Thread and Gone (A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery)

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.