I'm a sucker for any mystery that involves genealogy research and while Angie isn't the one doing the active research it still made me pretty happy. I really enjoyed this one. I feel like Angie is becoming a bit more comfortable in her own skin and is starting to really forge relationships with those around her. I also enjoyed the auction and have learned that I should avoid estate auctions because between my competitiveness and love of antiques it would be very very dangerous. This isn't the most action oriented investigation as for a chunk of the book Angie is confined to one place. It didn't stop this book from being a compelling read that kept me entertained. My main issue with this book is that the reason behind the mystery is a little weak. It helps that the characters in the book have issues with that as well. I also would have liked the backstory of the coat of arms fleshed out a bit more.

Lea Wait returns with THREAD HERRINGS, the seventh book in the Mainely Needlepoint series. If you’ve read my other reviews for this series before then you may be aware that this series has been a little lukewarm for me. I haven’t ever been fully able to fall in love with this series. However, I also find that I keep picking these books up to try.

In this book, I had a lot of the same issues with the previous books that I have read. Although I enjoy the heroine and the community that this series is set in, the pacing of the books are just too slow for me. With Cozy Mysteries in general, this is something that you can expect. However, in comparison to others that I have read, this one has a notoriously slower pace than most of the others. Therefore, I do think it is an exercise in patience to really get through these books.

Despite this however, I still come back and I’m not sure why. While these books don’t stand out to me, there’s something comforting about them and that could be why I always pick them up despite not falling in love with them. I think if you’re looking for something to really slow down life and get your mind off something that is irritating you, this is the kind of book that you want. So really, there’s a place for everything and now I know I will pick these books up whenever I’m in need of something more simple and stress-free.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

I really love the clever title of this one! The series is several books in and while classified as cozy are sometimes a bit more gritty than others set in these bucolic small towns. I liked the way the story moved and how papers hidden behind a piece of embroidery are the catalyst for it all.

Ms Wait has crafted a tale of Murder and History that keeps you turning the pages until you sigh and put the book down when you have finished!

It is still the Winter Season in Maine and Sarah is headed to various auctions to get stock for her Antique Shop for later in the year, on this occasion Angie goes along with her to see what is happening, and to have a look at the Samplers that are up for auction. Angie ends up buying a badly damaged stitched Coat of Arms as it caught her interest, when she takes the frame off to check if it could possibly be repaired she comes across a fascinating document. When she meets her friend Clem (a local TV reporter) a few days later they end up discussing it and Clem thinks this could be an interesting human interest story and so a short segment is filmed which ends with asking if anyone has any information to contact the TV station. No-one comes forward with information, but someone does leave a death threat re Clem and Angie. When Clem is shot and killed and then someone tries to blow up Angie's car Angie needs to go into hiding whilst the Needlepointers search down clues to help the Police catch a killer.

Although I've read earlier books in this series, I wasn't sure that I was going to like the book from the description. However, I was very wrong.

I found this mystery very engrossing and I kept reading because although I was sure that I knew the 'murderer', I had to find out if I was correct. I wasn't correct but that took nothing away from this story.

I felt that the characters seemed a bit more genuine in this book than earlier ones in the series. It's well-written and is very easy to read.

Thread Herrings is the seventh book in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series by Lea Wait. While I have enjoyed reading previous books in the series, and think it gives readers a better understanding of the characters and their relationships, I do think new comers will be able to enjoy the read as well.

Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow Needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework—a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms. Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker's invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery—or she may be the next one.

Thread Herrings is a good mystery. I like the characters and the way they interact and offer up little details about themselves in the course of the story. I like how Angie is always looking to do the right thing, and while she does not always put her personal safety first she is starting to take note of how her risks effect those around her. I liked the lay out of clues and how Angie manages to discover so much while trying to lay low and stay safe. The mystery was good, but I have to say that I was expecting one more big twist. I kept waiting for everything to be turned on its head and someone or something to be not what it seemed. I felt like the mystery was solved in Angie's head a little too soon, with very little room for other possibilities to keep the reader guessing.

Thread Herrings is an engaging and entertaining read. I think that those following the series will definitely want to pick this up to continue to series, but this is not the book to capture new readers. It was good, but I wanted something more by the time I reached the end.

