The Postman Always Purls Twice

Praise for the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series

“The fast-paced plot will keep even nonknitters turning the pages.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Congenial characters and a mystery that keeps you guessing.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Maggie and her group are as efficient with their investigation as they are with their knitting needles.”

—Library Journal

“Small-town crafty ambience. . . . This enjoyable tale is similar in style to the work of both Sally Goldenbaum and Cricket McRae.”

—Booklist

“An engaging story full of tight-knit friendships and a needling mystery.”

—Fresh Fiction

“A slew of interesting characters.”

—Single Titles

“Enthusiastic, engrossing, and exciting.”

—The Mystery Gazette

“An intriguing mystery with a few surprising twists and turns.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“Delightful. Enchanting. Humorous. Impressive. Witty. Those are just a few adjectives to describe Anne Canadeo's effervescent cozy.”

—Book Cave

Maggie Messina
, owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is a retired high school art teacher who runs her little slice of knitters' paradise with the kind of vibrant energy that leaves her friends dazzled! From novice to pro, knitters come to Maggie as much for her up-to-the-minute offerings like organic wool as for her encouragement and friendship. And Maggie's got a deft touch when it comes to unraveling mysteries, too.

Lucy Binger
left Boston when her marriage ended, and found herself shifting gears to run her graphic design business from the coastal cottage she inherited. After big-city living, she now finds contentment on a front porch in tiny Plum Harbor, knitting with her closest friends.

Dana Haeger
is a psychologist with a busy local practice. A stylishly polished professional with a quick wit, she slips out to Maggie's shop whenever her schedule allows—after all, knitting is the best form of therapy!

Suzanne Cavanaugh
is a typical working supermom—a realtor with a million demands on her time, from coaching soccer to showing houses to attending the PTA. But she carves out a little “me” time with the Black Sheep Knitters.

Phoebe Meyers
, a college student complete with magenta highlights and nose stud, lives in the apartment above Maggie's shop. She's Maggie's indispensable helper (when she's not in class)—and part of the new generation of young knitters.

To Susan Davis Pereira, with love and gratitude for your friendship. How lucky to have found each other in Mrs. Hammer's class.

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts,

—
As You Like It
,
ACT 2, SCENE 7, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

All the hate and revenge has left me, but is it all out of you?

—
The Postman Always Rings Twice
,
JAMES M. CAIN

“I
t's a mystery to me. The movie people haven't told me much.” Maggie shrugged as she set down a platter of sushi on the long oak table at the back of her shop. Lucy and Dana, the first to arrive, sat in their usual places, sipping wine and gently coaxing yarn and needles from their knitting bags.

“The cast and crew arrive in town tomorrow,” Maggie continued, “and they'll be invading this place on Saturday, at the crack of dawn. The shop's busiest day of the week. What can you do? The show must go on.”

“Where else are they filming? Is the shop the only spot in town?” Lucy was almost done with her latest creation, Maggie noticed; an airy, oatmeal-colored, dropped-stitched scarf, perfect for the warmer weather. But now she seemed more interested in hearing about the movie than moving in for the kill on her project.

“Suzanne said they also rented a big house on the beach where they'll shoot other scenes. I think they'll be in town about a week. I know I should feel honored, but somehow I already regret agreeing to this.”

Maggie was quietly proud of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop. She had found the perfect spot for her business years ago, the first floor of a beautifully renovated Victorian building that had once been a private home.

But she wasn't surprised at all that the entire town of Plum Harbor had caught the eye of movie location scouts. A classic New England village on the Cape Ann coast, it was as picturesque a spot as any movie set, its tree-lined lanes filled with historic houses, and a row of well-kept shops along Main Street, which led down to a harbor and green.

But now that reality was setting in, Maggie had serious doubts about whether she'd made the right choice.

“Come on, Mag. You're our Hollywood connection. How will we talk our way into being extras if you come off like a big grump?” Phoebe, Maggie's assistant, walked out from the storeroom, balancing a serving tray laden with other dinner necessities: a stack of flat sushi plates, little bowls for soy sauce, and a pile of chopsticks and napkins.

