DEATH ON THE ARGYLE

A bunch of sleuthing knitters in small-town Massachusetts become involved in a murder case involving a friend.

Though it’s not the first time a member of the Black Sheep has been accused of murder, heavily pregnant Lucy Binger finds this threat both a welcome distraction and a provocation to seek the truth. The group often meets at the Happy Hands Café, owned by Rebecca Hurley, the college friend Lucy has been getting reacquainted with years after they lost touch. Their two stepdaughters have already become fast friends. Rebecca’s husband, Colin, seems an odd duck, but it’s still a shock when he’s killed by a falling bookcase. The police seize on Rebecca as the likeliest suspect. Lucy, who’s a whiz at internet searches, soon turns up some disturbing information on Colin, who’d planned to skip out on Rebecca using money in a hidden bitcoin account. The thriller he was writing is both derivative and boring, but it provides some clues to his demise, beginning with the strong resemblance of the protagonist, a nerdy superhero, to Colin himself. Lucy’s determination to follow up these clues in person dismays her friends and especially her veterinarian husband, who worries about her health as they await the birth of their new baby. Her friends, fearing that Rebecca will be arrested if they don’t come up with some more plausible suspects, pitch in to help. In the end, it’s Lucy’s dog who helps solve the complex case.

A gal-pal mystery with plenty of twists and turns.