When Maggie Messina, owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is invited to give knitting workshops at a Berkshires spa resort, she manages to negotiate a cottage that fits all five of the Black Sheep for what promises to be a weekend of knitting bliss. But while the friends are expert at counting stitches, they haven’t counted on murder.

Guests and staff at the Crystal Lake Inn are as varied as a mixed bag of yarn, but most colorful is certainly the owner, charismatic self-help guru and former psychiatrist Dr. Max Flemming. The doctor may have told all in a revealing autobiography, but from his ex-wife to the widow of his former business partner—both employees at the inn—Max seems mired in shad­ows from his past. And when a killer strikes during a mountaintop retreat, the Black Sheep wonder what the good doctor might be hiding.

The police seem to be following the wrong thread. But while Maggie’s workshops have given the knitters a unique view of the tensions at the little inn, can they make sense of a crime that is as complexly stranded as a Fair Isle sweater? When the killer murders a second time, the Black Sheep won­der if they’ve dropped a stitch and put themselves in mortal danger. . . .

This is another light and fun cozy mystery. This time the mystery is still tight and woven fluidly throughout the story. At first I totally guessed wrong as to who the murderer was but started to guess after the second murder. Well, it's never fun when you guess it too early.
What I enjoyed about the story was the details. Canadeo allows the reader to enjoy massages, wraps, facials, and other treatments with the characters. Even after the murders, in order to calm themselves down, they still have time to pamper themselves.
I really like the camaraderie and easy friendship between the ladies. They were all smart and resourceful but each has a different personality. It would be nice to join them in the shop for a round of knitting :-)
The only small thing that bugged me was Lucy's passive aggressive behavior towards her boyfriend. She is mad at him for not doing something that he has no idea about. She never told him about the murders that happened on the trip yet she's angry at him for not calling to ask if she's ok. Even being called out on it doesn't change her attitude. Then it drives me nuts when she gets home and she STILL doesn't tell him how she really feels but continues to get angry and irritated at him. It's eventually resolved but I'm still iffy about someone dating someone when the divorce isn't finalized yet. Her whole attitude really annoyed me.

Viel Spaß beim Lesen :-)

thanks for reserving for me!!!

Again, we have a very cozy story around Lucy, Maggie, Suzanne, Dana and Phoebe. When the book started I thought: murder at a weekend retreat, that is something I have had already with one of Maggie Sefton's stories, let's see, how Anne Canadeo is going to tackle the goal... And it was different! Not better or worse, but different and interesting. I had several suspects (of course Max Flemming as one of them) and also the real killer as well, however I didn't spot the motive until the end.
The love story between Lucy and her boyfriend was the only part, I didn't need. I didn't believe the fact, that there is something wrong, except for the fact, that the first infatuation has worn off and they don't have to call each other several times every day. And Lucy has been married before, therefore she should know, how love will settle down to something steady after some months. therefore this part was a little bit too much for me. nevertheless it was not a spoiler, so I just let these parts pass...
It is a cozy read and I liked it very much. Rianonne, thanks for lending me the book!

thank you for the book, Rianonne!

Safe and sound back home :-)