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Black Sheep & Company Mystery #6
A Dark and Stormy Knit
In the sixth novel in the series that is “sure to hook cozy fans” (Publishers Weekly) the Black Sheep Knitters must work to solve the mystery of the disappearance of their friend—and figure out who is trying to kill her before it’s too late.
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Knitting graffiti, in Plum Harbor? Maggie Messina doubts it could ever happen in her quiet village. Until the new parking meters on Main Street are found covered with cat-faced cozies. In the dark of night, the mysterious Knit Kats have struck again! The infamous gang of stitching graffiti artists are totally harmless, and their pranks all in good fun. Or so Maggie and her friends think. Until a yarn-covered corpse is discovered a few days later—the tangles identical to Knit Kat handiwork.
These threads of evidence should be easy to follow. But the clever Knit Kats hide behind a website and secret identities. The murderer could be anyone. A familiar face in town, even a copy Kat. But when Maggie’s assistant, Phoebe, becomes the prime suspect, the knitting friends know the police have dropped a few stitches. With no time to rest on their needles, the Black Sheep set out to unmask the crafty killer. No simple task, when all Knit Kats look the same in the dark.
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Knitting graffiti, in Plum Harbor? Maggie Messina doubts it could ever happen in her quiet village. Until the new parking meters on Main Street are found covered with cat-faced cozies. In the dark of night, the mysterious Knit Kats have struck again! The infamous gang of stitching graffiti artists are totally harmless, and their pranks all in good fun. Or so Maggie and her friends think. Until a yarn-covered corpse is discovered a few days later—the tangles identical to Knit Kat handiwork.
These threads of evidence should be easy to follow. But the clever Knit Kats hide behind a website and secret identities. The murderer could be anyone. A familiar face in town, even a copy Kat. But when Maggie’s assistant, Phoebe, becomes the prime suspect, the knitting friends know the police have dropped a few stitches. With no time to rest on their needles, the Black Sheep set out to unmask the crafty killer. No simple task, when all Knit Kats look the same in the dark.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2014
46 people are currently reading
579 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 19, 2025
Very cute, sort of predictable, but I will absolutely be reading other books from this series
May 11, 2024
CW: murder, domestic violence
Quick and easy read, even without having read any of the previous books in the series, but:
-the characters didn't do any investigating
-non-destructive "vandalism" was treated with more severity than domestic violence
-author didn't bother to italicize thoughts
-some weird comments on people's physical appearance and dating preferences
-what college has lockers and substitute teachers?
Quick and easy read, even without having read any of the previous books in the series, but:
-the characters didn't do any investigating
-non-destructive "vandalism" was treated with more severity than domestic violence
-author didn't bother to italicize thoughts
-some weird comments on people's physical appearance and dating preferences
-what college has lockers and substitute teachers?
September 5, 2025
Ms. Canadeo is getting better at making you really think about who done it. I completely missed it in this book. Surprise!
I've read all the books up to this point. The characters have grown on me.
This is not a series to hand to your teen because of some inappropriate morals displayed.
I've read all the books up to this point. The characters have grown on me.
This is not a series to hand to your teen because of some inappropriate morals displayed.
October 15, 2013
review coming soon!
October 30, 2014
I look forward to reading more of Anne Canadeo's cozy mysteries!
July 11, 2025
"A Dark and Stormy Knit," the sixth book in Anne Canadeo's Black Sheep & Company Mystery series, once again brings us back to Plum Harbor, where Maggie Messina and her knitting friends find themselves tangled in a new kind of mystery. This time, it's not just about traditional crafts; it's about "knitting graffiti" and a mysterious group called the Knit Kats, whose yarn-bombed parking meters turn sinister when a corpse covered in similar yarn is discovered.
The concept of knitting graffiti is a fun and contemporary twist for a cozy mystery, and it initially adds a quirky charm to the familiar setting of Plum Harbor. Maggie and the Black Sheep Knitters are as likable as ever, and their camaraderie is consistently one of the series' strengths. When Maggie's assistant, Phoebe, becomes the prime suspect, it injects a personal urgency into their investigation, driving them to uncover the real killer and clear their friend's name.
However, while the premise is intriguing and the characters remain endearing, the execution of the mystery itself felt a bit underdeveloped for me. The idea of the secret identities of the Knit Kats has potential, but the narrative didn't quite build the suspense or present enough compelling suspects to truly keep me guessing with a strong "whodunit" feel. The clues sometimes felt a little too straightforward, and the overall unraveling of the plot didn't offer the satisfying twists or complexities I often look for in a mystery. While the book maintains its cozy atmosphere, the central puzzle didn't fully live up to the promise of the unique "Knit Kats" concept.
Overall, "A Dark and Stormy Knit" is a pleasant read for fans of the Black Sheep & Company series who enjoy the characters and the comfort of Plum Harbor. It's a cozy mystery that delivers familiar charm, but the murder plot itself didn't quite capture my full attention.
