Back to Tinker’s Cove for more Lucy Stone and her Down East Maine adventures! It’s nearly Thanksgiving. Lucy is expecting her son Toby and his college roommate to return. That means lots of cooking, kicking her oldest daughter out of his room, and getting the house ready. Plus there are visits to the turkey farm, turkey art projects, yummy recipes, and of course those town council meetings that always cause trouble. This time around, it’s first about Cujo the dog who has been eating dozens of chickens. (You just have to laugh at the characters in this scene.) Then the town is divided over allowing a casino to be built. This one is a whirlwind with Thanksgiving chaos, appearances by all the Tinker’s Cove locals, and of course, a murder for Lucy to solve. I was completely laughing at the turkey kitchen scene because who wouldn’t have freaked out and thought to do the same? Loved this one!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

It is another busy holiday season for Lucy Stone and her family. Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and Lucy is as occupied as always. Her family is growing fast, and her oldest, Toby is away at his first year of college. Lucy and the family are eager for him to come home for Thanksgiving. Lucy is still working part-time at the town's newspaper and is currently covering the town's meetings. There is something going on and lots of people are up in arms.

Before long, as is always the case in the Lucy Stone series, there is a murder. Although Lucy has some freedom as a reporter, she plans to leave the investigation to the police. But, one of her dear friends pleads with her to look into it. What else can Lucy do but comply? Lucy has one suspect in mind and is determined to find answers.

This is book 7 in the series, and it is an enjoyable read. There is an even mix of Lucy on the job, on the case and with her family. I wasn't crazy about Lucy in a couple of books where I wasn't fond of her parenting skills, but I am liking her again in this book. She is indeed a great Mom, seasoned as she is. She is pretty good at her job, although a bit distracted, and she annoys her boss a bit.

This series continues with Wedding Day Murder. These books are really all great reads. Even if the characters can get a bit annoying, there is always an interesting case to be solved. This story, like the others, are light reads, but the mysteries are enough to capture my interest. I look forward to continuing on with all of Leslie Meier's books, which are still in production. ( )

This was the first Lucy Stone Mystery I read and I enjoyed it. The characters were well described and all had their own quirks and personalities. The mystery was different, using an old Indian artifact for the weapon and the suspects were many. The dynamics in the family were good and realistic also. I will probably read more in this series. ( )

As far as I know, I've not read a Lucy Stone mystery before, but I didn't feel too lost in reading this book (book 7).

Lucy is looking forward to having her son home for Thanksgiving, but her holiday plans go quite awry. First, her son doesn't arrive when she'd thought he would, causing her to cut out of a meeting early and miss a post-meeting fight that she should have covered for the weekly newspaper she reports for. Then, her son brings home more guests than anticipated, ruining her carefully laid seating plans. In among all that, there's a murder. Somehow, Lucy ends up in the middle of all the trouble though she (and I) doesn't suspect the right person. (It's a common foible in cozies where the amateur sleuth thinks she can do the job better than the police.)

The book kept me turning the pages to find out what happens next. I was glad to see that the casino may not be built after all--or at least not in the planned location. ( )

I've had second thoughts about the rating, and I may have been harsh, but in the end it doesn't matter. I will keep on reading this series till the end. The reasons for that are scattered throughout the book. The author knows when to reveal the full details of Lucy's thoughts, but she doesn't become attached to her character. She never praises Lucy and simply relays her highly moralistic meanderings. Officer Barney Culpepper makes a late entrance, but then the murder itself was late in coming. Altogether a very neatly ended mystery with a nicely tied bow. And the climax was different, as Lucy was not dragged through hot coals here. She was barely hurt. We can be thankful for favors, big or small. ( )