Twisted Threads

Twisted Threads is the first book in a new series by Lea Wait, a new to me author. This is a cozy mystery set in a harbor town in Maine. I loved the description of the small town and could imagine visiting the shops, particularly the antique shop!

The author actually gives us two mysteries to solve in the book yet they are easy to keep track of. One is a cold case murder of the main characters mother and another that happens in her grandmothers house. We are given lots of clues and many twists and turns which made for a good mystery.

Since this is a new series, it was fun to meet the people in the town. Lots of different and some quirky personalities but they all have the love for needlepoint. The needlepoint part of the story added to my interest and I think this will be a fun series to read.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy cozy mysteries and needlepoint! It makes for a good combination.

Angie is returning to Harbor Haven, Maine to bury her mother. She was raised by her Grandmother, Charlotte, after her mom disappeared when she was 9 years old. Her mom's body was discovered in an old freezer, she had been shot. Angie is drawn back into the town's business and her grandmother's Needlework business. As she searches for clues to her mom's killer, another person turns up dead. A wonderfully written new series with a great town and lots of potential characters for Ms. Wait's next book. I enjoyed this one.

Oh this was a fun little mystery, adding in the flavor of mid-coastal Maine with a touch of murder and a long-cold trail of a missing woman.

After a call from her grandmother, Charlotte, telling her that her mother’s body was found has her flying cross country, returning to her childhood home, Angela is suddenly back in the place she never expected to be.

Aside from her mother’s recently discovered body, Charlotte’s needlepoint cooperative, Mainely Needlepoint is experiencing issues with payment from their salesman. Angela had been working with a PI firm in Arizona, and her grandmother believes she is the logical person to find the missing Jacques to get the answer and recover the missing funds.

When Angie locates Jacques and returns him to meet with the collective from Mainely Needlepoint, Jacques suddenly takes ill, and soon there is another dead body on their hands. Only this time, Angel and her grandmother are suspects.

Several twists, long-dead childhood friendships and conflicts resurrecting and a cast of characters in the Mainely Needlepoint collective that are beautifully developed, each with potential to have poisoned Jacques. A bit of needlework history, some discussion of stitches and the solid voice of Angela and her reminiscences add to the layers in this story, building background and providing history.

Plenty of twists, some disreputable characters and plenty of description that brings the mid-coast Maine area alive, this was a fast-paced, easy to read story that never once lost its momentum.

I received an eArc copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Angie Curtis has been living in Arizona as an assistant to a P.I. But when her mother's remains are discovered - nineteen years after she disappeared - Angie returns home to Maine and to her grandmother. While there, it's discovered that her mother had been murdered, and that her grandmother, Charlotte, is in a bind due to some shady financial dealings, so Angie decides to stay, at least for the time being, to help her grandmother out, and to find out the truth about her mother.

It was her friend Lauren who found the body, and some people think that Lauren's father committed the murder, while others don't believe it, but there aren't any other suspects. To make it worse, the investigating officer is Angie's high school crush, who is now married and has a child. And when there's another murder, everyone in Mainely Needlepointers is a suspect, but especially Charlotte.

I'm not giving away any more of the plot, but I will tell you that this is a very good book. Ms. Wait offers us a real mystery, one you can get your teeth into and get interested in almost immediately. I have never been to Maine, but her descriptions are such that you can almost imagine yourself there. The characters are and situations are believable, without anything that seems far-fetched. If I have any complaints about the book, it is the fact that Angie drinks and drives. Yes, I know it only "one beer," but still, it is drinking and driving, and not a good thing at all. This is one thing I would like eliminated from future books. (These are the kinds of details I notice).

Since there is no love interest (her "crush" is married, alas!) the book concentrates on the murders and how she goes about gathering information to solve them. A different approach, but one that works. All in all, highly recommended.

Very enjoyable and entertaining cozy. Despite having no interest in needlepoint and unfamiliar with Maine, this book grabbed my attention and held it throughout. Interesting characters.