Order from Amazon.
Order from Indie Bound.
Order from Barnes and Noble.

ISBN-13:9781496706263

Publisher: Kensington

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 . . .(Goodreads)

Author’s Note:

When I was nine my family rented a home in Cozy Harbor, Maine, for one glorious summer. I loved the rocks and water, went crabbing and searching for shells and mosses, and was fascinated by a strange man who lived alone on a small island nearby. He was tall, wore his hair in a ponytail, and rowed into the harbor once every week or two for supplies. No one seemed to know who he was, or why he was on the island. In Dangling by a Thread I took a similar character, gave him a name and a backstory and purpose, and answered, for myself, the mystery of why someone would choose to live in isolation.

Questions and Topics for Discussion:

Are there any hermits near where you live? Have you known any people who seldom leave their homes … even if their homes aren’t on islands? Why do you think they choose to live this way … or is their choice made for them by psychological or environmental issues?

Do you think Jesse had PTSD? Or was he just a loner? Was he really helping the Great Cormorants?

What about Dave Percy … at the end of the book, did he make the right choice about the island?

Angie is torn between Patrick and his relatives, and Dave and Jesse. Where is she most comfortable? Do you think she has a future with either Patrick or Dave? Why? Or why not?