Mother's Day Murder

I loved this book! I was beginning to lose hope in this series but Ms. Meier has redeemed herself with this novel. I read it in 2 days. Looking forward to the next one!

In this latest book of the Lucy Stone series, Lucy's daughter Sara is 15 going on 30. She is doing all the things that teen agers today are typically doing. It is truly a test for any parent. In the mean time, Lucy is picking up bad vibes from her boss. What does it mean? Will the paper be sold? Of course she stumbles in the midst of a murder. But you will be surprised when you find out who is responsible. I like this writer because she is real. I can relate to her and her kids. She tells it like it is and we can all see a little of our own lives in her stories. You will like this latest edition to the series.

MOTHER'S DAY MURDER is part of the Lucy Stone Mysteries. The story opens on Mother's Day. It's been ten months and Corinne Appleton is still missing. When her body turns up, evidence shows she was murdered. In an unrelated crime, Tina Nowak is gunned down in front of her husband. Evidence points to her rival, Barbara Hume. While Lucy investigates for the "Pennysaver", the town's local newspaper, she has her hands full with her adolescent daughter. For readers who haven't experienced a Lucy Stone mystery, Meier does an excellent job with giving the reader enough background information. This is my first and I didn't feel I was missing pieces of the story. For fans, it will be like catching up with old friends. Molly and Toby are adjusting to being new parents. Elizabeth is a senior in college. Sara is starting to date and has a MySpace page and Zoe is in fifth grade and as adorable as ever. There's much going on with the Stone family as well as the rest of the folks in this small Maine community. If you love easy going mysteries with personable characters, this is a good book to settle down with.

I like Lucy Stone. She's not obnoxious or a know-it-all like the ones in some other cozy mysteries. Her family was very young when I first started reading these mysteries. Now 2 of them are grown and of the 2 left at home it is Sara (14) who is featured in this book. The mother of one of her classmates is murdered and another mother is accused of the crime. Lucy happened to see the murder and is the one who calls 911. In one of the funniest lines of the book, Detective Horowitz arrives on the scene and says "Another body, Mrs. Stone?" I guess the reason I like Lucy Stone is she and her family seem real to me and reading one of these books is like visiting old friends. If this is your first Lucy Stone book, I think you'll find yourself looking for others.

In Tinker's Cove, Maine, right wing republican Tina Nowak and left wind democrat Barbara "Bar" Hume are fighting but not over politics. Instead the pair is disputing over the relative merits of their sixteen years old daughters, Ashley and Heather as the teens compete for valedictorian. Their war spills over to a Prom committee in which Pennysaver reporter Lucy Stone plays peacekeeper keeping the felines from a cat fight. Unfortunately, Lucy gets distracted by a high school baseball star asking her freshman daughter Sara to the prom, her daughter-in-law's suffering with postpartum depression and spending time with her newborn first grandson. Lucy is stunned to see what looks like Bar Shoot Tina on a tennis court. Lucy investigates the feuding families only to learn the mistress of Bar's philandering spouse Bart died in a car crash. Her inquiry places mother and daughter in jeopardy from someone using the feud to cover a homicide. The latest Lucy Stone holiday cozy (see FATHER'S DAY MURDER, NEW YEAR'S EVE MURDER and ST. PATRICK'S DAY MURDER) is a fun whodunit filled with several subplots that compete for top gun even with a homicide, but ultimately converge into a nice and cozy Maine investigative thriller. Lucy is terrific as she goes from harassed to witness to doubter to investigator. Fans of the series will enjoy Leslie Meier's fun tale. Harriet Klausner