Thread and Gone by Lea Wait is the third book the Mainely Needlepoint series. Mary Clough has found a beautiful old needlepoint piece in a leather case while cleaning out her family’s attic (to get the house ready to sell). Mary (eighteen) and her fiancé, Rob has brought it to Angie Curtis and the Mainely Needlepoint group to have it appraised. They all agree to let local attorney, Lenore Pendleton hold the piece in her safe while it is being researched. The piece looks quite old and is in the style of Mary, Queen of Scots. Unfortunately, Lenore is murdered and her safe is cleaned out (it contained jewelry as well as Mary Clough’s needlepoint piece). Who knew about the needlepoint and why did they steal it? Angie is trying to adjust to living alone. Her grandmother, Charlotte is on her honeymoon with Reverend Tom. Angie is very happy for her Gram, but she misses her companionship. Angie is keeping herself busy looking for Mary’s missing needlepoint.

I found Thread and Gone to be very predictable. I kept hoping for a great twist at the end (I thought of a great alternate killer), but I was disappointed. I just wish the culprit had not been so obvious. Thread and Gone is easy to read and picks up where the last book ended. I missed the interactions with Angie's grandmother, Charlotte and the rest of the needlepointing group. I did like the history of Mary, Queen of Scots and Marie Antoinette (and their needlework). I give Thread and Gone 3 out of 5 stars. I just thought Thread and Gone was lacking. It was not as enjoyable as the first two books in the series. It also had a different feel. Alcohol seemed to be a big feature in Thread and Gone. They seemed to be consuming alcohol all the time especially Angie. Beer and wine were mentioned so frequently (it was just odd and unnecessary). There is also a lot of internal dialogue with Angie thinking about the case (and other things) instead of interacting with other people. I hope the next book in the Mainely Needlepoint series will be better (like the first two books in the series). Thread and Gone can be read without having enjoyed the first two books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of Thread and Gone from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.

The Avid Reader: http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/12/thread-and-gone.html

I've liked Lea Wait in the past. In this one too much of the mystery is just rehashing historical fact anyone with a decent grasp of English/Scots history already knows.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. However in my opinion, the ending just didn't fit. The main clue was completely forgotten. It felt as though the author changed the murderer's identity in the last 50 pages of the book. It just didn't fit to me.

While I have enjoyed this series, I found the third installment a little harder for me to get through reading. In the previous books I have enjoyed the fact that the needlepoint group had been featured throughout the story. I also enjoyed the relationship with Angie and her best friend. However, in this story I felt both of those were lost and therefore part of my enjoyment was missing. The storyline featuring the legend was hard for me to get into as well due to the fact that I don't have much knowledge of that period in history and found it to be sometimes confusing. I also felt that there were storylines that were not tied up at the end of the book which I would have liked to have had happen. I enjoy reading series and often times there is just one book or storyline that does not resonate with me as the reader. I will still make sure to check out future installments in this series as I have enjoyed the first two in the series.

I was provided an ARC of this book by the publisher through Netgalley.

Our third trip to Haven Harbor is starting to make me wonder if small Maine towns are all this dangerous. Once again murder, mystery and intrigue have Angie Curtis caught in their web. When a antique piece of needlepoint that may have ties to Mary, Queen of Scots finds it way into the hands of Angie and the rest of the Mainly Needlepointers what should have been an enjoyable July in Maine turns quickly to an investigation on many fronts. Can they prove the piece had been stitched by Mary, Queen of Scots and if so how did it end up in Maine? But when the needlepoint goes missing and the person entrusted to keep it safe ends up dead, more questions are being asked then they have answers for.

Once again I finished this book in one day. Lea Wait seems to have this ability to pull me in and keep me turning just one more page. No honestly I can but the book down when I want to.......