Dangling by a Thread (Mainely Needlepoint Mystery, #4)

by Lea Wait

The Mainely Needlepointers are about to learn that no man is an island—especially when greedy developers want his land . . .
 
Hermit Jesse Lockhart lives alone on King’s Island, three miles east of Haven Harbor, Maine, where he’s created a private sanctuary for the endangered Great Cormorants. But when a wealthy family wants to buy the island and Jesse’s cousin Simon petitions for power of attorney to force him to sell, Jesse is the one who becomes endangered.
 
Mainely Needlepointer Dave Perry, who befriended Jesse in the VA hospital, rallies the group to his defense. Angie Curtis and the ravelers stitch “Save the King’s Island Cormorants” pillows and sell T-shirts to pay for Jesse’s legal counsel. But tragically, on a visit to the island, Angie finds Jesse dead. Now the search is on for a common thread that can tie the murdered man to his killer . . .
 
“Offers a wonderful sense of place and characters right from the very beginning. Highly recommended.” —Suspense Magazine on Threads of Evidence

• ISBN10: 1496706269
• ISBN13: 9781496706263
• Publish Date: 25 October 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 2 July 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781496706263

Reviews

I love this series. The characters are all very likable. Ruth with her erotic publishing is hilarious. And Dave with his educational poison garden. Patrick's back in town adjusting after the events of Thread and Gone. I don't know if I really like his relationship with Angie but it doesn't really impact the story too much. For that matter, not really sure about Dave and Angie either. The mystery was alright, not as riveting as the first three but solid enough to hold my attention.

[Mystereity Reviews]

See my full review at Mystereity Reviews

Jesse lives a hermit's life on an island just off Haven Harbor's shore, alone except for his beloved Great Cormorants. When a millionaire visits Haven Harbor and decides to buy Jesse's island, Jesse's only concern is to save the island for the birds. When Jesse is found dead, there's plenty of suspects, but who was the killer and why?

I enjoy Haven Harbor and its cozy atmosphere and
the enjoyable plot kept a steady pace through the book, with a little bit of action to added to the suspense. I had a good idea who the killer was halfway through the book but it turned out I was wrong (close, but wrong.)

I thought the climax of the book was a little abrupt. The plot was slowly and steadily moving along, then screeched to a halt. It was, for the most part, a satisfying conclusion and the plot was resolved, but it was incongrous with the pace of the book and a the loose ends a little too neatly tied up.

Overall, I enjoyed Dangling by a Thread and I will continue to read the series (even if only for the recipes at the end of the book. Those Maple Oatmeal cookies sound amazing. No raisins for me, please.)

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley, who provided an advance copy to read and review in return for my honest review.