Death of a Crafty Knitter

Stormy Day Mystery #2

by Angela Pepper

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

After solving a murder, gift shop owner Stormy Day is famous in Misty Falls. Unfortunately, she's still dateless.

When she lets a mysterious fortune teller offer romance advice, Stormy is drawn into a world of deception. When a body shows up, more secrets and lies follow, confounding the investigation.

Even Jeffrey, the mischievous Russian Blue cat, seems puzzled by the Death of the Crafty Knitter. As Stormy races to find the killer, the danger escalates, bringing the amateur sleuth and the cold-blooded killer face-to-face for a startling climax.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Ebooks, Amazon, Cats

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2015

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author Angela Pepper lives with her family in the rainy Pacific Northwest, surrounded by spoiled kitties, deer, raccoons, and the biggest woodpeckers you've ever seen.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an alright cozy mystery but nothing that stood out or made me want to binge the series.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I liked this book. Stormy shows up to a woman's house. Of course she finds her dead. Now she tires to find out who is behind it. Of course she solves it and all is well for now.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes place in January. It begins with New Year's Day. The story involves a psychic, a missing gun, a computer program, and a button. I thought the killer was going to be someone else but for the same reason. I also thought one thing involving Stormy and her dad would happen differently. This may still happen later. The ending adds another man to the mix vying for Stormy. I want it to be someone it probably won't be.

[Kathie H · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened? I enjoyed the first book in this series (nothing earth-shattering, just a rather fluffy murder mystery). I was doing okay with this one until about two-thirds through, and suddenly the writer just fell apart or was consumed in an Invasion-of-the-Body-Snatchers type incident. And the title of this book has next to nothing to do with the actual story. I wanted to like it.

[C-shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should actually give this book four stars, even if it is a lightweight cozy mystery. It was very likeable, despite the protagonist's name, "Stormy Day" (groan!). This is second in Angela Pepper's "Stormy Day" series, a freebie from Bookbub. Some quotations I marked:
"[M]emories aren't photographs. They're more like watercolor paintings, and every time you visit a memory, you're going in with a wet brush and more paint, coloring and altering it with your changing perceptions, influencing it with your desires."
"But I was thirty-three, and I'd had enough life experience to know that 'I was just joking' is what a man says only after you've called him on his lascivious behavior." [Ain't that the truth!]
"Plenty of things are right in front of us, hiding in plain sight, because most people are so busy with their thoughts or their phones, they don't take the time to look."
". . . thinner than margarine at a butter convention." [snicker]
"In the car ride back to my place, Jeffrey [Stormy Day's cat] sang me the songs of his people. I asked him if he took requests, and if he knew 'Free Bird.' He did not." [Har har!]

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 55%.

I know, I got this as a freebie but it should still be a solid plotline. Disappointing because I loved the title and the protagonist's quirky name.

My Rating: 3 stars

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well what can i say another fantastic mystery. I do admit i thought it was the wife I was shocked when all was reveled. Loved the relation between stormy and her dad again, plus lots of cool bits with Jeffery again. Seems like there might be some romance soon but which guy will she choose?

[Elayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voula Varga (!) hosts a knitting club and does (fake) psychic readings. And she drives a hearse.

Misty Falls of course continues with its set of characters and hinky doings. But why a murder?

Apart from that mention of a knitting circle we hear no more about knitting in the book and it turns into a fairly standard cozy mystery. In fact the knitting club does no knitting just natter and tea and readings. Title a mis-nomer.
Book 1 in the series much better.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so glad that Stormy's dad was in this book a lot more than he was the first book. This book has him recovering from hip surgery but very mobile. I got the biggest kick out of him buying a new laptop and knowing a lot more about online stuff than he'd let on to Stormy. They made a great sleuthing team. Even though the last time Stormy had seen Dad before the killer showdown she'd not been too happy with him, he definitely came in handy. I just love the little cat, Jeffrey Blue. He's kind of mischievous, but he's still lovable. I'm never a fan of cats in books that aren't friendly to their owners, and that makes me sad. But Jeffrey makes me smile.

There was a good twist at the end and just when I thought I knew who the perp was, it wasn't. It'll be interesting in the next books to see if Stormy and Logan ever end up as anything beyond tenant, landlady and sleuthing buddies. The overall ending was great and it wrapped up everything that the perp had been up to. It had the start of a sweet toast but a slight mini cliff hanger got in the way. It's nothing I'm bummed over and nothing that reading the next book won't take care of.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is New Year's Eve and Stormy and her friend have gone to a local bar for a party and she sees a waitress treat another woman poorly and offers her help. When she shows up at the woman's house the next day, she finds her dead on the floor. She finds it necessary to find out what is happening with her retired police officer father.

