The Moon Spinners

The Seaside Knitters have saved me again.

I escaped into the first two books of this knitting mystery series by Sally Goldenbaum while trying to cope with The Great Flood of 2010 in our basement. Then I received the third book, The Moon Spinners, in the mail last week, and had intended to read only a couple of pages a day, to savor it for a little while. After coming down with the Great Sinus Plague this weekend, I gave in to total immersion. Losing myself in sun-soaked summer days of Sea Harbor, MA helped me to forget how miserable I was feeling, as I followed Nell, Izzy, Birdie and Cass in their quest to discover Sophia Santos' murderer.

Sophia Santos, Gracie's elegant but cool aunt, is a private person who reveals little of herself to her family and community. One thing she is known for, however, is her black-and-white view of the world, with little room for gray. Her attitude turns some Sea Harbor residents off, and appears to have pushed one to commit murder, when she loses control of her husband's sportscar and drives it off of a cliff. The police determine the brake lines were cut, and the Seaside Knitters are determined to support their friend Gracie in determining the reason her aunt was killed.

This third installment of the series is the strongest yet; the author seems to have hit her stride in balancing the setting and character descriptions with dialogue. All of the Sea Harbor residents we have come to know and love appear in this volume, with the addition of the Santos family and their competitors in construction, the Delaney family. Izzy, Nell's niece, seems to be acknowledging her deepening feelings for Sam, her childhood friend, and Cass becomes attracted to Danny, the journalist investigating the Santos family who is also the son of the local bookstore owners. We are given a glimpse of the town's summer solstice celebration at the end of the story, although I was disappointed the author didn't include anything about St. Peter's Fiesta, a real-life Cape Ann event held the last weekend in June, where St. Peter is honored as the patron saint of the fishermen. The free knitting pattern is for Knitty's Fish Hat, which Cass knits for her brother Pete for his band, the Fractured Fish.

The next volume, A Holiday Yarn, will be published Nov. 2. This may be the first non-summer glimpse we have of Sea Harbor, when the tourists are gone and the temperatures are frigid. Cass and Pete will be finishing up the lobster fishing season, and the Seaside Knitters will be enjoying wool, cables, and sweaters. While I'm looking forward to book #4, I'll happily wait so that I can enjoy our real-life summer!

Thank you for your kind words about my sore foot. I went to the orthopedist this morning; of course my foot felt fine! It's like when your car stops making the funny noise once you get it to the mechanic. In any case, I am going to start some physical therapy and see if we can pinpoint what's going on. I am missing my bike and hope to be back on it once I recover from this sinus plague!!

Comments

[Sara]

I've got to try and find these books at the library!!!

[Chris]

I hope the Sinus Plague clears soon! Ugh. :(

Of course your foot wasn't making that funny noise when you took it in. ;)

[Sydney]

I've improved to half sinus plague recently. Hopefully yours will clear up soon too.

Maybe you frightened your foot into shaping up. ;)

[Bubblesknits]

That sounds like my daughter. Any time I take her to the doctor, she mysteriously gets better. Take her home and her fever and symptoms come right back. ::sigh::

[Sarah]

Isn't it great to have a book to look forward to? I love when I find a good series to read. I hope you are feeling better!

[Leah]

Hope you feel better soon! It's no fun to be ill at this time of year. Glad the good lit is getting you through--that's what it's meant for, isn't it? To inspire us to look up and remember the loveliness lurking beneath the surface of our lives!

[Dorothy W.]

Sorry about the sinus plague! I hope you are completely better now. How wonderful that Moon Spinners came along just when you needed it. It makes perfect sense to immerse yourself in it, even if that wasn't your initial plan.