Customer Reviews

Mother's Day Murder (Lucy Stone, Book 15)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 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.

I really loved this book!!! This is the most recent book of this series, and I have read every one of them. I have given 5 stars to most of the books. Main character: Lucy - she and I have so much in common - both of us have 4 kids and a new grandchild; she seems so real and we have so much in common that sometimes it's scary! Location: Maine (this is one thing we don't have in common, as I've never lived in Maine). Cozy Factor: cozy home/family life with a loving mother (Lucy) who celebrates all holidays and occasions and loves her children so much; cozy small town.

This series is homespun with love, a caring and concerned mother (who works at the newspaper company), a typical working dad, homecooked meals, children and all of their growing-up issues, neighbors and friends, coffee - just everything so cozy and loving.

About this particular book:

Sara is 14-years old, and just beginning those teen years. She likes to do the things most normal teens do. I have nothing against Sara.

Lucy and her family have Mother's Day brunch at Queen Victoria Inn. Other mothers are also having brunch there.

This is a murder mystery, so someone is murdered. I will not say who or where or why. I will say that the murder is puzzling everybody. Since Lucy is a news reporter, she is active in the newspaper articles being written, interviewing people involved, etc.

This particular book is backdropped by mothers. Lucy is a mother; Lucy's daughter-in-law Molly is a mother; other characters are mothers; in a side plot, there is a mother worried about her daughter (I won't give anymore details).

The security and coziness of home (Lucy's home) really adds a lot to this book. Lucy's home is so cozy, and Lucy is such a wonderful mother and friend and person. Everytime Lucy goes home, or is already home, I just felt so cozy and secure.

There is a nice twist to this book. I think the ending will surprise you.

There's so much more that I did not tell you - that I will not tell you because I do not want to ruin this book for those who haven't read it yet. It is too good to ruin.

I like Sara a lot more than I like Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the most hateful person. She has ruined so many of these books. In the later books, she has had very small parts because she is away at college. (Like she really deserves to go to college.) In this book, Lucy mentions that she is on the student advisory council at college (or something like that) - how horrible that is. I feel bad for all those college students who have to seek Elizabeth's advice. Elizabeth giving advice or guidance? Elizabeth needs someone to give her guidance. She is so horrible and hateful. I despise her with a passion. But Sara is just a normal teenager.

Even though I enjoy this series very much, and it is for me, it is not necessarily for everyone. I enjoy it because my domestic qualities and situations are something I love and appreciate and take very seriously. Not only do I connect with Lucy, but my kids are similar to Lucy's. Even if I had of read this series back before I married and had kids, I think I still would have enjoyed it (maybe not quite as much, though), because it would have given me something to look forward to.

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

I have read all of the Lucy Stone Mysteries and can't wait for the next one to be published. Once I picked one up, I had to read the entire series.

This book was "quirky" and humorous in some places. I loved the characters and the story line. I am looking forward to reading more of this Author's work. If you were a fan of "Murder She Wrote" TV series, I think you will enjoy reading this book.

As has been the case, good read, plot and characters, really enjoy these for a bit of light reading.

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!

I have been reading this series for years and have enjoyed every one of them. However, this one had a couple of editing errors. At one point Lucy contemplates starting a conversation with one daughter over laxatives and diet aids found by the youngest daughter. But the youngest daughter doesn't report the find to her mother for another chapter or two. In a another case she invites one daughter to go with on a visit, but in the next paragraph refers to the other daughter as being with her. Maybe it will get corrected if the book gets reprinted. But I do enjoy this series very much.