Thread and Gone

THREAD AND GONE is the 3rd title in the Mainely Needlepoint series by Lea Wait.
I quite enjoyed the ‘sense of place’ in this book and the down-to-earth characters. The mystery held my interest and the plot was evenly paced. The premise of the story - that a small piece of needlepoint (sewn by Mary, Queen of Scots or one of her ladies in waiting) could have been discovered in a Maine attic is not overly fanciful. The Maine coast abounded with sea captains and ocean voyages. There was quite a ‘privateer’ history as well. There is a strong link between the two Marys - Mary, Queen of Scots and the French queen, Marie Antoinette - and they were known for their needlework. I found these tie-ins very interesting.
I wish the ending show more wasn’t so abrupt. There is no follow-up - the future of Mary Clough? the emotional upheavals of the families involved? what happened to the needlework? I want to know more details. show less

I discovered two brand-new cozy mystery series in 2015 that I absolutely love, and Lea Wait's Mainely Needlepoint series is one of them. Wait has a knack for combining strong characters and intriguing plots filled with fascinating historical tidbits, and I find it irresistible.

In Thread and Gone, one piece of extremely old needlepoint has possible ties to Marie Antoinette, Mary Queen of Scots, and all of the Scottish queen's attendants who were also named Mary. (It's not as confusing as it sounds.) Wait also highlights a connection between Maine and France that I'd forgotten, and I appreciated the memory jog. In addition, the author's inclusion of quotes at the beginning of each chapter gives a real sense of the history of show more needlepoint.

So many of those on the suspect list are locals living in a poor area dependent on tourism. Times are hard. Money is scarce. Wait does an excellent job of showing us people who are tired of working endless hours to barely make ends meet, and she does it in a subtle way to root us firmly in the setting. (It also makes it more difficult to pinpoint the killer!)

As always, Wait's characters shine. Level-headed, smart Angie Curtis previously worked for a detective agency, and this makes her one of the best amateur sleuths around. This time she's not aided by her grandmother, who's on her honeymoon in Canada. I did miss her, but the elderly Ruth filled in very well. One of the Mainely Needlepointers, Ruth is crippled by arthritis and helps Angie with online research. The fact that Ruth also writes and publishes erotica adds a little spice to a character too many would dismiss simply as a crippled old woman.

i think you can see by now why I enjoy this series so much. There are three books in the series so far, and I've read all three this year-- something that I very, very seldom ever do. All I can say is bring on number four! show less

Lea Wait is my go-to author for highly intelligent, well-constructed cozy mysteries. Her intricately woven plots are so impressive that I often forget that I’m reading a cozy. I can always look forward to acquiring new and interesting facts when I read her books. There’s usually some historical facts that factor into the mystery, and I always come away feeling wiser about fascinating subjects I wasn’t previously familiar with. In Thread and Gone, I received a lesson in who Mary Queen of Scots was, and how needlepoint was a major part of her life. I also learned about Marie Antoinette and several other facts that made me think of how much research went into preparing this mystery for the reader’s enjoyment.

Lea Wait is a show more heavyweight in this genre. If you enjoy a solid mystery, but without the profanity and gratuitous violence present in some traditional mysteries, I highly recommend that you try Lea Wait’s Mainely Needlepoint series. You will NOT be disappointed. show less

This one was great. Mary was an interesting addition - it would've been cool if she joined the Mainely Needlepoint for extra money. I didn't like Rob and frankly would've wished she dumped him but you can't usually tell young people anything - especially a young girl in love. I'm finding this series is getting better as it goes. The only thing I wasn't too fond of was the whole Patrick thing with Sarah - I was confused - I don't get why he is calling Sarah and not Angie when he barely spoke to Sarah?. I liked the code in the needlepoint - especially because I got it straight away! And there were a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. Overall great mystery and likable characters.

Eighteen-year-old Mary Clough is cleaning out her ancestral home. She discovers an old piece of needlepoint and brings it to Angie at Mainely Needlepoint for evaluation. She plans to marry officer Ethan Trask's younger brother Rob. Rob hopes the needlepoint is valuable so he can buy a boat. Angie suggests storing it in the attorney's safe until the mystery around it resolved. It isn't long until the attorney is murdered and her jewels and Mary's needlepoint piece are both gone. When one of the Mainely Needlepointers examines it, she feels some of the motifs resemble things done by Mary, Queen of Scots. She knows the provenance of the piece is important and suggests getting a museum needlework expert to evaluate it. In the meantime, show more Angie works with Mary to try to establish a provenance for the piece while trying to find the piece of needlework. Angie seems to be a smart cozy sleuth in that she tries to make sure there will be a police presence around in case of a problem. I'm enjoying this series, and I look forward to the next installment. show less

Read from November 21 to 25, 2015

I really enjoyed book three in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series. I have enjoyed the other two in the series and feel that each can be read alone if you haven't read the earlier ones. One of the reasons I love these books is the history and samples at the beginning of each chapter. The author is great about who,where,and when each were done. I used to cross stitch with my mom as a young girl and enjoy it. I am also a huge history nut and loved the Mary,Queen of Scots and Marie Antionette references throughout the book. I could read about them all day.
The story line in this book had me so intrigued. Besides the history in this book I also loved the characters and theme of family and traditions. You show more can't put a value on family.
You have the needle pointers at the Fourth of July yearly Maine celebration. This is the first one in 10 years that Angie has been too. She has a dinner party with everyone except Gram of course who is on her honeymoon with Tom. Everything is going great until she has a knock at her door. There on her doorstep are Mary Clough and Rob Trask her fiancé asking about a piece of needle point found in the attic of her parents house that she is trying to clean out. This gets the attention of some of her needle point friends who come and look at the amazing piece. Both Sarah and Ruth think this piece could date back hundreds of years and be very valuable. This peaks the interest of Rob who I have to add I don't like. He seems to only be about the money and value of everything instead of the family value and tradition. Mary is wanting to keep a lot because she has lost both of her parents and wants to keep a piece of them. Really don't know how these two are going to make it??? Everyone agrees that they should put the needlepoint in a safe place while they are researching. They decide to put it in Lenora's office safe which happens to be in her house. Lenora is a lawyer that handles wills, estates, and divorces. Meanwhile Rob is blabbing all over Haven Harbor how valuable this needlepoint could be and that he wants to sell it to buy a boat. But wait, isn't it Mary's? YEAH! Rob and a "friend " end up going to see the needlepoint the next day only to find Lenora dead in her office and the safe cleaned out! Angie feels bad not only because Lenora is dead but she promised Mary it would be safe. Angie and her needlepoint friends begin not only doing research on the needlepoint but investigate why someone would kill Lenora??? Will Angie be able to stay out of the investigation or will she become the next victim?
I loved this book and found it easy to follow especially if you are a history buff.
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. show less

While Gram and Reverend Tom are off on their honeymoon, Angie is contacted by a young woman about an old piece of needlepoint that she found in her attic. Investigation leads to suspecting that it has a connection to either Mary Queen of Scots or Marie Antoinette or both.

Angie entrusts the piece to her lawyer who is later found murdered and the needlepoint gone. Feeling responsible for the lost of something with a questionable value, Angie sets out to recover the missing piece and at the same time the murderer.

I love the setting and the characters and the background and historical information kept his reader glued to the pages.

Certainly hope there will be another soon.