I picked this one up because I liked the cover (yes, really!) and the idea that here was yet another cozy mystery with knitting involved. The fact that it opens with a St. Patrick's Day singalong was an added bonus. And it's #4 in the Knit and Nibble series with a pattern for a Knit Egg Cozy and a recipe for Irish Coffee Truffle. All in keeping with this genre.

Sadly, I was not that impressed. While there was a knitting group that meets weekly (I think), with a really diverse group of knitters, the main crafty details were the cooking. From the first few chapters with a St. Patrick's Day dinner, to the main character's breakfast and watching the drip coffee every morning, to pies and cookies, the details about knitting seemed to take a back seat to all the sweet treats Pamela and her best friend Bettina ate constantly.

Pamela lives in a small New Jersey garden-area town with a job as an editor for a Fiber-oriented magazine. Which is great - she gets to review articles on the Shakers and a medieval depiction of the Virgin Mary knitting in an anachronistic method, then send them to her editor. Her daughter is at college, she is widowed and still living in the home she and her husband fixed up after he died, And she had a romance with the guy next door, till it ended, and now some new romances seem to be blossoming.

I liked the fact that Pamela is a woman in her 40's, her best friend is an older woman who writes for the weekly town paper, and the diverse characters: a guy knitter (a lawyer whose therapist is encouraging him to relax), a Wiccan in the town who explains how St. Patrick was not necessarily a great guy towards women in his world, and the murder victim who was a bit of a wild child in the (gasp!) long ago 60's. Oh, and there's the abundance of cats. Always good to have a kitty or two in a cozy mysterday!

But I was really not that infatuated with the vast amounts of food consumed, described, and prepared, and the constant visiting that Bettina bestows on Pamela seems a bit excessive. I like my neighbors in the area, but if they came to my door every day at breakfast, and then later in the afternoon when they think they've maybe solved the case? I would quickly set some boundaries. ( )

Another fun installment in the A Knit & Nibble Mystery series. I love Pamela and Bettina together, they have a great friendship and their personalities compliment the other's nicely. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out. ( )

Irish Knit Murder by Peggy Ehrhart
This book title fascinated me as I am a knitter and love the complicated designs.
They work at local once a week paper, as reporters and covering the St. Patrick’s meal at senior center along with entertainment. After the performance the star leave the stage and she is found alter....
Betina and Pamela and her spouse Wilfred, he's the cook enjoy a meal home cooked.
Love food in the book and will attempt to do my cabbage the same way this week.
Dessert sounds like the perfect meal ending, similar to one my mom would make in glass bowl with layers showing through.
Betina shares pictures with them, love the texture and color of the missing sweater.
The women discussed the details they recall and pieced things together.... Flowers with deepest sympathy has them stumped...
Pamela lives alone with her cats and her daughter is at college. Spouse passed 15 years and she's just now dating.
Love how she relaxes by knitting and thinking of the details of the death...
Just when you think they solved the murder another occurs...
Lots of very detailed descriptions. Not only is a pattern included by also a coffee trifle.
Like this series and hope to read more now that I've discovered this author.
Authors links are included at the end.
I received this review book from Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies and this is my honest opinion.
#IrishKnitMurder #NetGalley ( )

This is the first book I've read in this series or by this author. As a knitter and a lover of all things Irish, I couldn't help picking this one up when I had the opportunity. The story opens as Pamela, a widow and craft magazine editor, and her friend Bettina, a reporter for the local paper, attend a senior center St. Patrick's Day luncheon. Bettina is there to cover the event for the paper. The fun and fellowship are evident, and the "Irishness" ramps up when local singer Isobel Lister arrives to perform a series of Irish songs. Not everyone enjoyed the performance, including at least one who walked out. Shortly after she finishes her performance, Isobel is found dead in the back room.