Maggie enjoyed cooking dinner for a knitting night, but didn't have the spare time today. Sushi was a crowd-pleasing choice, and the chopsticks and knitting needles seemed somehow related.

“I think Suzanne is our official Hollywood connection, and I'm not ready to give up my day job yet.” Maggie began handing out the napkins and chopsticks to her hungry-looking guests.

“I'll skip the audition, too,” Dana added with a smile. “But I'd love to watch them film a scene or two, and see how the actors and director work. That would be interesting.”

Lucy suddenly looked up from her knitting. “I wouldn't mind going behind the scenes with the actors. Especially Heath O'Hara.”

Lucy was a fan? Maggie had no idea. “Sounds serious. Does Matt know he has such famous competition?”

“He drifts into a happy daze every time I mention Trina Hardwick is in the cast, so I'd say we're even.”

“She doesn't seem his type at all. She's such a ‘bad girl,' ” Maggie replied.

“All the more attractive as a fantasy,” Dana noted. “Like most celebrity crushes.”

“Very true. But that's just common sense,” Maggie mumbled around a bite of spicy tuna. “No offense.”

Dana shrugged, rarely offended by the group's gentle teasing about her profession. When advice from a calm, thoughtful voice was needed, Maggie knew Dana, their resident psychologist, was the first they turned to.

“I can't believe that in like . . . less than two days, all those movie stars are going to be in this shop. Maybe even sitting in
these
chairs.” Phoebe gazed down at her own chair in awe. “It's totally freaking me out.”

“Hang in there, Phoebe. They're not here yet.” Such a vivid imagination; Maggie admired that.

“Sorry if you don't think that's really cool, Mag. But it totally is.”

“And good publicity for the shop,” Lucy reminded her.

“Yes, yes . . . That's how Suzanne talked me into this. I'm hardly the most starstruck person you'll ever meet.”

“That we'd all agree upon, for sure,” Dana assured her.

“I hope Suzanne is coming. I saved her some sushi.” Maggie glanced at her watch. “She must know a little more. I'm not sure if I should straighten up the place, or if they want that lived-in look. Will they be using the merchandise as props? Not that I mind, if they're careful with everything. I'd just like to know.”

“Don't stress. I'm sure you can email someone who will answer your questions. The shop looks neat as a pin, as always,” Lucy assured her.

“We try our best.” Maggie glanced at Phoebe, who was suddenly staring at her food as if she expected the bits of fish to leap off her dish.

Keeping the shop in order was one of Phoebe's main duties; making sure all the project books, needles, and other knitting necessaries were in their proper place and each skein of yarn in a cubby on the big wall, or tucked in a basket, carefully organized by color and fiber type. Phoebe kept up with this task most of the time. But she could so easily get distracted.

“Who else is in the movie besides Heath O'Hara and Trina?” Phoebe asked.

“Jennifer Todd is the big star,” Dana replied. “I saw her once on Broadway, in
Hamlet
. She was amazing as Ophelia. She won all kinds of awards.”

“Jennifer Todd is a better actress than Trina any day. Trina is mainly famous for being famous. And for her bad behavior,” Lucy added.

Maggie had to agree. After some early success in teen movies, Trina ran right off the rails—if one believed half the news about her in gossip magazines—trashing hotel rooms, causing scenes in exclusive restaurants. Arrests for shoplifting and driving under the influence. And all her dirty laundry, mug shots, and shocking outfits captured for the world to see on the covers of supermarket tabloids.

Jennifer Todd's image would be found a few rungs higher on the magazine rack, gracing the cover of
Ladies' Home Journal
or
Vogue
. Maybe sharing a favorite recipe or beauty tip in her interviews.

“Let's face it, the media doesn't want stories about how happy and settled a movie star's life is. Scandal sells more magazines,” Lucy observed.

“The film's director, Nick Pullman, has had one or two of those,” Dana recalled. “I remember years ago, he was involved in the death of a very young actress. I think she drowned in the pool at his mansion. A real tragedy. She was very young, not even twenty.”