Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 2
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 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!
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 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!
Dollycas's Thoughts
I was so impressed with this story. Could you imagine having a piece of needlework that could be from the 1500's? What a treasure, until it goes missing. They had thought a lawyer's safe would be secure but sadly it wasn't and the attorney was killed when it was stolen. I think I would have gone over the edge. But Angie and the Mainely Needlepointers keep their heads about them and do the research and investigate not only the provenance of the stitched piece but do everything to catch a murderer too.
This was one of those stories that once you start reading you just can't stop. I really enjoyed all the history. The many Mary's of Scotland and the connection to France and Maine. It was so interesting and tickled my memory. I probably learned all about it back in school and this story brought it all back and more.
Lea Wait also shines a light on the local economy which reflects the economy nationwide as we all are working harder just to get by. It really helped me to identify with the characters in the story. Gram is away on her honeymoon for most of this story but Angie is getting much more comfortable running the business. Sarah Byrne, one of the Mainely Needlepointers, played a big part this time with her knowledge of history and antiques. They were also assisted by fellow needlepointers, Dave Percy and Ruth Hopkins. Dave teaches biology at the high school. Ruth is elderly and arthritis in her hands makes it hard to do much stitching but she a huge help investigating.
Each chapter starts with verses that were stitched on samplers from the past.
"When idle drones supinely dream of fame the industrious actually get the same." Verse stitched on sampler by Sally Alger at Miss Polly Balch's School in Providence, Rhode Island, 1782
Another marvelous mystery from Lea Wait.
I was so impressed with this story. Could you imagine having a piece of needlework that could be from the 1500's? What a treasure, until it goes missing. They had thought a lawyer's safe would be secure but sadly it wasn't and the attorney was killed when it was stolen. I think I would have gone over the edge. But Angie and the Mainely Needlepointers keep their heads about them and do the research and investigate not only the provenance of the stitched piece but do everything to catch a murderer too.
This was one of those stories that once you start reading you just can't stop. I really enjoyed all the history. The many Mary's of Scotland and the connection to France and Maine. It was so interesting and tickled my memory. I probably learned all about it back in school and this story brought it all back and more.
Lea Wait also shines a light on the local economy which reflects the economy nationwide as we all are working harder just to get by. It really helped me to identify with the characters in the story. Gram is away on her honeymoon for most of this story but Angie is getting much more comfortable running the business. Sarah Byrne, one of the Mainely Needlepointers, played a big part this time with her knowledge of history and antiques. They were also assisted by fellow needlepointers, Dave Percy and Ruth Hopkins. Dave teaches biology at the high school. Ruth is elderly and arthritis in her hands makes it hard to do much stitching but she a huge help investigating.
Each chapter starts with verses that were stitched on samplers from the past.
"When idle drones supinely dream of fame the industrious actually get the same." Verse stitched on sampler by Sally Alger at Miss Polly Balch's School in Providence, Rhode Island, 1782
Another marvelous mystery from Lea Wait.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Thread and Gone is the third in the Mainely Needlepoint series. Angie Curtis has settled into her new position as the director of Mainely Needlepoint and is doing her best to come to terms with the conflicting emotions about being back in her hometown of Haven Harbor, ME.
Angie's Grandmother Charlotte is away on her honeymoon with Reverend Tom over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Not wanting to be alone Angie invites a few of the Mainely Needlepoint stitchers over for dinner and the fireworks show. A knock on the door brings Mary Clough and her fiancé Rob Trask. Mary is in the process of cleaning out her family home in preparation for sale and has discovered an old piece of embroidery hidden in the attic. A barely legible letter written in French accompanies the cloth and Mary needs the help of Angie and her friends to translate the letter and find the value of the vintage piece.
Angie takes the cloth to local lawyer Lenore Pendleton for safekeeping during their investigation. Unfortunately the next day Lenore is found murdered in her office with her safe wide open, her jewels and Mary's embroidery missing. Angie sets out to discover the identity of the thief and to establish the provenance of the needlework.
I really enjoy this series and had so been looking forward to reading this latest installment. I had a very difficult time getting through it though. I think mostly because I lack any knowledge of American/French History I found the constant references to the "four Mary's" very confusing and ended up skimming over multiple paragraphs at a time.
I was a little disappointed that the Mainely Needlepointers who have figured so prominently in the earlier books were hardly even mentioned. Angie's closest friend Sarah Bryrne does help out briefly with research, but there is very little interaction between the two. I missed the exchanges between Charlotte and Angie, I was sad to see Juno move to the rectory and that there was not a new pet introduced to take his place.
A huge pet peeve for me are storylines that are left unresolved and there were a few. I wanted to know after all of the investigation what the value of the embroidery turned out to be, because wasn't that the whole premise of the plot? While I think Henri and his wife were written into the mystery as plausible suspects, it would have been nice to know the decision they reached in caring for his Mother. I did read a brief excerpt from the upcoming release so am hoping that some of my questions will be answered.
While this one just didn't really appeal to me, I will definitely continue to read this series, and don't want to discourage any of my "cozy" friends from giving this one a try. After all, life would be pretty boring if we were all interested in the same things.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing and although I was not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.
Angie's Grandmother Charlotte is away on her honeymoon with Reverend Tom over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Not wanting to be alone Angie invites a few of the Mainely Needlepoint stitchers over for dinner and the fireworks show. A knock on the door brings Mary Clough and her fiancé Rob Trask. Mary is in the process of cleaning out her family home in preparation for sale and has discovered an old piece of embroidery hidden in the attic. A barely legible letter written in French accompanies the cloth and Mary needs the help of Angie and her friends to translate the letter and find the value of the vintage piece.
Angie takes the cloth to local lawyer Lenore Pendleton for safekeeping during their investigation. Unfortunately the next day Lenore is found murdered in her office with her safe wide open, her jewels and Mary's embroidery missing. Angie sets out to discover the identity of the thief and to establish the provenance of the needlework.
I really enjoy this series and had so been looking forward to reading this latest installment. I had a very difficult time getting through it though. I think mostly because I lack any knowledge of American/French History I found the constant references to the "four Mary's" very confusing and ended up skimming over multiple paragraphs at a time.
I was a little disappointed that the Mainely Needlepointers who have figured so prominently in the earlier books were hardly even mentioned. Angie's closest friend Sarah Bryrne does help out briefly with research, but there is very little interaction between the two. I missed the exchanges between Charlotte and Angie, I was sad to see Juno move to the rectory and that there was not a new pet introduced to take his place.
A huge pet peeve for me are storylines that are left unresolved and there were a few. I wanted to know after all of the investigation what the value of the embroidery turned out to be, because wasn't that the whole premise of the plot? While I think Henri and his wife were written into the mystery as plausible suspects, it would have been nice to know the decision they reached in caring for his Mother. I did read a brief excerpt from the upcoming release so am hoping that some of my questions will be answered.
While this one just didn't really appeal to me, I will definitely continue to read this series, and don't want to discourage any of my "cozy" friends from giving this one a try. After all, life would be pretty boring if we were all interested in the same things.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing and although I was not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.
