The Vampire Knitting Club
By Nancy Warren
Narrated By: Sarah Zimmerman
Series: Vampire Knitting Club, Book 1
Duration: 6 h 7 min
Published 2019 by Tantor Audio
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal, Vampires, Witches
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4. 5; Narration 4. 5.
Summary:
At a crossroads between a cringe-worthy past (Todd the Toad) and an uncertain future (she's not exactly homeless, but it's close), Lucy Swift travels to Oxford to visit her grandmother. With Gran's undying love to count on and Cardinal Woolsey's, Gran's knitting shop, to keep her busy, Lucy can catch her breath and figure out what she's going to do.
Except it turns out that Gran is the undying. Or at least, the undead. But there's a death certificate. And a will, leaving the knitting shop to Lucy. And a lot of people going in and out who never use the door-including Gran, who is just as loving as ever, and prone to knitting sweaters at warp speed, late at night. What exactly is going on?
When Lucy discovers that Gran did not die peacefully in her sleep, but was murdered, she has to bring the killer to justice without tipping off the law that there's no body in the grave. Between a hot 500-year-old vampire and a dishy detective inspector, both of whom always seem to be there for her, Lucy finds her life getting more complicated than a triple cable cardigan. The only one who seems to know what's going on is her cat . . . or is it . . . her familiar?
Review:
Lucy Swift is a young woman about to make a life change. She lost her job and left her cheating boyfriend to return home to visit with her loving, supportive grandmother. Lucy figures that some ‘down-time’ helping out in Gran’s knitting shop, the Cardinal Woolsey, will give her a chance to regroup. Lucy arrives to find the shop locked and neighbors tell her that her grandmother is dead. Lucy is surprised when she inherits the shop, even though she is all thumbs when it comes to knitting.
As Lucy starts to clean up the shop, she finds Gran’s glasses on the floor with what looks like blood on them. Then a strange, enticing man appears in the shop claiming to be looking for his friend, Lucy’s Gran. As Lucy tries to find out more about her grandmother’s death, she discovers that her Gran is dead, but not gone as she is now part of the undead. Also, Gran’s death wasn’t accidental, but Lucy can’t give those details to the handsome detective inspector who has come to her aid.
Lucy learns that someone wants to buy her shop, even with the help of threats. Although the idea of selling is initially tempting, Lucy realizes that might not be a good idea once she knows that a clan of vampires, including her grandmother, live below the shop. To complicate matters further, Lucy suddenly finds her fingers giving off sparks, while the cat that has adopted her seems to be getting in the way at inappropriate, or maybe appropriate, times.
This is a fun story with very likeable characters. Lucy is a sweet, caring woman who isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. She now finds herself with a business to run and two handsome men hovering around her. The story moves at a good pace, with the mystery leading to more murders before the villain is caught. This is the first in a series and I am interested in reading/listening to more in the series. I recommend this to fans of cozy mystery with the added twist of vampires and witches.
Audio Notes: Sarah Zimmerman does a fine job with the narration. She provides distinct voices, fitting energy and carries the lighter tone of the story that deals with murder and vampires. I will look forward to listening more in the series.
Source: November 2020 VIP pick from Audiobooks.com. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Alphabet, and 2021Audiobook goals.