The story was interesting and had some nice twists and turns.

[Ashley W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a meh mystery for me. The murderer Marvin wasn't that awesome of a character, so I wasn't surprised there was something there, but I didn't think it would be murder.
Men in this book just didn't do it for me.
Tony = jerk
Dimples = dumb
Marvin = sleezy

Stormy was a great amatuer sleuth though.

*Notes in Updates

[Loba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!! What a fun and exciting page Turner

[Marleen Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great easy read. Enough mystery to keep you going, not so much that you have to wreak your brain. Great series so far.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and fun cozy mystery that will have you smiling at some of the stuff the main character does .

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Stormy Day! Once again, it seems that trouble has found its way to you. I enjoyed this book just as much as the first. The plot and the characters were well-developed and so intriguing.

In this book, Stormy once again stumbles upon a murder and of course her curiosity gets the better of her and she embarks on solving the case. This time around, she has a partner-her dear old dad. Those two were great together. I loved the banter and their relationship was so sweet and special. The shenanigans in this book were so much fun. A great combination of humor and mystery. There were definitely a lot of moments that I was not expecting and just added to the overall element of the story. Angela really keeps you guessing about where and how this will all go. I loved that in a book.
I really hope that something develops between Logan(sexy neighbor/tenant) and Stormy because I do think they complement each other well.

Overall, this story was fantastic and I was intrigued with every page until the end. This was another hit in the Stormy Day series and I am excited for more to come. I wonder where this series will go next.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another funny Stormy Day mystery! Stormy seems to get herself into a lot of trouble. In the first death of book she found a snowman who turned out to be her fathers neighbor.

In this book it's New Years Eve and Stormy and her friend Jessica are meeting some other friends at the local pub, The Fox and Hound for a celebration of the New Year!

What they did not know is that they were going to run into the local Voodoo lady of Misty Falls. She got into a fight with the waitress and ended going home early after a brief meet and greet with Stormy in the restroom.

Stormy was invited to meet the Voodoo lady for a meeting at her house the next day. When Stormy got to her house, she found her dead body.

Of course, Stormy has to get involved and get her retired cop father in too.

This book was well worth the reading I did not have any idea who dun it until the very end. I have the next book ready to start, which will be very shortly.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stormy Day is a great character

I love her investigative skills that are getting better each time she stumbles onto a dead body. She is clever and has a wonderful relationship with her cat, Jeffery blue. That cat has a very cute personality and makes the book even more enjoyable.

She is living next door to Logan the lawyer from the first book and although they are drawn to each other they have not moved beyond the landlord tenant relationship. There are some emotions that come through, but they have not really expanded on them.

Mr.Finnegan Day is featured in this story and as a former policeman in the city he still has a few connections. Those seem to come in handy as Stormy and her dad look into this murder. It is a fun cozy mystery and I plan on continuing to read the series.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes cosy mystery writers lean too heavily on the side of cosy and not enough on the side of mystery - this moves the book from heartwarming to overly cute and vapid. This is one of those books. When your main character is called Stormy Day, the town is called Misty Falls, and the cat gets called Geoffrey McFluffy Pants, you know you are up to your neck in cloying syrupy sweetness. Three other problems: (1) this is book 2 in the series and events in the first book are referred without any explanation; (2) a victim who, prior to being murdered, cackles like a villain in a melodrama - why? It adds nothing to the character or story; (3) after a serious road accident, Stormy encounters the body and is shocked (understandable), but just an hour later she is flirting with the police and calling them cutesy nicknames (seems very unlikely). Next!

[J.P. Lundstrom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. the story was even weaker that the first in the series--I don't plan to read numbers three and four. I was hoping more interaction between the main character and her tenant/love interest, but it was not to be. Instead we get weaker and weaker interaction with less and less interesting characters, who never really have an impact on the story. Too bad.

[Kim j · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series! Its fresh, full of good humor & real relationships. I relate to Stormy. I am so glad that I found this series & that more is on the way. Thanks Stormy for a great read.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more fun than counting inventory – except for the dead body!

Since moving back home to Misty Falls, Stormy Day enjoys being the owner or the gift shop, but faced with a year end inventory she longs for a little more excitement in her life other than the crazed cat antics of Jeffrey McFluffy Trousers. Unfortunately, getting run off the road and then finding the body of a local fortune teller wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. It wasn’t her first body, and she might have left the case alone if Captain Tony Milano hadn’t rudely told her to mind her own business.