Thread Herrings
(Mainely Needlepoint #7)
by Lea Wait

Paperback, 304 pages
Published October 30th 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation



Goodreads synopsis:
Angie's first auction may turn out to be her last--when she bids on a coat of arms that someone would literally kill to possess . . .

Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow Needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework--a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms.

Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker's invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery--or she may be the next one going, going . . . gone . . .


***

4.5 Stars

I actually read this book in Dec. 2018 and then discovered I had not done a review on it. I re-read it this weekend and it is just as good the second time around. Don’t be afraid to re-read something in a series you love if you feel yourself in a book reading slump.

I have to admit that the details made more sense the second time around. I might have missed some key points when reading it the first time. Lea Wait is excellent at crafting a mystery around something you would never think would lead to murder… for example, like buying a faded needlepoint of a family crest at an auction.

I am almost sad this lead to Angie’s friend, Clem’s death. She would have proved to be a handy resource in the future for Angie. I really like how the mystery unfolded around the needle point and how long it took Angie to find details. This probably relates to how hard it is to dig into one’s ancestry. I know such a search takes forever. In our family the tree just stopped at my great grandfather until we discovered they misspelled his last name in the census.

A lot of the Haven Harbor minor characters were featured in this book and I thought that was great. I love to see all these residents scattered throughout the story. It is fun and it makes me feel like this is a town and not just one gal doing a mystery in a vacuum.

If you love a good mystery, definitely check this one out. It is great fun. Definitely a keeper.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Angie Curtis is goes to an estate auction with her friend Sarah Byrne where she is captivated by apiece of needlework of an ancient coat of arms. Unable to resist,, Angie wins it but trouble comes along with her purchase. Researching the coat of arms and an ancient paper found with it dated 1757, apparently someone is not happy when her friend Clem who is a TV reporter, publicizes the information and the desire to find out more about the needlework. Clem is found dead the next day, Ange's car is bombed, and pole are certain that she is in danger. But Angie is determined to find out who killed her friend and why.

Great addition to this series! The characters continue to grow and bring realism to the storyline.

In Thread Herring Angie seems to get herself in a bit more trouble than she is use to and it's all over an old embroidery that she picked up at an action when she went with her friend Sarah. The embroidery is pretty much deemed not repairable by everyone but it's what was behind the frame that has Angie's curiosity going. It's also the thing that gets her and  trouble and someone she knows murdered.Angie gets death threats, her car is blown up and she is pretty much in hiding while still trying to figure out why someone would want to murder over the old paper about a foundling boy from a long time ago. Even though she trust the police to do their job she just can sit around and do nothing as she is going stir crazy.This one was a lot of fun and as always I really enjoyed the characters. It had a great mystery as it took me a long time to decide who it might be as I really thought it was someone else...lol.If you love this series or just cozies in general then you will enjoy this one!

This is the first Mainely Needlepoint Mystery I have read and was able to jump in with the characters and follow their storylines. Protag Angie Curtis is introduced to the world of auctions by her friend Sarah Byrne. She finds what appears to be an intriguing sampler of a coat of arms that seems out of place for Maine and Angie decides to bid on it and see what the story is behind it. What she ends up finding is an acquaintance getting murdered over it, a family member getting injured, her car being destroyed and herself, being stalked., All in the quest to determine the provenance of the embroidery.
Our amateur sleuth told an interesting story and the Maine history and trivia were very interesting, but the only real thing that annoyed me was every time Angie got on that dang telephone she was telling people where she was staying/hiding out from the stalker, when it was supposed to be secret!!!! It was so frustrating.
All in all, not a bad cozy read. Made me even miss snow for a minute. Haha!

I really enjoy this series, Mainely Needlepoint, and this is book 7. It could be read as a stand alone but I enjoyed catching up with all the residents of Haven Harbor, Maine. It was a surprise that TV reporter, Clem Walker, is the murder victim in this book. Angie is very motivated to solve this murder of her friend that is tied to an old needlework sampler that she purchased at an auction. The murder suspect was fairly evident early in the story but the mystery was still a good one. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve dipped my toes into this series in more than one place. I’m known for jumping in anywhere. It’s good to be back, seeing what Angie and the inhabitants of Haven Harbor have been doing.

