The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren

Book 1 of the Vampire Knitting Club series

I was tipped off to this delightful book by some innocent byplay on Twitter. An editor or agent wanted a light read. Someone else, also in the industry, casually remarked, “How about the Vampire Knitting Club?”

Loyal readers, you never saw so many heads snap around and take notice.

Apparently the publishing industry runs on yarn fumes.

The Bats have left the bell tower

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 600-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?

The victims have been bled

Here’s the breakdown: Lucy has just received word that her beloved Gran has passed away. To her surprise, she’s been left Gran’s yarn store in Oxford, England. Lucy, as much as she loved her Grandmother, has absolutely no skill in the fibre arts.

Taking stock of the yarn store and deciding what to do with it is a great distraction from Lucy, who has just broken up with her boyfriend. The store employee is a bit testy, but there’s a handsome young gentleman with good taste in yarn who stops by often. Not only that, the local policeman is a treat to the eyes.

Colour Lucy surprised when she finds out that the handsome young knitter is a vampire, and the cellar of the store is the home of her very much undead Grandmother! Gran was assaulted one night, discovered by one of her vampire friends, and turned.

Undead, undead, undead

Oh yes. The store is the local meeting place for all the nice, introverted knitting vampires of Oxford.

Over the course of the book, Lucy investigates her grandmother’s murder and begins to realize that she has talents of her own. And a lot of sweaters, because vampires show their love with yarn and can apparently knit with alacrity.

Folks, this was an easy, delightful read. It didn’t take long to slip into the world. If you love yarn, cozy mysteries and amiable vampires, there’s a very good chance you’ll adore this book. It has a bit of romantic tension, but it’s quite obvious the author would like to drag out the possibility of a love triangle. Even so, it’s romance-light. It’s a very nice change that allows the characters to breathe a bit rather than rush into some kind of sweeping possibly-paranormal love story.

The book did take a little bit to get moving, though. I attribute that to world building and scene setting. After all, we already know from the blurb that Gran is a vampire. Nancy Warren really does want you to buy into the concept of the book, so she takes the time to set it up properly.

Four fangs out of five. Will most likely read again. And I’ve already started the second book in the series!

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