This is the first book I have read in this cozy series and I enjoyed it. There is humor, plot twists, and some hints of future romance. The interaction between Stormy and her father adds dimension to the storyline. Overall, I liked it.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangles and lies

New Year's has come round really quickly and together, with her father, they have decided to set up a PI business. Especially as a newcomer to the community has ended up dead and she found her! Although it should have been easy to find information, there seemed to be a lot of lies and half truths around. When a friend is arrested they cannot reconcile what they know about her to a cold hearted killer. Fraud schemes, infidelity and general cons abound as the two stretch their relationship to the limit. Can they find the real killer? Will she fall for the cute dimples or the more mature neighbour? A good plot. Again a bit obvious but nevertheless a good read as you get a more in depth look at the characters.

[Sally East · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it!

I read Death of a Crafty Knitter in two days of constant interruptions, errand-running, and 20-30 minute reading breaks until the rest of the house was asleep. It was just what I needed.. There are great characters who are believable and relatable and enough of them to keep the plot moving without feeling like I needed a scorecard to keep track of all of them. Learning how to handle an investigation from her prominent, retired detective father presents a little bit of a learning curve but Stormy is a quick learner. I also enjoyed the pace of the story, as it moves right along but not at the speed of light. I enjoyed the characters, the timing, the plot,....... in short I liked everything.

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My actual rating is 3.5 stars, but I rounded up. This was a pretty good read, but not as enjoyable as the first book. I kind of felt like the author was focussing more on the sarcasm and sense of humour of the main character than on the mystery at times. Also, the title kind of bugs me, because the knitting club essentially seemed to be there just to create a link between something in the story and the title (not to mention, I have to wonder how they finish any projects if their gatherings are like the one we saw all the time, since the little knitting they did during it seemed to just be an excuse to play a drinking game with their wool). So, a good read, but not a fantastic one. Good enough that I want to continue the series though.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Failed Hollywood actress, the voluptuous Voula Varga, has set up shop in Misty Falls, Oregon, as a psychic and seer.
Arriving for a free session Stormy Day is run off the road leading to Voula's home and, when she eventually trudges through the snow, Voula's no longer working as she has joined the spirits in the sky.
Stormy's dad, ex chief of police Finnegan Day is recovering from hip surgery, is bored, and wants to investigate. Obviously, Stormy will be doing most of the walking!
She thinks he's planning to become a P.I. but she's wrong.
It's all quite jolly, though I felt the plotting wasn't as tight as in the first in the series (“Death of a Dapper Snowman”).
And, like that book, Stormy sometimes feels like an outsider in her own story.
3 Stars.

[Christine Woinich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I loved Stormy's humor, her thought process, and her willingness to dig into the case as it came her way. The connection between her and her father added to the story as he taught her some of the tricks of investigation. She was so empathetic even when the victim and suspects were not as nice. With the help of friends, family, her lawyer tenant, and her detective friend, she was able to work her way through the clues to catch the culprit. A lot of fun and hard to put down.

The narration by Tiffany Williams was superb. She brought Stormy to life along with all the other characters, keeping them different so I knew who was speaking.

I received a copy of this audiobook, and this is my unsolicited review.

[Katie Storer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars

I purchased this book years ago. I thought I was going into a reread. Now I realize I had never finished the book the first time around.

This book took me forever to finish. I enjoyed the mystery, but I couldn’t get invested in the plot. There were moments of laughter and interesting facts. But I kept closing the book doing other things because the plot seemed to crawl along. There was even a bit of action, but I still had to force myself to finish it.

If you really enjoyed book one (Death of a Dapper Snowman), I think this will be a fun read for you.

I cautiously recommend this book. I will eventually read the next book. But I suggest you try to borrow it from a library. That is how I plan to read book three (Death of a Batty Genius).

[Carla Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misty Falls, Oregon, is probably only surpassed by Cabot Cove, Maine, for number of murders per capita. And Murder, She Wrote is exactly what this series reminds me of. While Stormy Day is not a retired English teacher like Jessica Fletcher, she does have a knack for figuring out who-done-it. That's not surprising since she's the daughter of a retired cop. I really like this character, but I fear her love life will play too big a part in later books. I love these quick reading cozy mysteries. I do not like romance novels. Here's hoping for more murders and less love (but only in the fictional world).

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the narrator's just wrong for this series, as the writing seems fine. She just puts some emphasis on things that don't need it and it just doesn't seem to fit. I do like the storyline and this one ended on a cliffhanger.

Kyle, the new cop, was a little much. He wants to get together with Stormy, even after they remember that she used to be his babysitter and that is just ick to me. I like her dad. He has this way about him that is both funny and smart. He does things and you think he must be crazy, but it all works out and makes sense. His texting skills are funny. Stormy gets so confused by them. Makes for a cute side story within this.