Angie encounters a man locals call "The Solitary" when she visits the harbor. She learns his name is Jesse Lockhart and that he lives on King's Island, about 3 miles off Haven Harbor's coast. The man moved to his family's island to protect the Great Cormorant which nests there. He comes into town to pick up mail and shop occasionally. A rich man wants to buy the island, and the local realtor wants to make it happen. Dave, a Mainely Needlepointer and Jesse's friend, and Angie go to warn the man that his cousin who co-owns the island is being flown in by the rich man, but two in the boat confuses Jesse and he shoots an arrow which pierces Dave's leg. When Angie goes with law enforcement to talk to Jesse the next day, they find him dead. The rich man is Patrick's uncle. Patrick has recently returned from convalescing in Boston following the fire in the last installment. Angie and Dave line up support from environmental groups to launch a campaign to "save the Great Cormorant." The plot's pretty convoluted, and it takes a long time to get to the murder. Angie uncovers the clues that lead to an arrest. The setting is pleasant, and I love the needlepoint angle. I wish needlepoint figured more prominently to the story. I felt the author failed to include the needlepoint discussed early in the story when concluding her plot. I listened to the audio book. ( )

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. ( )

"All Jesse wanted was to protect his birds," Dave said. "Why would anyone want to kill him?" "Someone wanted to buy his island," I pointed out. "Maybe that someone believed that if he weren't there it would be easier to buy King's Island."

Hermit Jesse Lockhart lives alone on King's Island, three miles east of Haven Harbor, Main, where he's created a private sanctuary for the endangered Great Cormorants. A wealthy family wants to buy the island and Jesse's cousin Simon petitions for power of attorney to force him to sell.

The book also uses several samplers made by young New England girls in the 1800s. The book's background of coastal Maine and information on needlepoint work is interesting.

This is the fourth entry in The Mainley Needlepoint Mystery Series. Jesse Lockhart is a loner and lives on King's Island, three miles from Haven Harbor, Maine to take care of the cormorants. He owns half the island with his cousin, Simon from Chicago. A wealthy family arrives in Haven Harbor and wants to buy the island but before Simon, who has been flown to Haven Harbor by the wealthy family, can convince Jesse to sell, Jesse is killed. How Angie and the Police discover who killed Jesse makes for a engaging and interesting mystery. I did find a few grammatical errors which was surprising because Lea's books are usually well edited. A good addition to the series and an interesting mystery. ( )

Dangling by a Thread is the fourth book in Lea Wait’s Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series and I have enjoyed them all. One thing I like about this series is that not only is there a murder to be solved but there is always a secondary storyline that is just as interesting and often very timely. You do not have to have read the other books in this series to follow along, but I find that I enjoy them much more if I do.

Protagonist Angie Curtis and her group of Mainely Needlepointers are a great cast of characters. They all lead very interesting lives, and are friendly, personable and play roles in the community. They run their business in the small town of Haven Harbor, Maine. There are several things going on with the Needlepointers in their personal lives in this book as well as their Needlepoint lives. When Angie sees a strange man getting out of a small boat at the town dock, she follows him to see what he is up to. Jesse Lockhart (The Solitary) lives alone on King’s Island, with no house, running water, or electricity. He is ex-military and may be suffering from P.T.S.D. King’s Island, located three miles from Haven Harbor, Maine, is also a protected nesting area for the Great Cormorants, which are threatened. It turns out that Jesse is a friend of one of the Mainely Needlepointers, Dave. At the same time Patrick and Skye West have also returned to Haven Harbor. Skye's brother-in-law is visiting the area and wants to buy land to build a vacation home. It turns out that he and his wife fall in love with King's Island and want to buy it. When Angie finds out, she tells Dave so they can warn Jesse that his cousin and co-owner of the island is on his way to Haven Harbor to convince Jesse to see the island. This begins a string of tragedies and Angie is right in the middle of it. When the needlepointers get involved, they contact the Audubon Society and begin a "Save the Seabirds" campaign. A worthy cause and very important to the area.

I found this to be a wonderful story with a well-plotted storyline and great characters. This is a quick, smooth read with twists and turns and finally an ending that ties up all the loose ends, almost. In this story, Sarah is having a relationship with a man 20 years her senior and is keeping it a secret. She says they are just friends, but is there more to it than that? I hope we find out more in the next book coming out in 2017. When we find out who the killer is, it was not someone I suspected, but in retrospect, could definitely see it being that person. I like that it makes sense and does not come out of left field. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a well-crafted cozy mystery. The publisher generously provided me with an advanced copy of this book to read and review.
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