Knit or Dye Trying
(A Riverbank Knitting Mystery #2)
by Allie Pleiter
When I saw this one on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it when the blurb mentioned a parade of protest sheep and what a great idea! I should get some protest sheep so I can spread my message that Cozy Mysteries need their own classification separate from Suspense/Thriller/Mystery and yes, this is a hill I will dye on (heh!) supported by my protest sheep. This book also fit into my Spring Fever theme read for a spring themed craft cozy.
In this one, Collinstown is welcoming spring with a See More Than Seafood festival and Libby has lined up Julie Wilson, a vegan fiber expert who achieves amazing colors for her plant based yarns, to be a speaker and to demonstrate her dyes and techniques. Julie is known to be an outspoken advocate for veganism and has managed to annoy/anger/provoke others, especially farmers, with her outspoken anti-animal product views. Trouble quickly ensues with a parade of protest sheep down the main street in town, confrontations and finally, with Julie found dead. With so many suspects with motive for murder, Libby takes up the reins to flush out a killer.
I’ve haven’t read any of the other book in this series, so I can safely say it can be read as a standalone or an entry into the series. I always love finding a new world to dive into and Collinstown sounds like a charming getaway (I’m not going to lie, I’d be lined up in front of Margo’s shop waiting impatiently for goodies) with lots of great little shops and restaurants to wander through. Sign me up! I loved the characters, Libby is the kind of woman everyone would love to have for a friend and her close knit group of friends and shopkeepers made for a friendly, cozy read. I have to admit, I guessed most of the who in the whodunit but I stuck around for the big reveal to fill in the rest of the blanks. What a tragic story, I felt the same way Libby did when the whole story came out. Just senseless.
Overall, this was very enjoyable and I will definitely be picking up the first book in the series.
Published April 5th 2022 by Berkley Books
Mystereity Reviews 
I absolutely love the idea of protest sheep! Knitting/yarn is a theme that I think has generally been overdone in cozies, so I like how the author is taking a new spin on it by featuring a mystery that’s based around social issues (activism and protest).
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This is actually the second book I’ve read this month with social issues highlighted, Lost Coast Literary was the other one. While I enjoyed both books, I have to say at this point in time, I’m tired of everyone’s hysterics over social issues and I’d rather they were kept out of cozy mysteries. I mean, I quit Facebook and Twitter to escape it, I’d hate to have to give up reading too.😑
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Fair enough! I’m the opposite, I love when social issues are highlighted in cozies – but in a thoughtful manner, of course. I can’t escape social issues in my studies or in my daily life, so it’s not a big deal to me when they come up in my reading.
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I guess that’s the issue for me – I’m continually hounded with SJW issues everywhere – TV, music, movies, news, friends, relatives….everywhere. Complete oversaturation and all I want to curl up with a good book to escape it and now I can’t even do that 😐
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