Review: It Came upon a Midnight Shear (A Riverbank Knitting Mystery #3) by Allie Pleiter

About the Book

A murder in her yarn shop’s backyard puts Libby Beckett’s holiday plans on thin ice.…

The holiday season looks merry and bright for Libby and her friends at Y.A.R.N. The store is expanding for a holiday boom, and she’s gathered Collinstown’s businesses to decorate a community Christmas tree. Dashing “Gallant Herdsman” Vincenzo Marani arrives to showcase the rare vicuña, whose coat produces the world’s most luxurious yarn. It’s a perfect yuletide—until Libby’s ex-husband, Sterling, turns up in town…and then turns up dead.

The murder unravels Libby’s life faster than a hand-knit Christmas stocking. The luxe yarn goes missing, Sterling’s domineering family comes to town, and the vicuña attempt an escape. If Libby can’t stitch up a solution to the case, she may be trading in her knitting needles for a set of handcuffs.

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MY THOUGHTS

I've been loving this series and this third installment lived up to my high expectations. The Christmastime setting was so cozy and inviting. Collinstown during the holidays would be a sight to see! And I really liked the vicuna. I didn't know much about them, so they were a neat addition to the story.

The mystery was great. It definitely kept me guessing. Libby's ex-husband Sterling stops by her shop and the next day, he's found dead. The day before he was murdered, Libby got into a pretty heated, and very public, argument with him. So, despite her high standing in the community, she's the prime suspect. But Sterling was a dislikable man with a lot of enemies. I usually have a strong inclination as to who the guilty party is, but that wasn't the case here. I was stumped. Every suspect had plenty of motive to do the deed. I couldn't narrow it down. When the reveal came, I was shocked! I didn't see that coming at all, but it made perfect sense.

I can't recommend this highly enough. This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series, so I hope there are many more cases to solve alongside Libby.

I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS