Vampire Knitting Club

Nancy Warren presents a prequel to the Vampire Knitting Club series.

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?

Elderflower Tea Shop is next door to Cardinal Woolsey's, the yarn shop Lucy runs and home to the late-night Vampire Knitting Club. The tea shop owners are a pair of octogenarian spinsters and old family friends, so Lucy wants to help clear up the mystery that's keeping their shop closed. But murder isn't the only issue troubling the Miss Watts. A man has come between them. Miss Florence Watt is being romanced by an old flame, one Mary Watt distrusts. In between figuring out who, among his many enemies, might have poisoned the unpleasant Colonel Montague, Lucy's trying to brush up on her magic spells before the Wiccan potluck dinner her witchy cousin insists she attend. However, she's still settling into being a witch and since she botched a spell and blew up her kitchen, she's taking the magic slowly. Her knitting endeavors aren't much better. Between purling when she should knit and dropping so many stitches her hand-knit scarf looks like it was attacked by giant moths, there are days Lucy thinks she'll pack it all in and move back to Boston. She might, except she'd miss her beloved undead grandmother, her new friends, one very sexy vampire, and a local detective who is very much alive.

My Grandmother, Agnes Bartlett, used to own Cardinal Woolsey's knitting shop then died and left her shop to me, without informing me that she wasn't actually dead. She's a vampire and part of the world's strangest craft circle-the Vampire Knitting Club. As you might imagine, this means she's free to interfere in how I run the business that used to be hers. She's trying to teach me to knit and it's not going well. She's also trying to teach me how to be a witch, since it turns out I'm from a long line of witches. Another tiny detail about my family that no one ever told me, along with the long-lost witch cousins I recently discovered. But I'm learning. I've got my family spell book, my black cat familiar, some powers that sometimes scare me, and an interesting new group of friends. My archaeologist parents are coming to visit and bringing me a gift I could do without. So, to recap, I run a knitting shop and I can't knit. I'm a beginning witch who can't always control her cat, never mind her magic, and my love life is as tangled as the last sock I tried to knit. Oh, and for some reason, I keep getting involved in murder investigations. Good thing I have my vampire knitters to help sniff out clues. At least I've finally hired the perfect assistant, a real demon with the crochet hook. Or is she too perfect?

The Vampire Knitting Club decide to take part in Oxford's Holiday Market, selling exquisite hand knit scarves, sweaters, and gift items. Their most popular item is the hand knit Christmas stocking, brightly colored and extra-long to squeeze in a few extra small gifts. But when a sales clerk in another booth is found strangled with one of the stockings, Lucy Swift and her undead detectives are on the case, determined to find out who would do such a terrible thing. And why. In the meantime, Lucy's working hard at her spell book, learning to be a witch, with the help of her black cat familiar and her new assistant. Meritanum is a three-thousand-year-old Egyptian witch and she's having trouble with some of the concepts of modern life, such as traffic, smart phones, and anything powered by electricity. Life at Cardinal Woolsey's knitting shop, in Oxford, England, is as colorful as the most garish Christmas sweater.

Romance is in the air on Harrington Street, Oxford. Detective Inspector Ian Chisholm is finally showing interest in Lucy, though the members of the vampire knitting club aren't too thrilled to have the police hanging around so close to Cardinal Woolsey's yarn shop. Up the street at Frogg Books, shop assistant Alice is in love with her bookish boss, Charlie, who doesn't seem to notice. Lucy's trying to become more proficient as a witch and when her cousin Violet talks her into brewing up a love potion to bring Alice and Charlie together, it seems like a harmless way to improve her craft. Until someone dies. Is Lucy's love potion more deadly than cupid's arrow? Or is there a killer on the loose?

What if the fortune teller at the local village fair is a witch? And all her fortunes come true-even when she foresees a death . . . When Lucy Swift's cousin Violet decides to take over as the fortune teller at Moreton-under-Wychwood's annual summer fête, Lucy thinks being her assistant will be a fun way to spend a Saturday. That is, until someone's murdered, and the locals turn on Violet, who foresaw the death. To save her, Lucy and her band of undead amateur sleuths have to find out what's really going on in this charming Cotswolds village. What better way than to offer knitting classes? No one has to know that the teacher is a vampire. But uncovering the dark secrets under the postcard-prettiness will bring great danger to Lucy and those she loves.

