Thread Herring is the seventh book in the A Mainely Needlepointer Mystery series. I love this series and feel that Thread Herring is the best so far.

It’s February in Haven Harbor and Angie and her friend, Sarah Byrne, are heading to Augusta, ME to attend an antique auction. Sarah will be looking for items for her antique store, while Angie is going along to see what an auction is like and possibly find some embroidery items. At the preview for the auction items, Angie finds an interesting embroidered coat of arms and time has not been kind to it, but something about it tells her to bid on it.

Angie is the only to bid on the item and when she gets home she takes it out of the frame to get a better look at whether any it might be repaired. What she doesn’t expect to find is a folded piece of paper that is a receipt for baby Charles that was left with the London Foundling Hospital in 1757. Angie determines that the coat of arms is unrepairable, but she now wants to find out who baby Charles’ family was.

Her boyfriend, Patrick West is going to visit with a sculptor about showing his work and Patrick’s gallery and agrees to drop Angie off in Portland where she will visit the Maine Historical Society. The visit there didn’t give much hope of learning anything. While waiting for Patrick to return she calls a high school classmate, Clem Walker, a reporter at a Portland television station. When Clem hears the story she convinces Angie that they do a short segment to be aired on the station asking viewers to call if they might have any information about baby Charles or the coat of arms. A minute or two after the segment aired, the station received a threat that is Clem and Angie attempted to learn more, they would be killed. The next day the station got another threat and Angie receives a threatening the same thing.

Soon, Clem’s lifeless body is found in her car near Harbor Haunts where she and Angie are to have lunch. Then the next day while Angie is talking to Sarah in her store there is an explosion and when she looks outside she finds that the explosion was in her car and is now on fire.

Pete Lambert, Haven Harbor policeman and Ethan Trask, Maine State Trooper, are able to convince Angie to stay at Patrick’s house until the killer can be arrested. Since Angie’s computer has been taken by the police, she calls on fellow Maine Needlepointer to help scour the internet looking for clues as to who baby Charles is.

As much as Angie wants to be out and about investigating, she knows her life is likely online and stays holed up at Patrick’s, hoping that Ruth will be able to learn who Charles’ family was.

As always, Lea Wait provides the reader with a well-researched, well-plotted and told story and believable characters. Wait also provides the reader with the workings of an auction and an insightful look at the London Foundling Hospital. Once again, each chapter has either a description of an embroidered piece or a quote from a publication from 1700-1800’s.

A delicious sounding recipe is also included.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this informative series.

Angie is excited to attend her first auction with her friend Sarah, on impulse she buys an embroidered coat of arms. When shes examining the embroidery at home she discovers a long forgotten document from 1757 claiming a child from an English foundling hospital.

Angie starts to research the connection between the document and embroidery, she's invited by her Journalist friend Clem to appeal for information on her television show not realising the danger that will follow.

A good cozy mystery, the characters are likeable and the plot builds nicely, perfect for an Autumn afternoon.

This latest offering in the series is a winner.
Well written characters and whodunit.
I strongly recommend you read the series in order.

I have always loved this series because I am also a needlepointer, but this is one of the most unusual, intriguing and interesting books I have read in a long time with its historical twisty. Angie Curtis, the owner of Mainely Needlepoints, goes to her first auction along with her friend Sarah and falls in love with a needlepointed coat of arms which, although in bad condition, she hopes her grandmother can repair. When Angie gets it home and takes it out of its frame she discovers a historical document, an 1757 receipt for a baby boy named Charles from the London Foundling Hospital. Looking to find more information about this she agrees to talk about it on tv with her newscaster friend Clem and ask the public for information. But when she gets instead are death threats, the murder of her friend Clem and her car being blown up. Angie is determined to find out what is behind the murder and the story of baby Charles and, with the help of her usual Maine Needlepoint cohorts, once again finds the answers. I was completely hooked from the first page to the last and can't wait for the next book in this series.

I love the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series and think that any book is better than the previous one.
This one was fantastic, darker than the other and more psychological than the average cozy.
The plot is great, claustrophobic and atmospheric at times. The style of writing's perfect and make you feel the sense of oppression and the fear of Angie, the main character.
It was nice to meet again the cast of characters even if some of them were on the background this time.
I look forward to reading the next instalment.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

This book was a pleasant surprise. The heroine follows the advice of the police and doesn't go running around, putting herself in harm's way. She still investigates the mystery. It's a pleasant surprise when she doesn't agree to meet the probable murderer in the back of an empty building or a hut in the forest. I also learned a lot just peripherally. Definitely worth reading.

Thread Herrings by Lea Wait is an amazing addition to this series.
I had so many moments of shock that I found myself gasping out loud.
Angie attends her first auction, and when her eye is drawn to a particular piece of needlework, she can't resist bidding.
This simple piece of work, a coat of arms, is in bad shape, but it's the chain of events that come afterwards that rock Angie's world.
The author weaves a vivid tale and her characters are so real, I feel like I know them all.
Fans of this series will be delighted to read Thread Herrings. I highly recommend this story to all cozy mystery lovers.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.