The Recommended Reading Path
For the best experience, readers should follow the Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries in their strict publication order. While each novel presents a self-contained whodunit, the personal lives of protagonist Angie Curtis, her family, and the residents of Haven Harbor, Maine, evolve continuously. Reading the books out of order will spoil major relationship milestones, character growth, and resolution of long-term family secrets.
- Twisted Threads (2015)
- Threads of Evidence (2015)
- Thread and Gone (2015)
- Dangling by a Thread (2016)
- Tightening the Threads (2017)
- Thread the Halls (2017)
- Thread Herrings (2018)
- Thread on Arrival (2019)
- Thread and Buried (2019)
Detailed Book-by-Book Breakdown
1. Twisted Threads (2015)
After leaving her coastal hometown of Haven Harbor, Maine, ten years ago, Angie Curtis returns when she learns of a breakthrough in her mother’s unsolved murder. While attempting to reconnect with her grandmother, Charlotte, and settling into the local needlepoint business, Angie must confront the shadows of her family's past and solve a modern crime linked to her mother's death.
2. Threads of Evidence (2015)
When Angie assists her grandmother with an estate sale at a local Victorian mansion, she stumbles upon a cold case dating back to the 1970s. As Angie and the "Mainely Needlepointers" group piece together the historical clues, they realize that someone in Haven Harbor is willing to kill to keep those decades-old secrets buried.
3. Thread and Gone (2015)
A valuable antique needlepoint piece becomes the center of attention in Haven Harbor, bringing collectors and antique dealers to town. When a murder occurs, Angie must use her analytical skills to track down the killer, discovering that the history stitched into the antique canvas holds the key to the motive.
4. Dangling by a Thread (2016)
This installment takes readers to King’s Island, three miles off the coast of Haven Harbor, where hermit Jesse Lockhart has established a sanctuary for endangered Great Cormorants. When a wealthy family attempts to buy the island and Jesse's cousin tries to force a sale, Angie and the Mainely Needlepointers step in to protect Jesse, only to find themselves entangled in a dangerous web of greed.
5. Tightening the Threads (2017)
Angie's friend, Australian antique dealer Sarah Byrne, is searching for her long-lost half-brother, Ted Lawrence, who is now a wealthy local artist. As Sarah attempts to build a connection with him, secrets from the past resurface, leading to a mystery that Angie must untangle before tragedy strikes Sarah's family.
6. Thread the Halls (2017)
Set during the festive Christmas season, Angie and her partner, Patrick West, are hoping for a quiet holiday. However, Patrick’s movie star mother, Skye West, arrives with a film crew demanding a perfect white Christmas. The holiday cheer turns cold when a murder occurs on the set, forcing Angie to balance festive preparations with a holiday homicide investigation.
7. Thread Herrings (2018)
During an estate sale, Angie buys a tattered embroidery depicting a coat of arms. Hidden inside, she discovers a 1757 document from a foundling hospital. Her public search for the document's origins attracts dangerous attention, resulting in the murder of a friendly local reporter and putting Angie directly in the killer's sights.
8. Thread on Arrival (2019)
The quiet community is devastated when Ike Hamilton, a local man with intellectual disabilities who collected bottles and cans, is murdered. When suspicion wrongly falls on a troubled new teenager in town, Angie investigates the secrets Ike might have witnessed on his rounds to find the true culprit.
9. Thread and Buried (2019)
In the final book of the series, a film crew arrives in Haven Harbor to shoot a movie based on a local historical romance. The production is halted when the movie's unpopular director is killed by falling equipment. Angie's investigation reveals a modern motive wrapped up in old local history and a legendary lost love at sea.
What to Know Before You Start
The Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries stand out for their rich appreciation of historical needlework, Maine coastal culture, and tight-knit community dynamics. Author Lea Wait was a lifelong resident of Maine who lived in a historic 1774 home, allowing her to infuse the fictional Haven Harbor with genuine regional details, from lobster bakes to local accents. Each book in the series opens with authentic historical quotes from needlepoint samplers, highlighting Wait's own background as an antique dealer and needlework enthusiast. Tragically, Lea Wait passed away in August 2019, making Thread and Buried the final entry in this cherished cozy mystery series.