Cardinal Woolsey's Yarn Shop has been chosen to appear on TV. Great publicity! Until a murder stops the cameras . . . Celebrity knitting designer Teddy Lamont is coming to Cardinal Woolsey's knitting and yarn shop in Oxford to run a special class that will be televised. Lucy Swift can't wait to host the popular, flamboyant designer and boost her business. But from the first day things go wrong. One student is nothing but trouble on and off camera. When she winds up dead, the publicity Lucy was hoping for turns out to be the wrong kind. Lucy and her band of undead amateur sleuths have to figure out who the killer is before her business winds up dead.

Who invited Death to the wedding? When an ancient beam falls on one of the guests at Charlie and Alice's wedding, it looks like the work of the death watch beetle, an insect that eats old timbers. But fledgling witch Lucy and the vampire knitting club aren't so sure. Could there be a murderer casting blame on the wood-chomping insects? Meanwhile, the old broom that's always stood in the corner of Cardinal Woolsey's knitting and yarn shop seems to have a mind of its own, and Lucy's cat is ready to hop aboard and take the broom for a spin. With or without Lucy. Between learning a new knitting stitch and keeping her broom and cat earthbound, Lucy hasn't got time to solve a murder-until it turns out the next victim is someone she loves. Join Lucy and her eccentric band of amateur sleuths in Oxford as they attempt to unravel a twisted skein of clues and catch a killer without dropping a stitch.

When Lucy organizes a holiday knitting circle, it's good fun, Until someone's murdered ... And the culprit must be one of the knitters ... Knitting an ugly Christmas jumper at Cardinal Woolsey's knitting shop in Oxford, is supposed to be relaxing. Until a knitter keels over. It's soon clear to amateur sleuth Lucy that murder's in the air and the culprit is one of the knitters. This is a fun take on a classic closed room mystery. Of course, no room is every closed when vampires live downstairs. But are the undead knitters to blame? Or is there more to this Oxford knitting circle than lumpy Santas and light-up reindeer?

Is there a murderous poltergeist on the loose? When an Oxford caretaker is killed by a fall down the library stairs, and a professor attacked, rumors fly that it's the work of a poltergeist who's been causing havoc at the college. The prof is a knitter, and a customer at Lucy Swift's shop, Cardinal Woolsey's. But Lucy thinks a very human killer is shifting the blame onto a ghost who can't defend themselves and she's determined to trap the real killer and get justice for the dead man. However, danger lurks at the college where old secrets and new crimes collide. Vampire and old book expert Rafe Crosyer has been called in to value the college's literary collection, and he witnesses firsthand how angry the ghost really is. Furious enough to kill? Or is there something else the tantrum-throwing spirit is trying to tell them? And will they decipher the message before it's too late?

A Secret Society leads to Murder The Gargoyle Club is a secret society in Oxford's Cardinal College, where privileged young men from important families get drunk and rowdy and cause trouble. Rafe, as a member of the club, is not impressed with these newest Gargoyles. Meanwhile, a social climbing high school friend of Lucy's is in town. Is she really after an art history degree or is her purpose more devious? When someone dies during a club dinner it looks like more than boys behaving badly. It's up to Lucy and her undead knitters to solve the crime. This is part of the vampire knitting club series but each book can be read as a standalone. These books are free of swearing and gore and packed full of quirky characters, magic, a touch of romance and a lot of fun. Join the club today. Being undead not a requirement.

Missing jewels, a witch's dagger, and murder . . . Just a regular day at Cardinal Woolsey's Knitting and Yarn shop in Oxford. When glamorous vampire Sylvia discovers a movie company is remaking one of her most famous silent films, she's determined to get some creative input and decides to make knitting shop owner Lucy the beneficiary of her estate. Lucy will front for Sylvia in dealing with the movie executives who want to recreate the priceless Cartier jewels made specially for the original movie and still owned by Sylvia. Meanwhile, Lucy's moving along in her witch's training. It's time to choose her own athame, a dagger that she'll use for spells. With all that going on she's barely got time to run a knitting shop, never mind solve another murder.

