Twisted Threads (Mainely Needlepoint #1) by Lea Wait

Returning to the quaint coastal town of Harbor Haven, Maine—a place she once called home—Angie Curtis finds her memories aren’t all quite pleasant ones…

After leaving a decade ago, Angie has been called back to Harbor Haven by her grandmother, Charlotte, who raised her following her mother’s disappearance when she was a child. Her mother has been found, and now the question of her whereabouts has sadly become the mystery of her murder.

The bright spot in Angie’s homecoming is reuniting with Charlotte, who has started her own needlepointing business with a group called Mainely Needlepointers. But when a shady business associate of the stitchers dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, Charlotte and Angie become suspects. As Angie starts to weave together clues, she discovers that this new murder may have ties to her own mother’s cold case…   (Summary via Goodreads)


Twisted Threads is the first book in Lea Wait's new series, Mainely Needlepoint and you will become a fan after reading it.  

Angie Curtis, the main character, returns home after receiving a message from her grandmother that they found the body of her mother....her mother went missing when Angie was 9 years old.  In Twisted Threads Angie is 27 years old and living in Arizona.....far, far away from Harbor Haven, Maine.  However after receiving the call, Angie returns home to finally find out what happened to her mother.  Once Angie is home, she finds out that her grandmother has started a needlepointing business, has a handful of neighbors and friends doing needlepoint projects, and a manager that is "missing" and owes the business a lot of money !!  Angie tracks down the missing manager and brings him back to Harbor Haven to explain everything to the Mainely Needlepointers.  Unfortunately he only has a portion of the money owed and he collapses during the meeting and later dies at the hospital.

While Angie is coming to terms with the fact that her mother is indeed dead and not going to ever come home like she hoped, she is also trying to help her grandmother get the business back in shape.  Angie decides that she will stay in Harbor Haven for at least 6 months getting everything in order but as a reader I am hoping that she will stay a lot longer......

Once you pick up Twisted Threads Wait will have your attention and it will be hard to focus on anything else while the book is open.  You will fall completely in love with Angie and her group of needlepointers along with the little town they live in.  I for one am completely hooked !!!!



Review by Missi M. 

Threads of Evidence (Mainely Needlepoint #2) by Lea Wait

It's hard to imagine anything bad ever happening in picturesque Haven Harbor, Maine--until a famous face rolls into town and unthreads some very dark secrets. . .

Angie Curtis and the Mainely Needlepointers are all too familiar with the Gardener estate. The crumbling Victorian mansion, known as "Aurora," has been sitting vacant for nearly twenty-five years--and some say it's haunted by the ghost of Jasmine Gardener, the teenage girl who died there in 1970 under mysterious circumstances...

Harbor Haven is abuzz with excitement when Hollywood actress Skye West decides to buy Aurora and sell off its furnishings. And Angie is intrigued when Skye asks her to appraise the estate's sizable collection of needlepoint pictures. But the more she examines the pieces, the more they seem to point toward Jasmine's murder--and the murderer--and it's up to her to stitch the clues together. . .    (Summary via Goodreads)




No matter what Angie is doing, she gives it her ALL....whether it is helping her grandmother with her business, Mainely Needlepoint, or getting reaquainted with her hometown and its residents, or helping solving murders past and present !!

In Threads of Evidence Angie's grandmother is about to get married to Reverend Tom and Angie being the maid of honor has to get a dress and plan the bridal shower but when her and Sarah get asked to appraise the estate of an old Victorian mansion, they find more than old furniture.....

The old Victorian estate, called Aurora when it was in its glory in the 1970's, has been sitting and falling down for years after its owner died.  Skye West, a famous actress buys the estate and wants to bring it back to life.  Angie and Sarah are hired to help her accomplish this.  Little did they know that not only does Skye want to revive the mansion but she wants to solve the cold case of the seventeen year old that was rumored to have drown on the property in 1970.  

Seeing as Angie worked for a private investigator in Arizona, Skye hires her to help solve the case and bring justice to the Gardener family.  This doesn't seem possible seeing as Jasmine drown and her case was ruled accidental and this all happened 45 years ago.....

But if you're a fan of the Mainely Needlpoint series and Lea Wait, you have come to realize that ANYTHING is possible and more than likely Angie will figure it out !!  So grab a snack and a drink and get lost in Haven Harbor.....you are not going to want to miss this party !!!!!


Review by Missi M.

Thread and Gone (Mainely Needlepoint #3) by Lea Wait

When a priceless antique is stolen, murder unravels the peaceful seaside town of Haven Harbor, Maine. . .

