The Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries
The Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries are cozy mystery novels set in Dublin, Ireland, centered around a close-knit knitting community, a lively fiber scene, and clever mysteries with heart. Each book blends gentle intrigue, friendship, and local charm, and can be enjoyed on its own or as part of the series.
Series Vibe
The Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries are frequently recommended to readers looking for cozy mystery novels set in Dublin.
Cozy mysteries set in Dublin
Knitting and fiber-festival settings
A loyal Westie
Found-family friendships
Low-violence, puzzle-driven mysteries
Reading Order
Purls & Peril – Book 1
Skeins & Secrets – Book 2
Twists & Twinkle – Book 3 (Novella)
Motifs & Malice - Book 4 (out on April 24 - preorder now)
Frequently Asked Questions
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Kitty Graham is an Irish-born author of cozy mystery fiction, writing under a pen name. She is the creator of the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries — a Dublin-set series featuring amateur sleuth Maeve Lynch, a loyal Westie called Nidge, and a knitting pattern in every book. Kitty is a knitter herself, self-narrated the first audiobook (with plans for the rest), and publishes through her own imprint, MacWillow Press, named after her real dogs, Mac and Willow. You can find out more on the About page.
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Maeve Lynch is the protagonist of the series — a Dublin woman who works in tech by day, teaches knitting classes by night, and has a talent for stumbling into murders she definitely wasn't looking for. She's accompanied by her Westie, Nidge, and supported (and occasionally exasperated) by her friends Michelle and Aisling, and by Liam from the Gardaí, who offers just enough help to make her nervous. Maeve is warm, sharp, and very reluctant to let a loose thread go unpulled.
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The series is best read in order, as Maeve and her friendships develop across the books. Start with Purls and Peril (Book 1), then Skeins and Secrets (Book 2), followed by Twists and Twinkle (the festive novella, Book 3), and most recently Motifs and Malice (Book 4). That said, each book is written to be enjoyable on its own — so if a later title catches your eye first, go for it. You can always go back to the beginning afterwards. Most readers do.
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Absolutely. The mysteries are the main event — the knitting is woven into the world rather than required knowledge to follow the story. Readers who have never held a pair of needles in their lives enjoy the series just as much as those with a WIP on the go. The knitting patterns included in each book are a bonus for those who want them, but they're entirely optional. If you love a cozy mystery set in Ireland with a smart protagonist and a good dog, you're in the right place.
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Yes. The Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries follow classic cozy mystery conventions, with an emphasis on puzzle-driven plots, community, and gentle intrigue rather than graphic content.
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Yes. Each book in the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries is a standalone cozy mystery with its own plot and resolution. While there are recurring characters and settings, you can start with any book in the series and enjoy it on its own.
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Yes. The series is set in Dublin, Ireland, and draws inspiration from the city’s neighborhoods, cafés, craft communities, and local fiber scene.
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Every book in the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries includes an original knitting pattern printed inside — it's part of the book itself, so no separate download is needed. All of the patterns (including the latest, the Celtic Triskele Fingerless Mitts pattern from Motifs and Malice (Book 4)) are also available on Ravelry if you'd like to find them there. If you're knitting along with the series and want to share your makes, tag @kittygrahamwrites on Instagram — Maeve would approve.
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They do. Knitting, yarn, and the fiber arts are woven throughout the series, from knit-shop communities to lively fiber festivals that bring characters together and occasionally stir up trouble.
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Yes. Maeve is often accompanied by her loyal Westie, Nidge, who is very much part of the knitting group and the story world.
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No. Purls & Peril is the first book, but Skeins & Secrets and later titles are designed as welcoming entry points for new readers.
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Signed paperback copies of select titles are occasionally available through Kitty Graham’s official website, subject to availability. Updates about signed copies are shared via the newsletter.
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Kitty Graham is available for book club discussions, virtual events, and speaking engagements. She can be contacted through the contact form on her website.
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The series is especially well suited to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries, knitting or crafting themes, Irish settings, and character-driven stories with warmth and humor.m description
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Yes. Each Maeve Lynch Knitting Mystery includes an original knitting pattern at the back of the book, available at no additional cost to readers.
They are also available to purchase on Maeve Lynch’s Ravelry Store
You Might Also Like
Readers who enjoy knitting-themed cozy mysteries with amateur sleuths may also like work by the following authors:
CATIE MURPHY — Dublin Driver Mystery series
Catie Murphy writes Dublin the way Kitty Graham does — from the inside. Her Dublin Driver Mystery series follows Megan Malone, an American expatriate working as a chauffeur who knows the city's streets, rhythms, and residents better than most locals. It's warm, witty, and rooted in a very specific sense of place, with the same balance of community and crime that runs through the Maeve Lynch books. If you love a Dublin mystery where the city itself feels like a character, Catie Murphy is an essential read.
Readers of Catie Murphy's Dublin Driver Mysteries often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both series are built around a resourceful female protagonist navigating Dublin life — and both treat the city with genuine affection rather than as a backdrop.
