A Dark and Snowy Night
Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses, crackling bonfires, the scent of snow in the salty air, carols ringing out on the village green. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. The mayor’s invite-only holiday party, complete with a celebrity chef, isn’t going over well with the townspeople. Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson, but the new addition has trouble fitting into the yarn shop’s holiday spirit. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her.
Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at Mayor Beatrice Scaglia’s holiday party, where a well-dressed crowd admires the mayor’s sumptuous new home and the celebrity chef catering the event. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers to die for. Before the party-goers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef, and young wife of Endicott’s old Harvard friend, is found dead beneath the mistletoe, and Cass’s nanny vanishes.
Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern of these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice, and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air.
The Details
Series: Seaside Knitters Society – Book #5
Author: Sally Goldenbaum
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496729404
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
The “Seaside Knitters Society” series has been a fan favorite since it started, and the latest addition, A Dark and Snowy Night, continues to hold readers’ attention. When a celebrity chef is murdered and Cass’ nanny disappears, you can’t help but wonder if the two events are related. But how can they be? With Christmas around the corner, there is no time to investigate a murder and an unlikely disappearance, but the Seaside Knitters add it to their “things to do” list.
All of the characters in this series are great. Every one of them brings fun and excitement to the story. Cass and Izzy never fail to make readers happy, and this time around, they also bring an element of intrigue and mystery to add to the murder. The celebrity chef is married to an old friend of Nell’s, Oliver. She is happy to be in contact with him again, but unfortunately, Oliver doesn’t have the best luck keeping his wives alive. The nanny disappearing is also a concern for everyone. The location is beautifully described and makes you want to spend the holidays by a cozy fire in Sea Habor.
When the celebrity chef is killed, the mayor’s house is full of guests, making finding a suspect difficult; anyone could be the killer. But following the clues will lead readers down a path of ambition, power, and relationships that aren’t always what they seem. When the nanny takes off after a peeping tom spies on Birdie and takes Cass’ rescue dog with her, the group of friends are worried and fears the worse. Everyone has secrets, but some secrets need to be revealed to find a killer. And that is what the Seaside Knitters set out to accomplish.
The reveal of the killer’s identity isn’t surprising, but the motive at first might be elusive for some readers. The killing of the celebrity chef was easy to anticipate, but the disappearance of Cass’ nanny is unexpected. It doesn’t take long for readers to understand what is going on or who the killer is as long as they pay close attention to the details. Of course, the Seaside Knitters find answers to all the questions posed throughout the book, making A Dark and Snowy Night a delightful addition to the series and a fun holiday read.
The Author
Sally Goldenbaum is the author of more than three dozen novels. She was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, raised her family in Prairie Village, Kansas, and now lives in Gloucester, MA, with her husband, Don. In addition to writing mysteries, Sally has taught philosophy, Latin, and creative writing, edited bioethics and veterinary healthcare journals, and worked in public television at WQED-Pittsburgh.
A must-read in the Seaside KnittersSociety series is book four, A Crime of a Different Stripe, or if readers are looking for another series from this author, they should check out the “Queen Bees Quilt Shop” series and the book, A Bias for Murder.
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