Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries Books In Order

Publication Order of Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries Books

Lea Wait, a well-acclaimed historical novelist who received her overdue fame after Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series published another of her well-written mystery series. A page turner and written in a truly classic way of mysterious novels, this one is called Mainely Needlepoint Mystery Series. The peculiarity of the title itself confirms that this series is filled with breathtaking suspense and mind blowing turning points.

Like earlier of Wait’s novels, this series is also set in Maine, a suburban US state, which has personal connections to the author herself. The series is planned to be published in 5 parts. The first three, which are Twisted Threads, Threads of Evidence, and Thread & Gone, have already been published while the rest two, which are Dangling by a Thread and Tightening the Threads will hit the markets in October 2016 and January 2017 respectively.

ANGIE AND CHARLOTTE
Angie Curtis had a disturbing childhood and she somehow managed to escape it. She chose a powerful life for herself and ended up being a private investigator. She’s the protagonist, along with her ever so charming and beautiful grandmother, Charlotte. Every book in the series unfolds a new mystery for this duo in which they somehow find themselves stuck it. Angie is a strong, sharp character but very different from Maggie Summer (Wait’s protagonist in Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series). She is not a perfect protagonist. She has her faults and fears, and that is exactly what makes her so real and adds life to the books. Charlotte, on the other hand, acts as Angie’s guidance on every step. She’s old and wise and notices everything. Her long experience of life and the tragic death of her daughter has only made her more reliable and patient towards everything. Each book is a different kind of thriller and story in itself. And as you move on from one book to the other, the complexity of the characters unfolds which makes it unbearable for you to wait for the next one.

#1 TWISTED THREADS
The first one in the series, Twisted Threads basically acts as a backbone to the rest of the books. Here, it is Angie’s personal story that forces her to indulge in the mystery. The mystery of her mother’s disappearance, and then 10 years later, her mother’s death. We get the full background check on Angie but still discover her present self throughout. After leaving her complicated past behind, Angie is now a successful private investigator in Arizona when she receives a phone call from her grandmother informing that her mother has finally been found, but not alive. This brings her back to Maine where she grew up and has all her happy memories. Her mother’s dead body was found very close to the house, which was strange since she disappeared ten years ago. What really put things in motion in another death of a woman from her grandmother’s knitting club. This gets Angie curious as she suspects that this new murder has everything to do with whatever happened to her mother, and thus she carries on her investigation.

#2 THREADS OF EVIDENCE
After solving the mystery of her mother’s past and death, Angie decides to live in Maine with her grandmother as it had always been her home. In this second part, a new mystery unfolds. But this time, Lea Wait beautifully fuses supernatural element to this mystery series. The story revolves around “Aurora”, a magnificent Victorian mansion located on the outskirts of Maine. Everybody in the town was aware of it, and its dark past. In 1970, a teenage girl died in the mansion as it was hosting the Labor Day party. The house had been vacant ever since, until now, when a famous Hollywood celebrity, Skye West, shows a special interest in the mansion. Angie is intrigued and sets on to investigate what can’t meet the eye. Maybe Jasmine, the teenage girl, didn’t just die but was killed. And that has something to do with Skye Crew. But why now? Why, after so many years?

#3 THREAD AND GONE
Mainely Needlepointers (this is the name of Charlotte’s knitting club) are having a party on Fourth of July, hosted by none other than Angie Curtis. A new character is introduced here, with a mystery of her own, who now takes this series forward. Mary Clough comes to Angie with an antique needlepoint she just discovered in the attic of her house. Angie gets somehow convinced that the piece is much more valuable than Angie or Mary could anticipate, and thus trusts the needlepoint to her lawyer. After a few days, the lawyer was found dead, and the needlepoint went missing. And thus, Angie sets to work again. And she carries on with her investigation; she’s constantly surrounded by the guilt of killing her lawyer. This emotional trauma is what leads Angie to put forward a step and figure out what exactly happened.

#4 DANGLING BY A THREAD
A mysteriously complicated story with many loose ends, the fourth book in the series comes out as the biggest challenge to Angie. A beautiful King’s Island is not only a sanctuary for the birds like Great Cormorant but a home Jessie. Certain events unfold which results in Jessie’s murder, only because he loved his home too much. Angie and Jessie’s friend, Dave, carries on their investigation to figure out who killed Jessie.

#5 TIGHTENING THE THREADS
The last one to put an end to this epic series, Tightening the Threads is the most ambitious of them all. A family drama, this novel questions morality, truths, and love. This murder, of a beloved brother, turns out to be the greatest lesson on life for Angie.

SOME LAST WORDS
Mainely Needlepoint Mystery Series is one the greatest series you’ll ever across in this genre. You get solemnly indulged in the mystery and won’t stop ’til the last page. Angie becomes the most beloved character and it is difficult to say why. Maybe because even during the entire investigation, we still see her as a human, a woman, a daughter, and not just some sharp, brilliant detective whom we know nothing about. She laughs, makes a mistake, prays, and even flirts.

Maybe this is not just plain mysterious series, but it also confronts human emotions, and limits, and how we can cross those limits for the ones we truly love and care.