82) Dangling by a Thread by Lea Wait

The Blurb :

Hermit Jesse Lockhart lives alone on King’s Island, three miles east of Haven Harbor, Maine, where he’s created a private sanctuary for the endangered Great Cormorants. But when a wealthy family wants to buy the island and Jesse’s cousin Simon petitions for power of attorney to force him to sell, Jesse is the one who becomes endangered.

Mainely Needlepointer Dave Perry, who befriended Jesse in the VA hospital, rallies the group to his defense. Angie Curtis and the ravelers stitch “Save the King’s Island Cormorants” pillows and sell T-shirts to pay for Jesse’s legal counsel. But tragically, on a visit to the island, Angie and Dave find Jesse dead. Now the search is on for a common thread that can tie the murdered man to his killer . . .

My Thoughts :

It hasn't been a good month, reading wise.  Despite having some great reads lined up and a huge selection of books on my to be read pile, I am constantly struggling to read as fast as I usually do.  Distracted or just busy, I am not getting enough read quick enough.  I hope that as Winter comes along I will be more prone to curl up in bed and read.  Especially if they are books like Dangling by a Thread.

I have really enjoyed this series so far and couldn't wait to start this fourth installment.  Not much time has passed story wise since the third book, Thread and Gone.  Angie is still in Haven Harbor and things are going well.  So well that she is thinking of staying longer than the six months she has promised.  Unfortunately this book also sees Angie getting involved with another murder investigation but once again there is a great location, some interesting facts and a nice plot.  I enjoyed it as much as the previous books.

However there were some little minor problems I had with this installment.  One thing was that I can't believe it has only been three months since Angie arrived back.  A lot has happened and this is the fourth book and therefore fourth murder investigation.  It seems all a little too much in such a small amount of time.  Also I find the whole premise that Angie is only staying for six months completely unnecessary.  She has had the house signed over to her, gets a pet, is running the business, getting involved in everything and can even carry her gun because the laws changed.  Does the author think we are stupid?

This time around I also had a problem with how the characters spoke to each other.  It is hard to explain but there were so many conversations that sounded sarcastic, unsure, a little nasty...Sometimes it felt like there was a tone that wasn't all nice and friendly even when the characters involved have been great friends.  Especially between Angie and Dave but also with others.

All in all I am still loving this series.  I may have figured out who the murderer was before everyone else and I did think the ending was a little too quick but I enjoyed it and look forward to more.  I really like the little needlepoint references and history at the beginning of each chapter and only wish there were some pictures attached to them as they are hard to imagine.

Well worth checking out if you are looking for a nice welcoming cozy series.  This fourth part in the series may have had, in my opinion, a few little bumps but it was still a great read and continues to be a good well though out and well written series.

126) Thread and Gone by Lea Wait

The Blurb :

When a priceless antique is stolen, murder unravels the peaceful seaside town of Haven Harbor, Maine. . .

Angie Curtis and her fellow Mainely Needlepointers know how to enjoy their holidays. But nothing grabs their attention like tying up loose threads. So when Mary Clough drops in on the group's Fourth of July supper with a question about an antique needlepoint she's discovered in her family attic, Angie and her ravelers are happy to look into the matter.

Angie's best guess is that the mystery piece may have been stitched by Mary, Queen of Scots, famous not just for losing her head, but also for her needlepointing. If Angie's right, the piece would be extremely valuable. For safekeeping, Angie turns the piece over to her family lawyer, who places it in a safe in her office. But when the lawyer is found dead with the safe open and ransacked, the real mystery begins. . .

My Thoughts :

After reading the first two books in the Mainely Needlepoint series I couldn't resist getting a copy of this third installment.  I love the setting, the characters and the theme of this cozy mystery series and couldn't wait to see what the author had install for me this time around.

Thread and Gone's story takes place only weeks after the previous book.  Angie's grandma is still on her honeymoon and the Summer season is starting in Haven Harbor.  An interesting historical mystery then begins when someone asks the Mainely Needlepointers to look at an antique needlepoint that may of been stitched by a Queen.  The plot thickens when a murder takes place in connection to the needlepoint and while Angie wants to know who would kill to get the antique she is also concerned about its whereabouts.

I enjoyed this mystery as much as I did the previous two books.  I wish I could visit this lovely town and spend some time there.  It sounds lovely.  The characters are beginning to become very familiar although this time around Angie was out and about meeting various other residents of the town.  The mystery was well thought out and I loved the historical aspect of the story and I learnt a lot from the information included.

Even if you don't like needlepoint, this is a cozy you can enjoy.  The theme isn't too overbearing and the author makes it very interesting by adding needlepoint facts/quotes at the beginning of each chapter.  Also with Angie being a novice it means you get to learn everything with her.  A big selling point if you don't know your cross stitch from your blanket stitch.