Angie Curtis and her fellow Mainely Needlepointers know how to enjoy their holidays. But nothing grabs their attention like tying up loose threads. So when Mary Clough drops in on the group's Fourth of July supper with a question about an antique needlepoint she's discovered in her family attic, Angie and her ravelers are happy to look into the matter.

Angie's best guess is that the mystery piece may have been stitched by Mary, Queen of Scots, famous not just for losing her head, but also for her needlepointing. If Angie's right, the piece would be extremely valuable. For safekeeping, Angie turns the piece over to her family lawyer, who places it in a safe in her office. But when the lawyer is found dead with the safe open and ransacked, the real mystery begins. . .    (Summary via Goodreads)



Angie Curtis sure knows how to get in the middle of a murder....and she doesn't even try !!

In Thread and Gone, the third book in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series by Lea Wait, a young couple come to Angie to ask her help with an old piece of embroidery the girl found in her attic.  Mary Clough is going through her house and she comes across an old piece of needlepoint and when her fiance's brother tells her to talk to Angie, she does.....after all the brother is Ethan Trask a state trooper than Angie's known since high school.  Angie and some of her Mainely Needlepointers realize that it does have a history so they encourage Mary to let Angie research it.  They also all agree to give it to Angie's lawyer, Lenore Pendleton, to keep in her safe while they investigate it's history.

Little did any of they know that Lenore would end up murdered and the contents of her safe stolen !!  Not only does Angie take it personally because she was the one to suggest taking in to Lenore for safekeeping, she really likes Mary and wants to help her find out the history behind it.

You cannot help but love Angie and her town and the people in it.  Lea Wait writes Haven Harbor in such a way that the reader will want to visit and maybe even move there.  All of the people that are around Angie are people that the reader can relate to and even long for as real friends.

There is nothing better than settling down with a good book that captures your attention and takes you away....and the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series is just that kind of series.  Every time you pick up one of the books in the series, you feel like you are returning home for a visit......


Review by Missi M.

Dangling by a Thread (Mainely Needlepoint #4) by Lea Wait

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 Simon 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 and Dave find Jesse dead. Now the search is on for a common thread that can tie the murdered man to his killer . . . 
 
“Offers a wonderful sense of place and characters right from the very beginning. Highly recommended.” —Suspense Magazine on Threads of Evidence.  (Summary via Goodreads)


Main character Angie Curtis has her hands FULL in Dangling By A Thread.  Dangling By A Thread is the fourth book in Lea Wait's Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series and I am a HUGE fan.  One of the reasons that I am a fan is that I love Maine and love reading about the area.....and Wait makes the reader feel like you are there !!

Angie is still getting use to being back home after moving to Arizona and just returned to Maine a few months back.  She is getting use to living in the house she grew up in with her mother and grandmother, getting use to living there alone.  And she is running her grandmothers needlepoint business and making friends.....oh yeah and she seems to get involved in helping solve murders.....

In Dangled By A Thread Angie meets Jesse Lockhart.  Jesse is a friend of one of her needlepointers and a friend, Dave.  Jesse lives out on one of the islands, King's Island, protecting the nesting sites of the local Cormorant birds.  Jesse likes living there by himself and only comes inland once in a while for supplies and to check his mail.  Jesse's life is simple and quiet until a weathly couple sees the island when they pull into the harbor to visit friends and they want it for themselves.  Fortunately for Jesse he has Dave and Angie on his side and they rally to help save the Cormorants......and when Jesse is found murdered on the island it becomes their main purpose !!!

Wait has a way of drawing the reader into the story immediately and one cannot help but get lost in the story and want to see justice served and Angie's hometown of Haven Harbor peaceful again.  There is so much going on with Angie and her life that one cannot help but like her and respect her for what she does.  Haven Harbor is definitely a place to visit as often as one can and we know that Angie will welcome all readers into her world......


Review by Missi M.

Tightening the Threads (Mainely Needlepoint #5) by Lea Wait

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 . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)


Tightening the Threads by Lea Wait is a story about family, the Lawrence family specifically....and what a crazy family it is !!  

Tightening the Threads is the fifth book in Wait's Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series and we are getting to know the infamous Lawrence family.  Ted Lawrence has lived in Haven Harbor forever.  He grew up there with his famous father who was a painter and he himself is an artist as well.  Ted is getting ready to celebrate his 75th birthday and wants to celebrate in style !!  With the help of Sarah, an antique dealer and dear friend, he plans the perfect weekend.  His three grown children come home to celebrate with their father.....unfortunately during the lobster bake, Ted becomes ill and later dies at the hospital.