Pamela, Bettina, and the others in their knitting group have earned a reputation for solving mysteries. Pamela and Bettina are determined to figure this one out. I haven't read the others in this series but I wasn't very impressed with their methods. One or the other would seize on a possible suspect; then they would create some wild scenario that led up to the murder with no objective evidence for their suspicion. Then they would talk to the suspect, realize they had it all wrong, and move on to the next suspect. Rinse and repeat. I never got the feeling that they knew what they were doing. A second death threw everything they thought into turmoil, leaving them scrambling for answers. The eventual solving of the deaths felt anti-climactic.

I enjoyed getting to know the variety of characters. Bettina is a fashionista, and her outfits are described in detail. She is a woman with a big heart and a talent for drawing people out - a good thing for a reporter. She and her husband, Wilfred, are an adorable couple, and we hear all about the fantastic meals he cooks. Pamela is a widow with a grown daughter. Her husband has been gone for fifteen years, and she has begun dating again. Pamela is the editor of a craft magazine, and I am intrigued by the articles she is editing for it, especially the Civil War story.

The Knit & Nibble group members are introduced, and each has a unique personality, so it is relatively easy to keep them straight. I liked hearing about the projects they worked on. There were some upsides to Pamela and Bettina's focusing on suspects, and that was watching them "question" them. There was one character who was angry about the "misappropriation" of the Irish culture and dropped a few tidbits that were interesting to read. There was the Wiccan who wasn't happy about some of the conflation of various holidays. I liked seeing Pamela and Bettina learn about Ostara and its influence on Easter. I already knew this as I have a family member who is Pagan, and I'm always happy to see a little education slip into a story.

There are a few romantic elements. There's the end of one romance, a hint of a missed opportunity in another, and a new man that shows promise. I liked the new man, who clearly understands who he is after losing sight of what is important.

There were a few irritating things about the book. Most of it deals with repetitiveness. Every time Pamela gets a plate, bowl, or cup, we are told it's her wedding china. It's meant to be used, not saved for a special occasion, or so we are constantly reminded. The food is always described in detail, as are Bettina's outfits. It almost felt like the descriptions were needed to make up the word count.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to seek out the other books.

#netgalley ( )

When Pamela attends a senior luncheon with her best friend Bettina, who is a journalist, she expects a pleasant afternoon eating and watching entertainment. But then a lively senior, Isobel Lister, enters the room and starts singing, and things change. Pamela notices that not everyone is enjoying the entertainment, and one woman even walks out.

When the hostess goes to find ISobel, she comes back almost immediately with the news that Isobel is dead. Who could have killed her? And why? When Bettina convinces Pamela that they must at least investigate, they discover that the Lister family might be hiding secret, and those secrets got Isobel killed. But with so many suspects, how is Pamela going to figure out who killed the woman? Will she be able to find a killer, or will they celebrate the holiday by getting away with murder?...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read them all. I've enjoyed most of them, too; quite a bit. But there are things that have finally begun to irritate me. There is too much repetition. We already know Pamela insists on using her wedding china. It doesn't have to be repeated every time she has a cup of coffee. Same with Bettina's "sage green pottery," "whole wheat bread." and what is a 'serviceable compact?' This could be what women keep in their purses to check their lipstick. Why not just call it a car? I do realize she is trying to acquaint new readers of these things, but they are not needed to be said every time she does something. Unless she uses other plates, we don't need to hear of making whole wheat toast and putting it on wedding china. I have ceramic hand-made dishes, but I don't tout it to everyone who will listen. It's just gotten very annoying.

Sorry about the rant, but most of the book seemed to involve Pamela's day-to-day routine, with not as much attention to the mystery. When she did, though, it kept me reading, and when the murderer was discovered it was a surprise, which is what a mystery should do. There were clues, but many more red herrings. The writing was very good, and I liked the fact that Pamela is finally trying to change her outlook on certain things. (I will not say so as not to spoil the book for others). Other than that, I enjoyed the book and will keep reading the series.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )