Patterns in the Sand

 This is the second book in the Seaside Knitters Mysteries by Sally Goldenbaum.  I am really enjoying this cozy series.  It reads a little more like a literary fiction story than a typical cozy in my opinion.  The character development and their introspection make it a more substantial read than many of the fun lighter cozy series.  Nell, Izzy, Birdie and Cass need to work to clear their new friend of a murder accusation.  Small town gossip makes Willow a prime suspect when she arrives in town just before Aidan is murdered.  The secrets she is keeping add to the appearance of guilt.  

But she is not the only one keeping secrets it seems.  As the story unfolds there are many characters acting suspiciously and casting guilt on themselves.  It turns out there are more things going on in the artist haven than most realize.  But are these secrets worth killing for?  

Goldnebaum does a wonderful job of laying out a mystery with suspects to spare.  The nice thing is she clears up all the loose ends and they all make sense.  I am really looking forward to reading more in this series.

Patterns in the Sand by Sally Goldenbaum
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many are keeping secrets in this small town and particularly in the artist's haven. But what secret is worth killing for and why now?
This is an intriguing book with characters of a variety of ages and personalities. The mystery itself is well written where the reader is led to suspect several different individuals and the true guilty party is quite unexpected. If you are looking for a series with a well developed cadre of main characters and strong female leads this is definitely one to pick up and give a read.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #118
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 yes
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #125
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #139
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #82
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #119
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #100
9. Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO  In the Library with theCandlestick
10. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
11. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 2
• Lake or ocean
• Lawn
• Weapons
• Row 3
• Drowning, water, ice
• Row 5
• Medicine or drugs
• Detectives- Nell/Izzy/Birdie/Ben
• Victims- Adian Peabody/Billy 
12. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #18  Shot #2