Tightening the Threads is full of potential suspects as the evening before the lobster bake Ted introduced the family to Sarah who he recently learned is his niece and declares that he will be changing his will and leaving Sarah with the family artwork worth millions......the Lawrence children are obviously upset and they begin questioning their father and his plans.......but is one of them capable of murdering their father ??  Sarah's good friend Angie steps in to try to figure things out as she has been successful of this in the past but is everyone telling the truth ?  Angie is having trouble wrapping her head around a child killing their father......

Wait has a way with capturing the readers attention and making it extremely difficult to put the book down.  You will want to remain focused on this story as developments occur and things aren't what you think at first and it seems the Lawrence family has so many secrets to try to keep track of.....



Review by Missi M.

Thread the Halls (MainelyNeedlepoint #6) by Lea Wait

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 . . .   (Summary via Goodreads)



It doesn't matter what time of year you read Thread the Halls, the story will have you believing it is December and you are in Haven Harbor with Angie and her family and friends celebrating the holidays.

Thread the Halls will get you into the spirit of the holdays even though Angie is again caught up in a murder..... Angie has been back in her hometown for about 6 months now, she has moved into her childhood home, her grandmother has gotten married and moved out, Angie has successfully taken over the needlepoint business her grandmother started, she has some dear friends and even a boyfriend.  Life is good for her except for the fact that murder seems to follow her around.

Angie's boyfriend Patrick is the son of movie actress Skye West and she is coming to spend her holidays in Aurora, the Victorian mansion she owns in Haven Harbor, and she's bringing some of the people working on her latest movie set.  Skye wants everything to be perfect for the holiday ....unfortunately one of her guests is murdered and Angie happens to be the one to find the body.

All Angie wants to do is bake cookies, finish her Christmas shopping and wrapping and spend her first Christmas back with family.  However Patrick draws her into the festivities at Aurora and she also tries to solve the murder.......which is so Angie !!

The Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series by Lea Wait is a great series to get lost in.  You will fall in love with Angie and her family and friends, the town is a great town to want to move to, and even the murders will capture your interest.  Once you read one of the books in this series, you will want to read all of them and not stop until you have....they are addicting !!!!


Review by Missi M.

Thread Herrings (Mainely Needlepoint #7) by Lea Wait

Angie's first auction may turn out to be her last--when she bids on a coat of arms that someone would literally kill to possess . . .

Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow Needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework--a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms.

Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker's invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery--or she may be the next one going, going . . . gone . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)


If you have been reading the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series by Lea Wait, you may agree with me that Thread Herring, the seventh book in this series, is your favorite !!  Not that you have to read these books in order, you can pick one up within the series and fall in love with Angie and Haven Harbor !!

In Thread Herring things gets very, very personal for Angie when her friend Clem is murdered.  Clem was only trying to help Angie with a piece of embroidery of a coat of arms that she recently bid and won at an auction.  Angie took the piece out of the frame and found some paperwork regarding a boy from 1757.  Clem offers to do a piece on the local news that she works at asking the public for help.  Little did they know that by doing this Clem would end up murdered and Angie would have to go into hiding before she becomes the next victim......

Thread Herring is my favorite book in this series (so far) because things surrounding the murder are so personal to Angie.  We see Angie's relationship with Patrick go to the next level and even see her best friend, Sarah, start to date someone close to them all.  Also because the murder victim was a friend of Angie's, we see Angie take things to a deeper level than in the previous books.....

Lea Wait gets the reader engrossed into the story immediately and knows how to keep your attention to the end and knows how to insure that you will be a devoted fan.  I, for one, know that I will return to Haven Harbor and hang out with Angie whenever Wait provides the books for them.  If there was a way to move there, I would already be there...........


Review by Missi M. 

Thread on Arrival (Mainely Needlepoint #8) by Lea Wait

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 . . .   (Summary via Goodreads)



Reading any book in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series is like returning home for a visit.  The author, Lea Wait, captures the readers attention within the first chapter of every book and by the time you get to the last page, you are a beloved member of the little coastal town of Haven Harbor....

The main character Angie Curtis grew up in Haven Harbor but moved away for a while.  In this series Angie moves back to her hometown into the house she grew up in with her grandmother and mother taking over her grandmother's business, Mainely Needlepoint and helps the local police department solve murders.

In Thread on Arrival a harmless homeless member of the community, Ike Hamilton, is murdered and the teenage boy that he recently friended is looking good for the murder.  However Angie and her friend, Dave, do not think that Leo is guilty even when all the signs are pointed towards him.  So what does Angie do ?  Well if you have read ANY of the books in this series you know exactly what Angie is going to do.  She's going to ask questions and talk to everyone.....and the BEST part about it in this book is that her boyfriend Patrick helps her work through it !!!

