Death by Cashmere-Sally Goldenbaum

Death by Cashmere
Sally Goldenbaum
Obsidian, Aug 2008, $21.95
ISBN: 9780451224712

Realizing she was not cut out to be a lawyer, Izzy Chambers quits her job to open up a knitting shop in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts where she spent summers as a child. Her Aunt Nell lives there and is one of her biggest supporters while some other ladies like retiree Birdie and lobster fisherwoman Cass are her best customers. They all bond and meet once a week as the Seaside Knitters.

Angelina Archer lives in an apartment above Izzy’s store. She is working on a project for the local museum on quarries and land deeds. One night she goes on a date with Cass’s brother and ditches him; a public argument ensues with Tony Framingham, son of the town’s matriarch. The next day Angelina is found dead in the nearby breakwater. Most people prefer to assume a tragic accident occurred, but an autopsy revealed her blood contained a drug that paralyzed her; making it impossible for Angelina to swim to safety. The Seaside Knitters sisterhood investigates finding dirty dark secrets long buried by the paragons of a Cape Cod town.

This is a character driven amateur sleuth starring four likable female friends who work the homicide one stitch at a time. The quartet each deals separately with a segment of the murder pattern until they seamlessly sew their respective puzzle pieces together. However though this is a refreshing outlook it also takes away from the intensity of solving the case as more than half the book is done before the knitters merge their clues. Mindful of Monica Ferris’ Minnesota Crewel World and Maggie Sefton’s Colorado House of Lambspun; fans will enjoy DEATH BY CASHMERE.

Harriet Klausner