Not having read a few of the previous books, I felt like I’d been away for a while and arrived back in town, among friends, learning what all had happened while I’d been away. I could picture us sitting at a cafe table and everyone rushing to tell me all the latest news.

So what’s happening now…. Angie is at an antique auction. While perusing the offerings, she comes across a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. She bids on it and wins. Taking it home, she discovers something hidden in it’s frame and soon after someone is dead and she’s smack in the middle of the investigation. Sorting out the clues is like finding a needle in a haystack, but that doesn’t stop Angie.

I admit I was expecting a quick mystery with some fun dialogue and a bit of romance. The author surprised me and took this a step further. There’s a mystery in a mystery, danger around every corner and she really tested the boundaries of her characters.

A bit more dark and more suspenseful, this is still a cozy mystery with the quirky characters, small town ambiance and sweet romance that comes with it. I was swept right up, ushered in, offered a chair, and settled myself in for an exciting story.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Finding treasures at auctions and estate sales is part of the fun, but for Angie Curtis it means MURDER! Her friend, a television reporter is dead and Angie is getting threatened that she will be next.

Antique shop owner Sarah Byrne takes Angie to her first auction and she is drawn to a needlework coat of arms. When no one else bids she raises her paddle and takes it home. She takes it out of the frame to see if it can be restored but she finds a real mystery instead, a claim from 1757 for a child from a foundling hospital. While researching to see if the child is connected to the family from the auction she runs into Clem Walker who suggests they do a piece on the local news to see if one of the viewers may have information. Angie agrees and even hosts a party so her family and friends can watch her on television.

Clem plans a trip to visit Angie in Haven Harbor to discuss the calls the station received. But Clem doesn’t make the meeting, instead, her body is found. Angie knows to find Clem’s killer she has to find who is connected to the coat of arms. The trouble is to keep her safe she is hiding out and it’s hard to investigate anything stuck in a house.

There is so much I enjoyed about this story. It had a totally different feel. The Mainely Needlepointers didn’t do hardly any needle pointing but one member of the group, Ruth, is a key player in solving this mystery. Also, Angie accepts that her life is truly in danger after a hairraising event and actually listens to the police and moves to Patrick’s secure home until the killer is caught. As long as she has her cell phone and laptop she can keep investigating and pass along what she finds to the police.

At the core of the story are two prominent Maine families. I love the way 79-year-old erotica author Ruth Hopkins knows her way around the genealogy sites. She delves in and finds as much as she can about the families giving Angie plenty of clues and red herrings to sort through.

All of Ms. Wait’s characters are interesting, fleshed out and realistic. Most of the recurring characters are very engaging. Patrick is starting to mesh with the rest but still has some work to do. The closer he and Angie get the more he becomes more real to me.

The story is pretty fast-paced and filled with suspense. Key characters are truly in danger and I found myself actually holding my breath waiting to read the actual outcome. I know I was reading much faster from about the midpoint on. The author’s descriptions of each person, place, and even the weather were fantastic. She pulls readers right into this story and holds them tight until the final page. OMG, my heart was racing at the ending!

Before my accident auctions and needlepoint were two of my favorite things. Finding samplers and other needlework treasures at auctions always made for a great day. I love that both meshed together in this book.

This book reads very well all in its own but I always recommend reading series in order to really get to know the characters.

This is a wonderful addition to this series. The next book in the series, Thread on Arrival, will be released April 30, 2019.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38354053-thread-herrings" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Thread Herrings (Mainely Needlepoint, #7)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1525521633m/38354053.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38354053-thread-herrings">Thread Herrings</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/123108.Lea_Wait">Lea Wait</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2305445302">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms.<br /><br />Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker's invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery or she may be the next one going, going, gone.<br /><br />I like how this story has a different feel than the other books in the series which gives us a nice change of pace and keeps the story moving along at a nice pace. The Mainely Needlepointers hardly do any needle pointing but the oldest member of the group Ruth, is one of the key player in solving this mystery. I also liked how, Angie finally accepts that her life is really in danger after a very dangerous event, and she actually listens to the police and moves herself and her cat Trixie to Patrick’s secure home until the killer is caught. <br /><br />This mystery is fast-paced and filled with suspense, danger, and red herrings. The characters are realistic, interesting, and very engaging. The authors descriptions of the places, characters, events, and even the weather were well written and very detailed which makes it easy to picture it all in your mind. <br /><br />I have been a fan of this author since book one in this series and look forward to reading Thread on Arrival when it comes out. <br /><br />I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1344649-faythe-shattuck">View all my reviews</a>

