Christmas in Haven Harbor, Maine, means family, trouble, and murder . . . This Yuletide season, there’s no time for Angie Curtis and Patrick West to linger under the mistletoe. Patrick’s being needled by his mother—movie star Skye West—to set the stage for a perfect white Christmas as she brings her costar, screenwriters, and director home for the holidays. With his mother’s long list of … mother’s long list of wishes, Patrick’s becoming unraveled. To help, the Mainely Needlepointers offer to decorate Skye’s Victorian mansion and create needlepoint pillows as gifts for the guests.
But not long after the celebrity celebrants invade Haven Harbor, an unscripted tragedy occurs. Then some questionable Christmas cookies make Patrick sick. Before Santa arrives at the town pier on a lobster boat, Angie and the Needlepointers need to trim down the naughty list, catch a cold-hearted killer, and wrap up the case . . .
more
Thread the Halls is the 6th book in the Mainely Needlepoint series written by Lea Wait. In this one, our heroine, Angie Curtis, helps her boyfriend, Patrick West, prepare for his mother’s arrival to Aurora at Christmastime. We’ve met Skye West before, and this time, she’s bringing a troupe of actors and actresses who are squabbling on the set of their next movie. One of them dies, and it looks like Angie might be involved somehow!
To begin with, the book is a treasure trove of Christmas joy and amazement, especially in Maine. I loved the traditions, the descriptions, the small town decorations… everything about the holidays felt perfect, and I was glad to read it this week as we close out the actual Christmas season in a few more days. The murder was also intriguing: Angie and Patrick find one of the guests dead in the snow on his property, but they don’t know why. Poison? Gun shot? It looks like a hunting accident, but there must be more, right?
I feel all the charm in this series. I really love the supporting cast, and I have to slow myself from reading the remaining 3 in the series before I’m all done. The author passed away recently, so that will be all that I have left, sadly. When the book came to a conclusion, I found myself a little stumped, and then when I reflected back on some things that happened, I felt a little let down, to be honest. There were some niggles and frustrations.
When Patrick is injured, his mother, Skye, blasts Angie as if it’s her fault. She actually accuses her of murder and wants Angie away from Patrick for the holiday. Until this point, Skye has raved about Angie, so this was clearly just a plot device to add a few chapters. There was no tension or concern previously… and even if I could get over that, the apology later on was too minimal with no heart. Skye was usually much kinder, even as a lead actress with a bit of dramatic flair. She never truly thanked Angie for helping find the real killer, and even though Patrick defended Angie, it wasn’t enough. Major bump down for me from 5 to 4 stars.
Also… the true killer and wrap-up was too quick and tidy without enough details. Two stories intersected, which I predicted, but the 3 chapters about Skye’s anger toward Angie should’ve been focused on relating the real story at the end. So, I knocked off another 1/2 star. Because of those, I wanted to round down to 3 but ultimately, the holiday spirit was very strong, so I caved and will round up to a 4. But in book 7, this little mess better be fixed! 🙂 That said, still ADORE the series.
There’s no time for Angie Curtis and Patrick West to linger under the mistletoe this holiday season. Patrick’s, mother and movie star Skye West wants a perfect white Christmas. She brings her co-star, screenwriters, and director home for the holidays and hopes it will help solve the issues that have been plaguing the movie set and actors. With his mother’s long list of wishes, Patrick’s needs help to get everything done before her arrival. The Mainely Needlepointers offer to help decorate Skye’s Victorian mansion and create needlepoint pillows as gifts for the guests.
Hours after the celebrities invade Haven Harbor, a tragedy occurs. Skye’s co-star is murdered in her backyard. Someone delivers poison Christmas cookies to Patrick, and Skye blames Angie. Before Santa arrives at the town pier on a lobster boat, Angie and the Needlepointers need to trim down the naughty list, catch a cold-hearted killer, and wrap up the case.
—
Series: A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery – Book 5
Author: Lea Wait (www.leawait.com)
Genre: Career/Hobby Cozy
Publisher: Kensington
Thread the Halls is a delightful adventure for the holidays with plenty of action and a great cast of characters. Lea Wait has created a fun, fast-paced story with a colorful location. This book will delight readers no matter how many cozy’s they have read.
