Kristina A. reviewed on 5/1/2019 + 1528 more book reviews

Thread on Arrival is the eighth novel in A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading Twisted Threads first. It will provide you with background information on Angie and the major secondary characters. It is hard to believe that Angie has been in Haven Harbor for less than a year. She is managing Mainely Needlepoint, dating Patrick West, has made some good friends and has her adorable black cat, Trixi. In Thread on Arrival, we are introduced to Ike Hamilton who has fallen on hard times. He wants to live out the rest of his days in Haven Harbor and, when his home was demolished for safety reasons, he took up residence in the garage. Ike is an honorable man with principles. He does not like seeing people harmed or being taken advantage of by those in power. Angie feels bad that she was unaware that he collected bottles and could have assisted him. When Leo becomes the prime suspect, Angie wants to assist the young man who has had a difficult life.

All the regular characters are in the Thread on Arrival (Gram, Sarah, Anna, Dave, Ruth, Reverend Tom) as they get ready for tourists to soon descend on the town and work on needlepoint projects for Mainely Needlepoint. I enjoy the descriptions of the projects and the sampler quotations at the beginning of each chapter along with descriptions of the sampler. Sarah Byrne is Angie's best friend and owns an antique shop. We get historical information on political memorabilia (political buttons are valued by collectors) and learned the history of embroidered âpocketsâ (not the type in the seams of our clothes). There are lovely cozy moments as we follow Angie about her day-to-day activities. I appreciated that we got to know more about Dave Percy in this installment (he has a unique poison garden). The mystery was thought out with multiple viable suspects. I was able to identify the killer early in the story, though, based on previous books I have read, and I had a strong suspicion as to why. The secondary crime was more unique. I like how the reveal was done and was happy to see this killer taken down. There are recipes at the end of the book which includes Dave's lasagna and Angie's special birthday cake. Come along to Haven Harbor for good food, antiques, needlepoint, clear skies, and a pesky murder or two in Thread on Arrival.

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