St. Barnabus’ church in Middlehurst runs a fortnightly Knitting Circle, which is well attended until one of the group is murdered in the choir stalls during one of the Knitting Circle sessions.
When investigating officers D.I. Jack Cunliffe and D.C. Gil Brennan arrive, they discover the dead woman, Lorraine Prendergast wasn’t particularly well liked and a number of potential killers soon cross paths with Jack and Gil. Meanwhile, a new arrival in the village, in the shape of ex Detective Chief Inspector, Grayson Mulvaney, begins to take an interest in the events at church and becomes a friend of the verger, who herself is on the suspect list as the potential killer – until a second murder takes place in the village. Panic begins to set in when it is revealed the second woman was also a member of the Knitting Circle.
Genre: Cosy Crime Murder Mystery
Publisher: Provoco Publishing
Who is killing off the old ladies of Middlehurst and who is going to be the next victim? Join D.I. Cunliffe and D.C. Brennan as they race against time, and a very clever killer to protect the remaining members of the Knitting Circle.
The Knitting Circle is the first cosy crime, murder mystery novel written by established author, Jane Murray, who is better known for her seasonal Christmas novellas and Valentine’s Day novels. Jane also writes psychological thrillers under her pseudonym D.C. Cummings – the Devil’s House is out now and the second novel in the trilogy, The Devil’s Advocate is currently in progress. A second Jack and Gil Murder Mystery is planned soon.
My Review
I used to work for a large department store just before I retired and we had a knitting circle called Knit and Natter. We just called it Stitch and Bitch. I couldn’t help thinking about the name when reading the Knitting Circle.
This was jolly good fun in that cosy crime sort of way. The first murder is quite grisly, but related to knitting it’s amusingly appropriate (if you have my warped sense of humour that is). The victim Lorraine Prendergast was unpopular, so if the police asked who might want to kill her, the response would no doubt be ‘form an orderly queue’.
The second victim Hortense was killed using a different MO, but she also belonged to the Knitting Circle. She was in her eighties at least, so who would want to kill her and what is the connection to Lorraine?
The police in the form of DI (Columbo) Cunliffe, complete with the shabby raincoat, and his young sidekick DC Gil Brennan, are sent to investigate. Jack manages to ruffle more than a few feathers in the process. He also gets help from ex Detective Chief Inspector, Grayson Mulvaney, who has recently moved to Middlehurst, and is more interested in the verger Julia Brookes, than the church where the Knitting Circle meets once a fortnight. Even one of the vicars is shady.
So is everyone linked in some way and are they who they say they are? It was entertaining trying to work it all out and make the connections, but I was sad at the end.
Many thanks to Hygge Book Tours for inviting me to be part of #TheKnittingCircle #blogtour
About the Author
Homing Pigeon Scouser. Blue. Gobby. Oldish. God botherer Christian type. May have a glass of wine in hand. Writes a bit.
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