Cozy Mysteries A DARK AND STORMY KNIT with Peggy Ehrhart

Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser call their crafting group Knit and Nibble, in honor of its two main activities. But on a stormy Halloween night, their peaceful chat over spiced cider and cookies is interrupted by homicide . . .

With the houses of Arborville, New Jersey, decked out in festively frightening decorations, it’s easy to mistake a real dead body for a fake. But Pamela and Bettina are alerted by the screams of teenage trick-or-treaters to the corpse next door. Their neighbor Adrienne’s sister, visiting from New York City, is slumped on the porch, fatally stabbed. And with countless people traipsing around in costume, the killer might be as elusive as an apple in a bucket of water.

The victim was a charismatic college professor and fierce feminist, and soon the women are infiltrating her social and academic circles to collect clues. But some scandalous local gossip also suggests that Adrienne, not her sister, might have been the target. Now, Pamela and Bettina will need all their creative skills to solve this ghoulish crime . . .

Peggy Ehrhart recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss her latest cozy mystery, A DARK AND STORMY KNIT.

Peggy Ehrhart

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

A DARK AND STORMY KNIT is a Halloween-themed mystery. The suburban street I live on is very popular with trick-or-treaters and Halloween is a big event, featuring houses decorated in the scariest way possible. In A DARK AND STORMY KNIT, the murder victim has been stabbed and is sitting in a chair on a suburban porch, but passers-by at first mistake the corpse for a Halloween decoration.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

My sleuth is an amateur sleuth, but she often sees clues that the police overlook because of her expertise as a knitter and her job as associate editor of a magazine devoted to fiber arts and crafts.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

Respect for the domestic arts and crafts and the (mostly) women who keep them alive.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

I’ll be writing an Easter-themed novella for Kensington, featuring all the characters from the Knit & Nibble series.