The seventh book in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series by Lea Wait is Thread Herrings. Angie tags along with friend Sarah to an auction, and she buys a very worn needlepoint. When she discovers a very old paper in the back, she becomes immersed in finding out more about it. This leads her to going on television with her reporter friend to appeal for information. When the reporter is murdered and attempts are made on Angie's life, she finds it hard to believe a 200+ year old paper is worth it. I enjoyed the history as much as the mystery in this book.

Oh, this was a mystery for me! I loved every single moment of this book and I really loved the mystery within the mystery. Angie is a sleuth after my own heart, willing to work hard to the very end to solve the story. I loved the history that was layered into the plot and helped me along with the way with clues. It will go by so fast as you race through the story to solve this puzzle and then you will probably be sad like me for finishing such a good mystery too fast! Savor this read my friends it is worth every moment.

I was attracted to this mystery because it's set in Maine, where we are currently living. I was entertained to find the characters visiting our town in the first chapter, and dining at an establishment just down the street! (Note: this is a small town in Maine. *Everything* is just down the street). As usual with themed cozies, I wasn't much interested in the featured craft (needlepoint), but that doesn't really matter. No knowledge of needlepoint is needed to enjoy this mystery.

As a story, this is engaging, though I definitely felt the lack of back-story as I was jumping into the series at #7. Still, I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happens to them (and the author's carefully dropped hints about past adventures made me want to go back and start from the beginning). I very much enjoyed the setting, including the comments about how little is open in town during the winter--we have already encountered that reality on some of our excursions out and about!

I felt that the mystery was only adequately developed and challenging. I could guess fairly early who might have done the crime, in part because there were so few suspects. What I did appreciate was the far more realistic than usual degree to which Angie cooperates with the police. She's trying to figure things out, but she doesn't go off on a lone-wolf search or deliberately put herself in danger. Kudos to the author for finding a good balance on the amateur detective vs. police scale!

One grammatical niggle annoyed me, and I can't decide if it's an editorial failure or a deliberate move to make the first person narrator sound more natural. She consistently uses "I" instead of "me" where it should be the other way ("He'll meet Sarah and I at the shop..."), an error that I admit is common but which bothers me. Aside from that, the book is well-edited, and well-written.

My Recommendation:
This is a good read for a winter's day by the fire, I think--engaging enough to keep you turning the pages, and light enough to combat the winter darkness. I think it would be even better to start at the beginning of the series and see how Angie got to this point!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading other books by this great author.

Thread Herrings is my first book in the series, A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery, but I did not have a problem following along as the author gave good background information. The series takes place in Maine during the cold, snowy month of February in the town of Haven Harbor. Angie Curtis has a web business that involves work by a group of needlepointers called Mainely Needlepoint. Angie sells needlepoint items online that the group makes. When her friend and antiques shop owner, Sarah Byrne, invites Angie to go to an estate auction in Augusta, she decides to go. This is her first auction and she is fascinated by the process and is especially drawn to an old embroidered coat of arms. It is faded and worn, worth very little, if anything but for some reason, she wants it. No one else bid on it, so she was able to buy it. Later, when she took it out of the frame, she found paperwork for a baby left in a foundling hospital two hundred and fifty years ago in 1757. These hospitals took in children that the families could not care for but were able to go back later and get their child back. In the framed coat of arms, was the paperwork for a baby named Charles and there was a ribbon that connected the baby to their family. Angie mentioned her find to her friend, Clem, who is a television reporter. Clem puts together a news small spot for the evening asking for help to find out about the family. Almost immediately after the airing, the station gets threats and later, Angie gets a threatening email on her needlepoint website. Within a day, Clem is murdered and someone is asking for Angie around town. Law enforcement friends encourage Angie to go into hiding so she stays with her boyfriend Patrick while they investigate Clem's murder.
This is an interesting story with great characters with small town friendship and support. The plot was well thought out and suspenseful. I was pulled in right away by the action and kept involved to the end.
I received an ARC from Kensington Publishing through NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions are mine only.