially when it comes to those who propose developing his land.  Trespassers and potential buyers are not welcome.  His contentious relationships with his adopted daughter, Beverly, and Sea Harbor Councilwoman Beatrice Scaglia add to the tension, and when Finn, as he is called, is found dead on his beloved property there are numerous suspects to consider, even lobster woman Cass, who is his unexpected heir.  Why was Beverly cut out of the will?  Why was Finn so determined to keep people off of his land?  What is  Birdie's visiting brother-in-law, Nick Marietti, up to and why was he seen arguing with Finn just before he was killed? There are some interesting and unexpected twists and turns here that blend so seamlessly into the plot that most readers would think, "Of course!  That makes sense!" without ever having suspected the truth ahead of time.

If you are in the mood for a gentle mystery, this one might be for you.  This time around, for me, the characters in this series just seemed TOO perfect, their lives TOO well-ordered and their relationships TOO supportive.  However, Goldenbaum creates a wonderful sense of place in Sea Harbor and the sleuthing that takes place is clever and subtle.  I actually would love to live there and know these people, especially if I were invited to the Friday night barbecues on Ben and Nell's deck! You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy reading this one.