In this coastal New England town, folks take care of the needy—but someone is killing without kindness . . . Ike Hamilton is a part of the Haven Harbor community just like anyone else, though he’s fallen on hard times and has to make do on disability checks and deposit bottles. Most of the locals do what they can to help him out, and needlepointing partners Angie and Sarah are happy to see him at the annual Blessing of the Fleet, honoring all those lost at sea over the centuries. But when harmless Ike is stabbed, suspicion quickly falls on a troubled teenage boy who’s new in town. Angie’s convinced that young Leo is innocent—but if he didn’t do it, who did? Turns out Ike may have appeared simple-minded, but he knew a few secrets that someone might have murdered him to keep quiet. Angie sets out to trace Ike’s bottle-collecting route to find out what he witnessed—and for this killer, there may be no redemption . . .

“A snow-sprinkled, holly-merry, twinkling page-turner of a mystery” from the USA Today bestselling author of Tightening the Threads (Kingdom Books). 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 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 . . . Praise for the Mainely Needlepoint mysteries “Offers a wonderful sense of place and characters right from the very beginning. Highly recommended.”—Suspense Magazine “A cozy debut that hits all the sweet spots: small town, family ties, and a crew of intriguing personalities.”—Library Journal “For a trip to Maine for the cost of a book, this is the author to read.”—Kings River Life Magazine

For fans of Sarah Graves and Leslie Meier comes a “wicked good” cozy mystery “brimming with family secrets, authentic characters, a rustic Maine island setting, and plenty of good food” (B.B. Haywood, New York Times–bestselling author) Maine’s Quarry Island has a tight-knit community that’s built on a rock-solid foundation of family, tradition and hard work. But even on this small island, where everyone knows their neighbors, there are secrets that no one would dare to whisper. Anna Winslow, her husband Burt and their teenage son have deep roots on Quarry Island. Burt and his brother, Carl, are lobstermen, just like their father and grandfather before them. And while some things on the island never seem to change, Anna’s life is about to take some drastically unexpected turns. First, Anna discovers that she has a younger sister, Izzie Jordan. Then, on the day she drives to Portland to meet Izzie for the first time, Carl’s lobster boat is found abandoned and adrift. Later that evening, his corpse is discovered—but he didn’t drown. Whether it was an accident or murder, Carl’s sudden death has plunged Anna’s existence into deadly waters. Despite barely knowing one another and coming from very different backgrounds, Anna and Izzie unite to find the killer. With their family in crisis, the sisters strive to uncover the secrets hidden in Quarry Island—and, perhaps, the ones buried within their own hearts.

“An interesting storyline. If you love cozies you really should try this series!”—from the USA Today bestselling author of Thread and Gone (Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!). The Mainely Needlepointers are about to learn that no man is an island—especially when greedy developers want his land . . . Hermit Jesse Lockhart lives alone on King’s Island, three miles east of Haven Harbor, Maine, where he’s created a private sanctuary for the endangered Great Cormorants. But when a wealthy family wants to buy the island and Jesse’s cousin petitions for power of attorney to force him to sell, Jesse is the one who becomes endangered. Mainely Needlepointer Dave Perry, who befriended Jesse in the VA hospital, rallies the group to his defense. Angie Curtis and the ravelers stitch “Save the King’s Island Cormorants” pillows and sell T-shirts to pay for Jesse’s legal counsel. But tragically, on a visit to the island, Angie finds Jesse dead. Now the search is on for a common thread that can tie the murdered man to his killer . . . Praise for the Mainely Needlepoint mysteries “Offers a wonderful sense of place and characters right from the very beginning. Highly recommended.” —Suspense Magazine “A cozy debut that hits all the sweet spots: small town, family ties, and a crew of intriguing personalities.” —Library Journal “Deep atmosphere, secrets from the past and a mystery interview with sharp plotting and well-developed, sympathetic characters create another winner in the second of the Mainly Needlepoint Mysteries.” —RT Book Reviews

Haven Harbor is an authentic coastal Maine town—which makes it the perfect location for a new film production. But now it’s become the scene of a crime . . . Needlepointers Angie and Sarah are helping with set design for the movie being shot in their little New England hometown—but as the lighthouse and the wharves bustle with activity, a real-life drama is about to unfold. The producer, Hank Stoddard, has been harassing the pretty young female lead, and the two exchanged heated words at a lobster bake. Now someone’s lowered the boom on him . . . After a wayward piece of sound equipment sends him to his death, theories fly about who went off-script. Meanwhile, a local woman’s tragic story about a true love lost at sea, which originally inspired the film, may lead to murderous revelations from long ago. Angie’s got to unravel these mysteries, and may need to give more than one killer the hook . . .

The USA Today bestselling author of Dangling by a Thread serves up “a taut, tasty mystery . . . remains a puzzle until the end” (Boothbay Register). In the coastal town of Haven Harbor, blood runs thicker than water—and just as freely . . . Antique dealer Sarah Byrne has never unspooled the truth about her past to anyone—not even friend and fellow Mainely Needlepointer Angie Curtis. But the enigmatic Aussie finally has the one thing she’s searched for all her life—family. And now she and long-lost half-brother, Ted Lawrence, a wealthy old artist and gallery owner in town, are ready to reveal their secret connection . . . Ted’s adult children are suspicious of their newfound aunt Sarah—especially after Ted, in declining health, announces plans to leave her his museum-worthy heirloom paintings. So when Ted is poisoned to death during a lobster bake, everyone assumes she’s guilty. If Sarah and Angie can’t track down the real murderer in time, Sarah’s bound to learn how delicate—and deadly—family dynamics can truly be . . . Praise for the Mainely Needlepoint mysteries “Offers a wonderful sense of place and characters right from the very beginning. Highly recommended.”—Suspense Magazine “A cozy debut that hits all the sweet spots: small town, family ties, and a crew of intriguing personalities.”—Library Journal “For a trip to Maine for the cost of a book, this is the author to read.”—Kings River Life Magazine

What is it like to live and write in Maine? Wesley McNair, Maine's premier anthologist, asked authors who are new to Maine as well as natives to answer this question. They wax lyrical on everything from encounters with neighbors and wildlife to embracing Maine's rich natural landscape, and they take a philosophical look at the state of being in Maine. Among the authors included are Carolyn Chute, Richard Ford, Bill Roorbach, Richard Russo, and Monica Wood.