I've said it before but I will continue saying it.... I am a HUGE fan of Lea Wait and the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series.  There is so much to enjoy while reading this series.  You have all the close relationships, there is a celebrity living in Haven Harbor, one of the residents has a poison garden, another resident, an elderly woman, writes erotica books when her athritis isn't acting up, there are kittens, good food, and ocean air that you will swear you feel because you are so involved in the story !!  I could go on and on but that is just holding you up from picking up one of the books so I will leave you with this.......  Run, don't walk, or grab your laptop and get your copy of Thread on Arrival or one or all of the other books in this amazing series.  You will love the escape !!!!


Review by Missi M.

Needled to Death (A Helping Hands Mystery #1) by Annelise Ryan

As a colleague of deputy coroner Mattie Winston, social worker Clothilde “Hildy” Schneider is no stranger to unsolved murders at Sorenson General Hospital. Except this time, it’s up to her to crack the case . . . 
 
Motivated by her own difficult past, Hildy has an unparalleled commitment to supporting troubled clients through grief and addiction in Sorenson, Wisconsin. But when a distraught group therapy member reveals disturbing details about her late son’s potential murder, Hildy goes from dedicated mental health professional to in-over-her-head amateur sleuth . . .
 
Alongside her loyal therapy Golden Retriever, Hildy stumbles through incriminating clues—and an unlikely partnership with Detective Bob Richmond, the irresistibly headstrong cop who shares her passion for helping others. With signs of foul play surfacing all over town, can Hildy and Detective Richmond pinpoint the deadly traits of a sharp-witted killer before another seat gets filled at grief therapy?
 
Praise for Annelise Ryan and her Mattie Winston series

“The funniest deputy coroner to cut up a corpse since, well, ever!”
—Laura Levine, author of Killer Cruise

“The forensic details will interest Patricia Cornwell readers . . . while the often slapstick humor and the blossoming romance between Mattie and Hurley will draw Evanovich fans.”
—Booklist   (Summary via Goodreads)


Needled to Death by Annelise Ryan is the first book in her new Helping Hands Mystery series and in my opinion it is a HUGE hit !!

Hildy Schneider, the main character, had a hard upbringing....at the age of seven her mom was murdered while she was asleep in the next room, the murder was never solved, Hildy doesn't know who her father is, her grandparents want nothing to do with her and she grew up in a lot of different foster homes.  It is a miracle that she was able to turn her life around and now she is an adult and has a great job as a therapist and she is helping people.

One of the things she does in her job working as a counselor for a hospital is run a support group for people how have lost a loved one.  At one of her meetings a newcomer is there for more than support....she says that her son recently died and it was ruled an overdose however the mother says that there is no way her son would have killed himself or used drugs.  Hildy agrees to look into his death and gets a local detective that she knows to reopen the case.

Hildy and Detective Richmond, Bob, not only agree to work together but they go out to dinner and he gets her to be his workout partner in the mornings....  Bob gets everything in order so that Hildy can investigate with him as a "ride-along" unfortunately Hildy gets herself in hot water when she goes off on her own......

Ryan has a unique main character in that Hildy has a good idea of what people will do to just get by and also with her background and upbringing she will go above and beyond to help others less fortunate.  You cannot help by love her and the ways she goes about getting things done.  And the relationships she gets involved with will have the reader on their toes for sure !!!!


Review by Missi M.

Remembering Lea Wait and Review of Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine by Lea Wait

When I logged onto Facebook yesterday August 9th, 2019 the FIRST post that I read was the following written by Lea Wait's daughter Ali Cia......

"It is with great sadness we let you know of the passing of our mom, Lea Wait today. She is very loved and was surrounded by her daughters, in the comfort of her own home. We will let you know about the details of her celebration of life as soon as we secure them. We ask that you please be respectful of our family’s privacy during this very difficult time, as we grieve the loss of our mother. Thank you, to everyone, for the outpouring of support and prayers."

This is NOT something that I was ready to see.  Yes I knew she was ill battling cancer for a while but I still wasn't expected that.....

About a week and a half ago I started reading her Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series (which I will be posting and sharing my reviews with you all in the near future) and I had read her Pizza To Die For book right before that but yesterday I was in the middle of reading Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine which was publsihed in 2015.  In the first half of this book you get to really know Lea, her husband Bob and her life.  And yes she did live a full, busy life !!  She gives you some insight into her life personal and professional (as a writer).  I was feeling very close to Lea while I was reading this book and when I read that she passed, I was hit with a huge empty feeling.  No I have never met her in person and only knew her from being friends on Facebook and following her books but something you should know about me is that authors are celebrities to me.  When you read a book and it takes you away while you are sitting on your couch....when you feel like you know the people in the story and believe that you can walk around the town in the story and not get lost.....and then you get to meet or talk to the mastermind behind those words....IT IS AMAZING !!!  It is especially great when this author writes a series so that you can return to those people and that town on a regular basis.  I am looking foward to finishing the Mainely Needlepoint series and moving on to her Antique Print Mystery series.  Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine will be kept out ( I usually put the books I've read in a box in the attic ) because I have a feeling I will want to re-read this book again.