★★★☆☆
#ADarkAndStormyKnit #AnneCanadeo #BlackSheepAndCompanyMystery #CozyMystery #BookReview #Bookstagram #KnittingMystery #YarnBombing #PlumHarbor #AmateurSleuth #Whodunnit #SmallTownMystery
The concept of knitting graffiti is a fun and contemporary twist for a cozy mystery, and it initially adds a quirky charm to the familiar setting of Plum Harbor. Maggie and the Black Sheep Knitters are as likable as ever, and their camaraderie is consistently one of the series' strengths. When Maggie's assistant, Phoebe, becomes the prime suspect, it injects a personal urgency into their investigation, driving them to uncover the real killer and clear their friend's name.
However, while the premise is intriguing and the characters remain endearing, the execution of the mystery itself felt a bit underdeveloped for me. The idea of the secret identities of the Knit Kats has potential, but the narrative didn't quite build the suspense or present enough compelling suspects to truly keep me guessing with a strong "whodunit" feel. The clues sometimes felt a little too straightforward, and the overall unraveling of the plot didn't offer the satisfying twists or complexities I often look for in a mystery. While the book maintains its cozy atmosphere, the central puzzle didn't fully live up to the promise of the unique "Knit Kats" concept.
Overall, "A Dark and Stormy Knit" is a pleasant read for fans of the Black Sheep & Company series who enjoy the characters and the comfort of Plum Harbor. It's a cozy mystery that delivers familiar charm, but the murder plot itself didn't quite capture my full attention.
★★★☆☆
#ADarkAndStormyKnit #AnneCanadeo #BlackSheepAndCompanyMystery #CozyMystery #BookReview #Bookstagram #KnittingMystery #YarnBombing #PlumHarbor #AmateurSleuth #Whodunnit #SmallTownMystery
March 19, 2023
When Maggie Messina gets to work one early morning in January, she finds the newly installed parking meters covered with knitted covers. The faces all depict cats. Every meter in town has a cat cover, and the local cops are embarrassed.
The knitted protest is the apparent work of the Knit Kats, a knitting club known for whimsically covering statues throughout New England.
That’s all cute and fun until Maggie’s employee, Phoebe, finds a college associate murdered in a friend’s apartment wrapped in yarn similar to that used by the Knit Kats. Briefly, the cops think Phoebe committed the murder. Then another classmate disappears, and the case gets more complicated and intriguing. It’s ultimately Phoebe who figures out the solution.
This is probably a three-star book, but I gave it four because of the memorable beginning. Finding cat-faced covers on your parking meters in town would certainly be a wakeup call.
This is a fun series; the characters are fun people you’ll remember from book to book. If you decide not to read the series in order, the author provides you with a sketch of each of the characters and their relationships to one another.
The knitted protest is the apparent work of the Knit Kats, a knitting club known for whimsically covering statues throughout New England.
That’s all cute and fun until Maggie’s employee, Phoebe, finds a college associate murdered in a friend’s apartment wrapped in yarn similar to that used by the Knit Kats. Briefly, the cops think Phoebe committed the murder. Then another classmate disappears, and the case gets more complicated and intriguing. It’s ultimately Phoebe who figures out the solution.
This is probably a three-star book, but I gave it four because of the memorable beginning. Finding cat-faced covers on your parking meters in town would certainly be a wakeup call.
This is a fun series; the characters are fun people you’ll remember from book to book. If you decide not to read the series in order, the author provides you with a sketch of each of the characters and their relationships to one another.
January 7, 2024
Phoebe gets center stage in "A Dark and Stormy Knit," an installment of the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries series.
One of her college classmates is murdered, and another is missing. Guess who the police suspicion falls upon. Yup. So the knitters help the investigation. This time, they do it the way you're supposed to help police investigations. When they learn something pertinent, they call the police.
This book really centered around Maggie and Phoebe and their relationship, which was nice. I always thought Phoebe got short shrift in the books.
We also see an appearance of yarn bombers in this story, although our knitters seem to have a mostly negative attitude toward yarn bombers.
Sometimes, these books tend to read a little "little old lady." I'm an old lady, and even I am put off by the stodgy old vibes sometimes.
One of her college classmates is murdered, and another is missing. Guess who the police suspicion falls upon. Yup. So the knitters help the investigation. This time, they do it the way you're supposed to help police investigations. When they learn something pertinent, they call the police.
This book really centered around Maggie and Phoebe and their relationship, which was nice. I always thought Phoebe got short shrift in the books.
We also see an appearance of yarn bombers in this story, although our knitters seem to have a mostly negative attitude toward yarn bombers.
Sometimes, these books tend to read a little "little old lady." I'm an old lady, and even I am put off by the stodgy old vibes sometimes.
