You don't need to love needlepoint to love this mystery

Thread and Gone : A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery

By Lea Wait

Kensington Books

Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date: December 29, 2015

Description

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. . .

Review

Thread and Gone, the newest installment of the Mainely Needlepoint mystery series is easily as good or better than its predecessors. Lea Wait knows how keep readers enthralled on multiple levels.

In Thread and Gone, a local lawyer is murdered and everything in her safe, both jewelry and a potentially valuable piece of needlework is stolen. On another level, there is also the mystery of the origin of the needlework itself, delving into the history and the possible connection of the piece to Mary Queen of Scots and Marie Antoinette. While some of the historical connections within the novel are fiction, Lea Wait's research adds depth and interest to the novel. It’s difficult to say which mystery is more fascinating.

Angie Curtis puts her PI skills to good use in her search for the missing piece of embroidery and the killer. The knowledge of her friends and fellow needlepointers comes in handy, as they are able to research the origins of the embroidery and the links to the Clough family. The two mysteries blend well, as do the skills of Angie and her friends.

I also liked the inclusion of quotes from pieces of needlework at the start of each chapter. They add to the unique flavor of this delightful cozy series.

Whether you are an avid fan of needlework or simply enjoy reading an entertaining cozy mystery, you can't go wrong with picking up a copy of Thread and Gone.

5/5

Thread and Gone is available for preorder and will be released December 29, 2015.

I received a copy of Thread and Gone from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom