"Libby Beckett has come home to Collinstown, Maryland, to fulfill a dream and start over. Last year's messy divorce from her devious pharmaceutical executive husband has given her enough money to finally open her own yarn shop along the Chester River. Opening Y.A.R.N. has taken creativity, funds, and nerve--and Libby finally has enough of all three. To Libby, Y.A.R.N. stands for "You're Absolutely Ready Now," but the acronym changes whenever it needs to, and customers add to the list of suggestions that fill the blackboard ...
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"Libby Beckett has come home to Collinstown, Maryland, to fulfill a dream and start over. Last year's messy divorce from her devious pharmaceutical executive husband has given her enough money to finally open her own yarn shop along the Chester River. Opening Y.A.R.N. has taken creativity, funds, and nerve--and Libby finally has enough of all three. To Libby, Y.A.R.N. stands for "You're Absolutely Ready Now," but the acronym changes whenever it needs to, and customers add to the list of suggestions that fill the blackboard wall in the shop. Libby is thrilled when she lands famous Norwegian knitting celebrity Perle Langager to host a knitting tutorial at Y.A.R.N. Libby's English bulldog, Hank, has been modeling one of Perle's doggie sweaters, and customers just can't wait to see Perle in action. But once she arrives in Collinstown, Perle seems distracted and on edge. And when she's found dead in the back of Libby's shop, Libby knows she has to solve a knotty mystery and save Y.A.R.N before her new life unravels."--
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Seller's Description:
New. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. A Riverbank Knitting Mystery. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New in new dust jacket. New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations. A Riverbank Knitting Mystery. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Libby Beckett is living her dream of opening up her Y.A.R.N. shop to spread her joy of yarn crafts with the masses. Y.A.R.N. stands for "You Are Absolutely Ready Now" but she wasn't ready to find Perle Langager dead. Perle was a famous Norwegian knitting celebrity who had come to Collinstown, Maryland to lead several events at Y.A.R.N. Perle seemed very nervous and distracted when she arrived but was looking forward to each event. Sadly she was found strangled with a skein of red yarn before a big event and Libby knows she needs to untangle all the suspects and unravel all the clues to knit her life back together so she can continue to live her dream.
I really liked Libby. Her passion for yarn and knitting just oozed out of her. I loved the way she encouraged an overwrought businesswoman to try knitting to alieve her stress. The woman was hooked after her first lesson. She also taught a 13-year-old girl anxious to learn to knit. Libby also realizes sorting out clues is easier with a pair of needles in her hands. You will rarely find the woman not knitting up some wonderful creation.
Ms. Pleiter has surrounded her protagonist with a wonderful supporting cast. Her mom and "the Gals" bring a lot of humor to the story, you never know what these ladies are going to come up with. That young 13-year-old knitter, Jillian is the daughter of Gavin, Collinstown's mayor, and Libby's high school boyfriend, who just may want to rekindle their relationship. But it was Hank the completely stole my heart. Hank is an English Bulldog, who is the shop's mascot and quite the model of doggie sweaters. He is also good to have around when you're feeling blue or in a bit of trouble. Libby is truly blessed to be Hank's person.
This book suffers from first book-itis. It is really hard to introduce all the characters so readers get invested in their lives and try to give readers a complicated mystery. There were a few star suspect choices and I was able to knit and purl the clues and picked out the culprit pretty quickly. I was waiting for an epic twist to prove me wrong but that didn't happen. I am sure now that we know the characters the mystery in the next book will be more complex.
I will say though that while the mystery was light I really enjoyed this story. The setting is delightfully described and if Y.A.R.N. was a real place I would be there in an instant to add my own words of inspiration to store blackboard. Y " You Are Really Nice or Y- You A- Are R- Raving Now, okay those are just off the top of my head. I also liked all the characters and want to know them better. Lily is very creative and I am excited to see what her next project will be.
On Skein of Death has given the Riverbank Knitting Mystery Series a firm foundation to build on. I am looking forward to returning to Collinstown and Y.A.R.N. soon.
Kristina
Jun 13, 2021
A lighthearted cozy mystery
On Skein of Death by Allie Pleiter is the debut of A Riverbank Knitting Mystery series. Libby Beckett is newly divorced and has taken her settlement to fulfil her dream of opening Y.A.R.N. Her dream is threatened when the three-day event she organized is canceled after the Norwegian knitwear designer is found murdered. Libby cannot rest until she learns the identity of the guilty party. There were some elements I liked and others that I did not. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the yarn shop, the yarn, the finished creations, and the gorgeous knitting needles. I also liked the picturesque descriptions of Collinstown, Maryland with its charming shops and friendly residents. The story is told in the first person which leads to a lot of internal thinking by Libby. There is repetition of information (details about characters and especially the murder). The whodunit was straightforward. Perle Langager is murdered in a fashion that suits the story. There are a limited number of suspects with the guilty party extremely obvious. I kept hoping for a surprise character or twist. The reveal wrapped up the mystery leaving no lingering questions. There is humor scattered throughout courtesy of Libby�s mother and her gaggle of friends. There is romance as well between Libby and her old high school beau, Gavin who is the current mayor. This is relaxing tale that will appeal to readers looking for lighter fare. On Skein of Death is a blithe cozy mystery with creative yarn art, a cute canine, a dead knitwear designer, a sleuthing shop owner, plenty of pie, and creative knits.
