The Wedding Shawl
A Seaside Knitters Mystery No 5
Sally Goldenbaum

Obsidian
May 2011/ ISBN 978-0-451-23319-6
Mystery/Cozy
Amazon

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

The Wedding Shawl is the fifth entry in the “Seaside Knitters Mystery” series by Sally Goldenbaum. It is now spring in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, and the closely knit group of Nell, her niece Izzy, the elderly but spritely Birdie, and lobster-woman Cass Halloran are ready for new adventures.

The knitting group has expanded their horizons into a book group that meets every Thursday night at the nearby Archie’s Bookstore. Instead of talking about a book one week, they have a local mystery author visit; he decides to tell them about a real life mystery that happened several years ago and remained unsolved. As interesting as this is (the knitting group has an affinity for solving murders), Izzy’s upcoming wedding is foremost on their minds. The group is working on a cashmere woven wedding shawl for Izzy, and June is fast approaching, bringing what they hope will be beautiful weather for a perfect wedding for Izzy and her beloved Sam.

Tragedy strikes when the wedding planner is killed. Could the fifteen-year-old death of a teen aged girl be related to the present day mysterious death of Tiffany Ciccolo? There are a few connections, and once again the knitting gals set out to prove the truth as they race against time to solve the case in time for Izzy’s wedding to happen without the burden of murder hanging over their heads.

As always, author Sally Goldenbaum is meticulous in providing readers with vivid and detailed descriptions of the characters, their small town, their knitting projects and even the food they enjoy. A reader experiences many of the senses the characters do as if by osmosis, and I frequently find myself either hungry or itching to knit while reading any of the books in this wonderful series! Thank goodness I’ve not yet had a hankering to solve a real life murder!

As the fifth book in the series, The Wedding Shawl is a fine read for lovers of the previous books. You won’t be disappointed, I assure you. If you are new to this series, that’s OK too; as a stand-alone mystery it holds its own. The timing of the release of this novel is perfect; the book is out in early May and is set in the same time of the year, making it a wonderful book to read outside in your spring garden. Recommended for mystery buffs, knitters, and New Englanders who revel in reading about our one perfect weather season and enjoying a well-spun novel with great regional descriptions.

Other Reviews in this series

A Holiday Yarn, No 4
Wedding Shaw, No 5
A Fatal Fleece, No 6