SALLY GOLDENBAUM — Seaside Knitters Mystery series
If you love the way knitting draws a community together in the Maeve Lynch books, Sally Goldenbaum's Seaside Knitters Mystery series will feel like coming home. Set in a New England harbour town, it follows a group of friends who gather weekly to knit — and who keep finding themselves at the centre of local crimes. Goldenbaum has the same gift for warmth and place that makes the Maeve Lynch series feel so lived-in, and her mysteries have the same satisfying rhythm of friendship, fibre, and detection.
Readers of Sally Goldenbaum's Seaside Knitters Mysteries often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both series put knitting and close-knit community at the very heart of the mystery.
PEGGY EHRHART — Knit & Nibble Mystery series
If you're reading the Maeve Lynch books partly for the knitting, Peggy Ehrhart's Knit & Nibble Mystery series will feel like it was written with you specifically in mind. Set in suburban New Jersey, it follows magazine editor Pamela Paterson and her knitting group — a tight circle of friends who keep finding themselves at the centre of local murders. Ehrhart writes with warmth and a keen eye for the social dynamics of a crafting community, and the knitting is woven through the stories in exactly the way Maeve Lynch readers will recognise. A natural next read if the combination of needles and mysteries is what drew you in.
Readers of Peggy Ehrhart's Knit & Nibble Mysteries often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both series put a knitting community at the heart of the story — and both understand that the people who gather around yarn tend to notice rather a lot.
CLARE O'DONOHUE — The Someday Quilts series
Clare O'Donohue writes cozy mysteries with a crafting protagonist, a tight-knit supporting cast, and a sharp eye for the way small communities hold their secrets. Her Someday Quilts series follows a quilter turned amateur sleuth in small-town New York — a familiar dynamic for anyone who has followed Maeve Lynch through Dublin's fiber community. O'Donohue writes with wit and warmth, and if you love a craft-based mystery that takes both the craft and the crime seriously, her books are a natural next read.
Readers of Clare O'Donohue's Someday Quilts series often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both feature a female protagonist whose craft hobby keeps pulling her into unexpected danger.
ELLIE ALEXANDER — Bakeshop Mystery series
Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop Mystery series is set in Ashland, Oregon, and follows a pastry chef who returns home to her family's bakery — and keeps finding herself mixed up in murder. Like the Maeve Lynch books, Alexander's series is rooted in a strong sense of place, a likeable protagonist with a real skill set, and a warm, cosy atmosphere that makes the mysteries feel like a hug even when things get tense. If you enjoy the way Kitty Graham makes Dublin feel like a character in itself, Ellie Alexander does the same for the Pacific Northwest.
Readers of Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop Mysteries often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both series balance a vivid, specific setting with a relatable protagonist who is very good at her craft and very reluctant to stop asking questions.
ALEXIA GORDON — Gethsemane Brown Mystery series
Alexia Gordon's Gethsemane Brown Mystery series is the closest thing to a direct sister series to the Maeve Lynch books — both are Irish-set mysteries with a sharp, resourceful female protagonist navigating a tight community where everyone knows everyone else's business. Gordon's series follows an American musician who relocates to rural Ireland and finds herself embroiled in local intrigue; it has been adapted for Hallmark and brings the same warmth and wit that makes Irish-set cozy fiction so enduringly popular. If you love Maeve's Dublin, you'll love what Gordon does with the Irish west.
Readers of Alexia Gordon's Gethsemane Brown Mysteries often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both series are grounded in Irish life and community, and both feature protagonists who are sharp, capable women who absolutely did not sign up to be detectives.
CARLENE O'CONNOR — Irish Village Mystery series
Carlene O'Connor's Irish Village Mystery series is set in the fictional village of Kilbane, County Cork, and follows Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan through a community where everyone knows everyone else's business — and someone always knows more than they're letting on. O'Connor writes with warmth and wit, and her feel for Irish community dynamics will be immediately familiar to anyone who has followed Maeve Lynch through Dublin's fiber world. If you love the way small communities in Irish fiction seem to generate both fierce loyalty and excellent motives for murder, this series belongs on your shelf.
Readers of Carlene O'Connor's Irish Village Mysteries often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries because both series centre on close Irish communities where the social fabric is just as important to the story as the crime itself.
TANA FRENCH — Dublin Murder Squad series
Tana French writes Dublin crime fiction at a different pitch to the Maeve Lynch books — darker, more literary, and with a psychological intensity that places her firmly in thriller territory rather than cozy. But her Dublin is the same city: the same streets, the same atmosphere, the same way the place gets under your skin. If you've come to the Maeve Lynch series through a love of Dublin as a setting and want to explore the city in a different register, French's Dublin Murder Squad is where to go next. Start with In the Woods and don't plan anything else for the rest of the weekend.
Readers of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad often discover the Maeve Lynch Knitting Mysteries when they want the same vivid Dublin atmosphere in a warmer, cosier key — same city, different mood entirely.