annieb123's Review of Knit or Dye Trying (A Riverbank Knitting Mystery, #2)

by Allie Pleiter

Business is booming for Libby Beckett and her fabulous Maryland shop, aptly named Y.A.R.N., but when a town festival brings a fatality with it, Libby gets all tangled up in murder.

As spring comes to Collinstown, the village launches a food festival to draw a new group of tourists. Libby, proud owner of Y.A.R.N., has planned a yarn event to provide an alternative option to a foodie weekend. Artisan fiber dyer Julie Wilson—known for her work with animal-friendly, plant-based knitting fibers such as bamboo and hemp as well as her brilliant use of color—will hopefully draw a crowd with a special dyeing workshop.

The festival begins, but it draws more than crowds. First a flock of sheep parades down the street, herded by farmers protesting Julie’s antiwool stance. Then Julie’s celebrity chef sister appears, and the siblings resume a long-standing rivalry. Despite all this, Julie’s workshop has sold out. Libby is thrilled, and they’re preparing for a full house. But the night before the event, Julie is found alone in the warehouse event space—dead. The witty “Watch Julie Wilson Dye” workshop title now has a terrible new meaning—and it’s up to Libby to catch a crafty killer.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Knit or Dye Trying is the second Riverbank Knitting cozy by Allie Pleiter. Released 5th April 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audiobook, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats, it makes it so easy to find info with the search function if needed.

This is the second book in this well written and charming small-town shopfront cozy. Protagonist Libby has a lot on her plate. She's on the scene to help facilitate the town's food and fiber festival, run for president of the chamber of commerce, find her way forward with her old high school flame to friendship or something else, and investigate vandalism and murder.

Thematically there's a lot of yarn shop and fibrearts terminology and tie-ins. This is a nice one for readers who enjoy knitting/crochet and can't resist lovely yarns. Although it's the second book in the series, the mystery is self contained and it worked well as a standalone. As with lots of shopfront cozies, this one contains "recipes" for cotton washcloths in complementary colors in the back of the book.

It's a diverting read. Recommended for fans of light cozies. The language is squeaky clean. There is some mention of faith/God/and prayer, but it's not intrusive or proselytizing.

Four stars. Enjoyable and well written.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Knit or Dye Trying (A Riverbank Knitting Mystery, #2)

by Allie Pleiter

Reviewed by annieb123 on Apr 9, 2022

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