When affable Ike Hamilton, who gathers bottles to collect the deposits, is murdered in Haven Harbor, Maine, suspicion quickly falls on a teenage boy, Leo, who recently came to town and began working with Ike. Leo appeals for help to high-school teacher Dave Percy and Angie Curtis, who runs Mainely Needlepoint. Believing Leo is innocent, Angie begins to look for other possible suspects. It turns out that Ike noticed many things while on his bottle-collecting routes, and he shared his findings with others, so Angie looks into who might have needed to silence Ike to protect his or her secrets. Wait blends in many details about needlepointing and running a small crafts business into the story, including bits of historical information about samplers and their creators, which begin each chapter. The importance of family, especially to those who lacked one growing up, is effectively woven through the tale. The lovingly described Maine coastal setting will appeal to those who enjoy Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone and Sarah Graves' Jake Tiptree cozies, also set in Maine. Three recipes conclude the book.--Sue O'Brien Copyright 2019 Booklist

A newcomer to a small Maine town rouses suspicions when the down-on-his-luck man he's befriended is murdered.The cozy hamlet of Haven Harbor, Maine, takes care of its own. Neighbors support Ike Hamilton by leaving out bottles and cans for him to return for deposit money to supplement his disability benefits. Even though Angie Curtis is community-focused, running the sewing collective shop Mainely Needlepoint, she's never realized that Ike has a regular bottle-and-can route. Now she resolves to leave her recycling outside to join the cohort helping Ike. Before she can put her resolution into action, Angie learns that Ike's been killed, and the close-knit neighbors are shocked to think there might be a murderer in their midst. The insular community suspects teenage newcomer Leo of the crime. After all, he's been secretive about his background, and he'd befriended Ike, even helping him with collections when Ike's back was too sore for manual labor. High school teacher Dave Percy, who's all-too-familiar with troubled youth, is convinced that Leo is more likely the victim of something shady than a perpetrator, and Angie's instincts are in agreement. Angie and Dave team up to make a case for Leo's innocence to the police, but when it comes out that Leo hasn't been truthful with the law or his new allies, Angie isn't sure what to think. She knows the only way to find the truth is to conduct her own investigation, fearlessly confronting everyone she suspects may be involved with Ike's death in order to clear Leo's name.Themes concerning the welfare of both children and adults set Wait's latest entry in her needlepoint series (Thread Herrings, 2018, etc.) apart from her even milder cozies. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.