Threading the needle

 by Marie Bostwick. In alternating chapters that deftly move the story along, Madelyn and Tessa narrate Bostwick's fourth series entry (after A Thread So Thin). Tessa and Madelyn formed an affinity as young girls, but circumstances and time eventually destroyed their bond. Years later they find themselves living in the same small Connecticut town. Madelyn is now disgraced and broke after her husband went to prison for serious financial shenanigans. Tessa and her husband, Lee, struggle with their own financial challenges, including Tessa's herbal shop. Not unexpectedly, the two old friends end up in the same quilting class. Bostwick nicely incorporates characters from the previous novels into this story, and readers who haven't read the previous titles won't be confused. There is a lot here about female friendships, marriage, mistakes, choices, regrets, and forgiveness, but these all fit together nicely as Madelyn and Tessa rediscover the value of their relationship. VERDICT Bostwick's series continues to introduce interesting characters and compelling stories that show an appreciation for female friendship as well as a love for the art of quilting. Readers who have exhausted Jennifer Chiaverini's "Elm Creek Quilt" novels or Clare O'Donohue's "Someday Quilt" mysteries will definitely enjoy Bostwick. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)