My thought and prayers go out to Lea's daughters, families, friends and fans.....

Lea.......may you fly high and free.  I know you are painfree and reunited with your love, Bob and that you will look over your girls and families and forever live in so many hearts.  You will NEVER be forgotten.

Below I have posted my thoughts on Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine.......

Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine

What's it like to live your dream? To live the life of an author? To (finally) be married to the man you love and live in the place you've always imagined? With wry humor and insight, Lea Wait, acclaimed author of 14 books in two genres, shares the good, the bad, and the challenging about living in a Maine house built in 1774, meeting publishing deadlines, and loving life. (Most of the time!) 
Lea always wanted to be an author, a mother, a wife ... and to live on the coast of Maine. She adopted her four daughters as a single parent. In 1998, after they were grown, she moved to Maine and began writing full-time. In 2003 she married Bob Thomas, a man she'd only known 12,994 days. 
Her story is a treasure for everyone who knows and love Maine, or writing ... or who dreams.   (Summary via Goodreads)



I am a fan of Lea Wait's Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series so when I saw this book by her I couldn't wait to read it !  Not only are you given a look into her life as a writer but you are given a peek at her personal life.  Sometimes I think readers don't give authors enough thought or credit.  Yeah, we read a book and enjoy it but there is so much more behind the book.....like everything the author put into it.... In Living and Writing on the Coast of Maine Lea provides the reader with short easy funny chapters telling us more about her work history and that she had corporate jobs for 30 years and started writing late.  She also talks about marrying her husband after knowing him for 12,994 days before marrying him !!!  She was a single woman who adopted 4 girls and raised them herself.  She talks about Maine where her books are centered around makes you want to visit and maybe some day move there !!!

I love getting to know authors beyond the fictional books they write.  Like I've said before authors are MY kind of celebrities.  Meeting them, talking with them, even through emails or Facebooks posts, I love it !!  You can have your Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie or whoever else you fancy, I'll "geek" out over Lea Wait and all the other authors......


Review and thoughts by Missi M.

Pizza To Die For by Lea Wait

At fourteen, future chef Mikki Norden is ready for any kitchen emergency - except the unexpected death of her mentor, Mr. Baldacci. But Mikki's learned a lot about solving crimes from her mother, an almost-published mystery author, so when the local New Jersey police rule Mr. B's death a heart attack, she know she has to prove otherwise, even if she's a very amateur detective. 

Mikki grows up fast as she discovers secrets surrounding Mr. B and his restaurant ... and within her own family. 

Wacky characters and situations make this a memorable coming-of-age mystery for readers of all ages.   (Summary via Goodreads)



It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that Pizza To Die For by Lea Wait is being told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl.  While reading this story the main character Mikki seems a lot older than 14.  

The reader will instantly fall in love with Mikki who has moved back to her mother's hometown with her mom after Mikki's dad leaves them.  Mikki and her mom move back home to live with Mikki's grandmother, her mom's mom.  Even though Mikki is 14 years old, she has never met her grandmother before.  So while Mikki is dealing with her parents seperation, living with the grandmother that she hardly knows, going to a school where no one talks to her, her love for cooking has helped her cope with it all.  And she is friends with Mr. B who just happens to own an italian restaurant and he treats her like family......

Family is a BIG deal in Mikki's new neighborhood and she doesn't find out just how important it is until Mr. B dies.....and Mikki and her new friend Richard find him !!!  The cops rule it a heart attack but Mikki knows he didn't die from natural causes......why is that ? Because Mikki's mom is obsessed with writing murder mystery books (they haven't been published yet....) and Mikki recognizes the signs of poisoning.

Even though Mikki is dealing with more than the average teenager, she is anything but average and she is determined to prove that Mr. B was poisoned and find out who did it !!!  Luckily she has the help of Richard, her one true friend in her life.

Wait takes the reader away with Pizza To Die For.....you will get so lost in the story that you will forget everything around you as you focus on Mikki and her life.  You will love Mikki and her new life in Jersey with her extended family and will be right along side her as she solves the murder of her dear friend.....again forgetting that the girl is only 14 years old  !!!!



Review by Missi M.