There is only one negative thing I have to say about this book was the ending.  The mystery progressed at a nice pace and then all of a sudden it was over and the mystery was solved.  It took me by surprise and I had to flick back and re-read through it all again because it happened so quickly.  Not a huge problem but one that deserved a mention.

This is a series that is well worth reading.  I look forward to reading more and seeing how Angie develops as a character and grows into her new life in Haven Harbor.  It will be very interesting to see what the author comes up with next and if Angie does get a cat.

86) Threads of Evidence by Lea Wait

The Blurb :

It's hard to imagine anything bad ever happening in picturesque Haven Harbor, Maine--until a famous face rolls into town and unthreads some very dark secrets. . .

Angie Curtis and the Mainely Needlepointers are all too familiar with the Gardener estate. The crumbling Victorian mansion, known as "Aurora," has been sitting vacant for nearly twenty-five years--and some say it's haunted by the ghost of Jasmine Gardener, the teenage girl who died there in 1970 under mysterious circumstances...

Harbor Haven is abuzz with excitement when Hollywood actress Skye West decides to buy Aurora and sell off its furnishings. And Angie is intrigued when Skye asks her to appraise the estate's sizable collection of needlepoint pictures. But the more she examines the pieces, the more they seem to point toward Jasmine's murder--and the murderer--and it's up to her to stitch the clues together. . .

My Thoughts :

I have been looking forward to this second installment in the Mainely Needlepoint series after throughly enjoying the debut.  The first book, Twisted Threads was a great read and I really liked the location, characters and theme.  This time around was no different.  Within a few pages I was back in Maine enjoying the scenery and imagining being a part of the lovely community that the author has created.  The needlework theme could be boring for some but it isn't over bearing and actually is quite interesting.  Especially the information at the beginning of each chapter.

The mystery this time around starts off, once again, as a cold case.  Of course things progress to bring the mystery into the present and evolves into much more.  The plot kept me guessing until the very end and even though I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was there was a little twist in the tale that I didn't see coming.

Angie is a nice leading lady and she is the kind of character you wish you had as a friend.  The other characters and the on going plot are coming along nicely despite this only being the second installment and I really can't wait to see what happens next with Angie's life and what other mysteries will come to Harbour Haven

I don't know if the series will continue to start things off with a cold case but it is definitely a nice refreshing change of pace.  Usually the lead characters in cozies find a dead body but Angie seems to be finding cold cases.  Something that is not only different but unique.  I wonder what book three will bring?

Well worth checking out even if you don't like Needlepoint.  This one reminds me of some other great cozies I have on my reading list and is going on my must read list.

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3) Twisted Threads by Lea Wait

The Blurb :


Returning to the quaint coastal town of Harbor Haven, Maine—a place she once called home—Angie Curtis finds her memories aren’t all quite pleasant ones…

After leaving a decade ago, Angie has been called back to Harbor Haven by her grandmother, Charlotte, who raised her following her mother’s disappearance when she was a child. Her mother has been found, and now the question of her whereabouts has sadly become the mystery of her murder.

The bright spot in Angie’s homecoming is reuniting with Charlotte, who has started her own needlepointing business with a group called Mainely Needlepointers. But when a shady business associate of the stitchers dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, Charlotte and Angie become suspects. As Angie starts to weave together clues, she discovers that this new murder may have ties to her own mother’s cold case…

My Thoughts :

I am a sucker for a good cozy mystery and this debut novel caught my eye and for some reason I decided to give it a go.  Maybe it was the cat on the cover or just the blurb but it seemed like a good bet and I have to say it paid off.

Within a few chapters I was hooked.  Angie was a great character and her history was a great set-up for the series.  Her mother finally being found was the perfect reason to go home to Maine and the story continued from there with no force or unbelievable actions and events.  The plot flowed along nicely right till the end and I enjoyed it so much that I read this within a couple of hours.

The needlepoint aspect is a nice theme that isn't too overwhelming.  There are quotes or phrases from needlepoint history at the beginning of each chapter but to be honest I skipped over them after the first couple of chapters.  They didn't add anything to the story and I didn't find them that interesting.

I liked the characters and enjoyed the fact that Angie was in her late twenties and actually acted it.  I have to say I found it refreshing to have a leading lady who wasn't trying to be something she wasn't and also didn't swoon over any guys.  I don't mind if a character gets involved but all too often it seems to take over the ongoing story in a lot of books.

Location, location, location!  This new series really has a great one.  The author had me wishing I could hop on a plane and go to Maine.  I liked the way she described the places but didn't go over the top.  There was enough to make me love it but not too much to make me wonder if this was a travel book.  The author really did a great job of making things nice and welcoming.

All in all I loved this book and I hope this debut isn't just a one off.  I will definitely be visiting this series again when a new installment comes out.  It was a pleasure reading this one and I hope many of you will give it a chance because it was worth curling up with this cold winter day.

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