Angie Curtis wants to reclaim her childhood Christmas’, everything from the experiences she had as a child, to the decorations on the tree and in her heart. Skye West, her boyfriend’s famous mother wants a picture-perfect postcard Christmas for her guests. Neither of them will get exactly what they want this year.
Recapturing our childhood is something most people want at some point in their life. Unfortunately, like Angie, we learn that we can’t really make this happen, but we can come close. Angie wants to go back and feel those special moments from holidays gone by. But… things keep getting in her way, including murder.
The cast of characters in this book are well-rounded and easily relatable. Even the killer is someone you feel you may know, or someone in your life just like him/her. Angie’s grandmother is an understanding and caring woman that readers will want to learn more about. Angie and Patrick’s relationship is still in the new stage but progresses throughout the story to a very satisfactory conclusion. Even though Skye is a famous actress, she is very down to earth and loves her son. She wants Christmas to be special and happy, but she doesn’t become dramatic when things don’t go according to plan.
The setting in the town of Haven Harbor, although fictional, could easily be any small town where people know their neighbors and take care of each other. The food described in this book sounds delicious and makes the reader hungry. The townspeople are down home and in many cases set in their ways, but they treat each other with respect and dignity.
Thread the Halls is the 5th book in the “A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery” series and is a wonderful addition. The plot is straightforward and does not deviate from the main storyline. The story flows smoothly, and the writing is flawless. This book and series is highly recommended to those who enjoy a whodunit with humor, intrigue and old-fashioned holiday fun.
Christmas time in Main, celebrities are in town and murder is afoot. Is Angie to blame? Can she clear her name?
I absolutely love Christmas time. I love seeing the different traditions, and activities everyone does. Great addition. Great holiday, great characters.
Read 2020
Only the end reveal saved this from being a 2 star read.
Thread the Halls by Lea Wait is the sixth book in A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series. Angie Curtis is looking forward to a quiet Christmas in Haven Harbor, Maine with her family, friends, and boyfriend, Patrick West. Then Patrick gets a call from his mother, Skye West that she is returning for Christmas and bringing some movie people with her. Patrick needs help getting Aurora (their estate) prepped for Christmas in two days (there goes Angie’s quiet Christmas). The Mainely Needlepoint group help Patrick prepare for the holidays including custom embroidered little pillows for Skye’s guests. After the guests arrive, Patrick and Skye are taking a walk when they discover one of the actor’s dead in the snow. Was it an accidentally killing by a hunter or was it deliberate? Then Patrick eats poisoned cookies and Angie is blamed. She is determined to find the culprit and get her Christmas back on track!
Thread the Halls is nicely written and has a nice pace which makes it a quick read. The emphasis in Thread the Halls is on Christmas, friendship, food and family. The murder does not occur until the 25% mark in the story. There is little investigation in the book and it is child’s play to solve. There might as well be a giant neon arrow pointing to the culprit. There is a little surprise near the end that some readers might not anticipate. It was interesting to read about various Maine Christmas traditions including the Christmas boat parade (we have a similar one in my area). My rating for Thread the Halls is 3 out of 5 stars. Thread the Halls can be a standalone book. All the pertinent details are included in this installment. I was not a fan of Patrick West (or his mother) in this book. He assumed his money would get him everything he wanted done (which is mentioned several times). I did tire of the repetition of information. The same details are repeated throughout the book. I would have preferred more substance and less fluff. If you are looking for a cozy mystery that is big on Christmas spirit, then check out Thread the Halls.
This was a fun mystery. Angie is ready to celebrate Christmas in Maine and then murder happens. Her boyfriend’s mother is a movie star and she has a home in Maine. She brings several of her colleagues home to enjoy a Maine Christmas. This mystery has several suspects and I was not sure who the murderer was. I had guesses but wasn’t positive. There is a surprise at the end. I like the characters and the town and citizens sound lovely. I have read one other book in this series and I enjoy it as well. Will read more books by this author.
I received this book from NetGalley for my review.