What the hex is going on? Life at Cardinal Woolsey's knitting and yarn shop is about as smooth as shop owner Lucy's knitting. In other words, lumpy, tangled, and prone to disaster. Much like her spell-casting. But things get worse when her cousin and shop assistant Violet shows alarming symptoms of a hex. Who would do such a thing? Was it the guy from Witch Date she blew off? Or is Lucy the real target? Meanwhile, Lucy's dating a much older man. Like five hundred years older. The gorgeous vampire Rafe wants to marry her, but there's more keeping them apart than an age gap. Can they make a May-medieval marriage work? Or will they say goodbye forever? When someone dies, either the hex is to blame or there's a murderer on the loose in Oxford.

Can a secret runic message lead to murder? As Lucy and Rafe plan their wedding, everyone wants to get involved. The vampire knitting club is crafting the gown, William's catering, and Miss Watts are making the cake. Everything's under control. Or is it? Just as Lucy begins to believe there won't be a hitch in their plans, she receives a curious wedding gift that leads to murder. Between hen parties, her parents arriving early, running a knitting shop, and murder, will Lucy make it down the aisle in one piece? Join Lucy and her undead knitting club as they solve another crime.

Beware the crystal ball . . . When Lucy and Rafe are given a crystal ball as a wedding present, she's shocked when it foretells doom. For the newlyweds, this was supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. But when a terrible accident befalls one of their wedding guests, Lucy and Rafe must postpone their honeymoon. And as the evidence begins to unravel, it becomes clear this was no accident. Lucy and her undead knitters must navigate punting on the Cherwell River in Oxford, complicated and contentious relationships among their guests, and clues that don't make sense. It may have looked like a random tragedy, but as every knitter knows, when you place the separate strands in a certain light, there's always a distinctive pattern.

Mystery Unraveled: A Paranormal Puzzle Lucy Swift, witch and knitting shop owner, thought her biggest challenge at a marketing course in Oxford would be untangling the enigma of consumer behavior, not a murder mystery. But amid the hallowed halls, someone is weaving a deceptive web that leaves Lucy second-guessing her senses. It's all fun and games until a corpse appears in her dormitory, silent and still-definitely not an illusion. Now, with her best friend Jennifer and her black cat familiar Nyx at her side, Lucy must stitch together clues with the help of her nocturnal companions, the vampire knitting club, who are more adept at needles than neck-biting. Can Lucy and friends solve this crime, or will the killer strike again, leaving only silence and secrets in their wake? Embark on a bewitching tale of twists, turns, and turmoil where the line between charming spells and chilling crimes is as fine as a strand of yarn. Cables and Conjurers is a self-contained paranormal cozy mystery, laced with humor and a knotty plot that promises to keep you guessing-and giggling-until the very end. No sex or gore, just good clean murderous fun.

A knitting shop in Oxford ought to be quiet... But Cardinal Woolsey's is anything but. Continue the adventures of witch Lucy Swift and her undead knitting club in this collection of cozy mysteries, including Lace and Lies, Bobbles and Broomsticks, and Popcorn and Poltergeists. In Lace and Lies, the knitting shop's been chosen to appear on TV with celebrity knitting designer Teddy Lamont, but things go wrong on and off the camera, and somebody doesn't make it to the final credits. Bobbles and Broomsticks takes Lucy and friends to a wedding in a beautiful, ancient church, where a beam falls and destroys more than the marriage ceremony. It's easy to blame the death watch beetle, but is someone more sinister trying to frame the wood-boring insects for murder? Popcorn and Poltergeists takes Lucy and Rafe to a college library where strange things are happening. A poltergeist is throwing fits, but is the obstreperous spirit a killer? Or are the ghostly temper-tantrums a warning?

Nancy Warren presents Books 4-6 in the Vampire Knitting Club series. Lucy Swift's adventures continue in Oxford, England, as she still struggles to knit, tries to make sense of her witch powers, and manage the late-night vampire knitting club with her neighbors who live beneath her knitting shop. When murder comes calling, though, her undead, nosy neighbors are only too willing to help this amateur sleuth solve the case.

Tantor Audio presents Books 1-3 in USA Today bestselling author Nancy Warren's Vampire Knitting Club series. Lucy inherits an Oxford knitting shop...And so much more... Like the vampires who live downstairs and pop up to the shop when they run out of wool, or for their late night knitting club. They've even offered to help Lucy learn how to knit. She discovers she's a witch and has some quirky relatives she never knew about. Her grandmother's supposed to be dead, but keeps showing up. It's enough to send Lucy screaming back to Boston, except there's a mystery to solve and Oxford and her new vampire friends are kind of growing on her...