November 5, 2018
Maggie Messina owns a knitting shop on Main Street in Plum Harbor. Going to open her shop early one morning Maggie is surprised to see the new parking meters covered in knitting caps. N one owns up to doing this but it seems a pretty harmless prank. Maggie and her friends meet at a gallery to view one of their friends work and then the girl goes missing. After a body is discovered they think is it their missing friend but it s that of another student and their friend is missing. Things get complicated when faculty members are involved and its time for the Black Sheep knitting club to help find the murderer
January 1, 2025
A friend (AC) sent me a number of books from this series. It ends up that this book is the first book I finished for 2025.
I liked that this book focused more on Phoebe and that we got to learn a bit more about her. The knitted cats sound cute. I have seen some knitted items left on fences (wrought iron fences with the "spikes" where the knits covered the spikes). They were not cats though--I think elves or gnomes, maybe, or maybe just small hats.
Overall though, the story didn't really capture my attention as much as some of the others in the series.
I did guess who the murderer was before it was revealed--though there were some other crimes that I didn't guess.
I liked that this book focused more on Phoebe and that we got to learn a bit more about her. The knitted cats sound cute. I have seen some knitted items left on fences (wrought iron fences with the "spikes" where the knits covered the spikes). They were not cats though--I think elves or gnomes, maybe, or maybe just small hats.
Overall though, the story didn't really capture my attention as much as some of the others in the series.
I did guess who the murderer was before it was revealed--though there were some other crimes that I didn't guess.
November 2, 2018
This is the 6th book in the series. Maggie is surprised to see that the newly installed parking meters have been hit by a rogue group of knitters, the Knit Kats, covering each meter with a cat-faced cozy. As the police try to figure out the culprits, everyone is stunned when a murder occurs, with the body covered in yarn, implicating the Knit Kats. When Maggie finds out that her assistant, Phoebe may have been involved, she works with her friends to help exonerate her from the murder and find out who the Knit Kats are, as they are either the culprit or the enemy of the murderer.
March 18, 2023
Love and murder
Phoebe’s friend Charlotte is the featured artist at the college’s gallery opening, but runs away from an old boyfriend before the show even begins. When Phoebe goes to her house to check on her, she comes across what she thinks is her body - but it’s another student they knew; where is her friend, and who killed Beth? The Black Sheep Knitters help her deal with the police interviews, reorganization of her apartment after a search, and generally giving comfort when she faces other challenges. The answer will reveal an age old reason for murder.
Phoebe’s friend Charlotte is the featured artist at the college’s gallery opening, but runs away from an old boyfriend before the show even begins. When Phoebe goes to her house to check on her, she comes across what she thinks is her body - but it’s another student they knew; where is her friend, and who killed Beth? The Black Sheep Knitters help her deal with the police interviews, reorganization of her apartment after a search, and generally giving comfort when she faces other challenges. The answer will reveal an age old reason for murder.
January 7, 2017
Another cozy--lots of female characters, at times the point of view changed from one character to another and was a bit confusing...easy to figure out the guilty party--clues throughout. Would read another in the series.
April 24, 2019
Phoebe takes the lead in this college character's murder story. Her best friend, Charlotte, is in the midst of all the chaos and crimes. Charlotte's life is pulled apart as the death and her disappearance is investigated. Will Maggie start a new relationship?
March 22, 2020
For once our main characters didn't get shot by the killer! They just got arrested.
This was an enjoyable book during our Crisis!!! Good reading!!! Took my mind off
the news and other crazy stuff!!!
This was an enjoyable book during our Crisis!!! Good reading!!! Took my mind off
the news and other crazy stuff!!!
April 4, 2021
It only got 2 stars because I’m a knitter. The dialogue was, like, totally annoying. And the detectives must be idiots. The author does get points for mentioning Miss Marple, since I love Agatha Christie.
June 4, 2022
I like this sites. Very engaging utter not super deep. It has a good mystery and characters and that’s what I like. This was more like a 3.5 star book though. I like the direction the series is going.
July 11, 2025
This book was fast paced, and keeps you guessing who killed the wrong girl. Was it her wired ex-boy friend, her profesor, possibly her Art instructor or her best friend. So many possibilies. hard to put down. A great story.
May 12, 2017
It was oka y. The plot was fun to read but not memorable. The writing was descriptive as the story unfolds, but the characters did not seem like they drove the story, more like bystanders.
September 12, 2017
Kindle
May 15, 2018
Yarnbombing enlivens the plot of a series that is more about the support of a knitting sisterhood than actual plot. Though that exists too.
December 28, 2018
Awesome all the way through. Page Turner and continue to love the characters.
January 23, 2019
Very entertaining. A nice escape from cooking and cleaning but now I really want to find a local knitting group!
February 7, 2019
Good series!
May 17, 2021
A nice addition to this series.
July 3, 2021
I love a cozy mystery. This is my first book by the author. I enjoyed it… a lot of red herrings….and I did suspect the killer.
January 18, 2022
Loved it!
August 1, 2022
Simple but tricky mystery. Close knit friends and lots of knitting!
September 9, 2022
Another great fast paced book possibly my favourite so far on to the next
May 26, 2023
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews