Customer Reviews

Star Spangled Murder (Lucy Stone Mysteries, No. 11)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I?m a HUGE fan of the Lucy Stone series, but this book was just very disappointing (I gave it one star, but only because I love the series, not this book though). If you have not read this series, do not start with this book. This is not representative of the storylines in the series. I understand coming up with fresh ideas must be a challenge, but this book had so many flaws and gaps, I found it hard to read. But most of all, it doesn't play fair for the reader.

First of all, the victim doesn?t appear until halfway through the book. I kept reading and reading and hoping and reading, but it didn?t happen. I also found the book to be very disjointed, although there were a fair amount of red herrings, nothing seemed to flow in this book. However the biggest surprise was when Lucy stumbled onto the killer at the end of the book (yes, she stumbled, because she had no clue who the killer was) and this person had NEVER been in the book until this person ?confessed? to the killing.

Twice, the killer had been briefly talked about (amazingly, this was only a couple of chapters prior to the confession), and not once had this person been in the storyline. When this person ?confessed? there was no way the reader could have known any of what the confession was about, because the reader was not given any clues nor a chance to even learn about this person (there were a couple of little clues when this person was briefly talked about a couple of chapters before confessing?but in no way, shape or form, could the reader put together why this person killed Pru).

Also, the killer has the same first name as a victim in a past book in this series. And in the last chapter, the killer is referred to by the victim of the past book, first and LAST name!! (I don?t want to say which one just in the off chance someone wants to read this book). This happens when the police are talking to Lucy about the killers confession. When I read the name, I went?huh? How can that be? I pulled out the book I thought the character was in originally, and there it was. It was a mistake, but someone somewhere should have caught it. I also would think the killer should have had a different first name (it?s a bit unusual), as it?s been used before earlier in the series.

As I said before, I am a huge fan of this series (and I hate writing this), but I will purchase the next book. However with this book, I felt like I wasted my money. Very rarely do I feel this way, but somewhere prior to publication, someone should have noticed all these things. There?s just no excuse. I even read this book twice, thinking my mind was playing games. I still didn't get it even the second time around.

On a positive note, I found the prologue and epilogue to be really a clever idea. I also liked the fact that the kids weren't quite as smart-mouthed (although they have their moments in this book). Bill also seemed to lighten-up in this book. This book centered around Kudo, the dog, but there was no mention of the three kittens Lucy gave the children for Christmas in an earlier book. I'm not certain if they are still around, but if they are, I think it would have been nice to at least mention the cats since we heard all about every inch of their daily family lives.

Lucy Stone, wife, mother and full time reporter of the Tinker's Cove, Maine weekly paper the Pennysaver was covering the Board Of Selectmen's meeting.

Normally the most interesting thing at the meeting was whether she would be able to stay awake during it. Tonight, however things turned out to be exciting.

Jonathan Franke, local environmentalist has discovered that the purple spotted lichen plant is growing around Tinker's Cover. And by state law, any endangered species must be protected at all costs.
So to protect if from the possibilities of fire and trampling, the annual fireworks display has to be cancelled.

Despite the protests from the local Veterans group, merchants and the organizers of the annual parade, the board decides they don't want to spend any money on a lawsuit, so the fireworks are cancelled.

If that hadn't been exciting enough, Prudence Pratt, announces that she wants something to be done about all the naked people down at Blueberry Pond. At first everyone just ignores her, after all, who hasn't stripped down and jumped into the pond on a hot day at least once in their life.

But when they find out that Blueberry Pond has been declared one of the best places for naturalist's to visit, everything changes. After all, no one wants a nudist colony in town. But they're not sure a law banning it, as Prudence wants is the way to go.

Lucy tries to interview Prudence, but the women refuses, after yelling a few things at her. Prudence, who lives next door to Lucy and her family are not on good terms. The Stone's family dog, Kudo keeps getting out and killing the Pratt's chickens. Although Lucy pays her for the chickens, Prudence is taking the Stone family to doggy court to have the problem taken care of.

This animosity towards the two family's looks suspicious when later, Lucy stumbles across Prudence's body, run over in her driveway.

Who would kill Prudence? Although no one liked her, did they hate her enough to kill her? Surely the naturalists wouldn't kill her just because she was trying to get them banned.

With the police looking at her, Lucy decides she'd better look into this case before she's arrested for murder.

Highlights:

What I enjoyed was the government workings of a small town. The local Board is so worried that they might have to spend some money on a lawsuit that they just cancel the annual fireworks, and then because they're afraid the naturalists might parade in the nude, when they request a parade permit, that they cancel the annual Fourth Of July parade, without any input from the locals.

Lowlights:

Mistletoe Murder & Tippy Toe Murder by Leslie Meier were the first two "cozy mysteries" that I had ever read. I got hooked on the genre after reading them, I loved Lucy Stone and her family, Bill her husband and her (at that time) three children, Elizabeth, Toby & Sara. They were a loving and close family and it was funny how Lucy tried to solve her mysteries while dealing with taking care of her family and her part-time jobs.

That's why I'm so disappointed in this book, as I was with her last book, "Father's Day Murder." Since Lucy has become a full-time employee of the Pennysaver, the focus of the stories have seemed to change and her home life has been almost completely dropped from the stories.

Bill her husband has almost disappeared as a character. She totally ignores any advice he gives. In this story, after Elizabeth's battery dies, and she just takes Lucy's car to get to work. Bill tells Lucy that Elizabeth has to learn to take responsibility and that she is going to have to buy her own battery and will not use Lucy's car. After all, Lucy was now late to her own job because she has to wait for Bill to drive her. Lucy just ignores him and buys a new battery and has it put into the car.

This is one of several instances in the story where she treats him as if he were just a casual acquaintance. And she's so worried that her two oldest, Elizabeth & Toby won't like her that she lets them walk all over her. They do what they want, go where they want and talk back to her about everything. Lucy has obviously never learned the rule that if your children are living in your house and you're supporting them, that they have to follow your rules, no matter how old they are.

To top it off, this is a terrible mystery. Just as in the last book, Lucy doesn't really solve the crime. I don't consider it solving the mystery when she finds out who the killer is because the killer is suspicious of her and tries to get rid of her. Coming face to face with the killer and then having them tell you they did the crime is not solving the crime. NOTHING, Lucy investigated would have ever led her to the killer.

I keep on hoping they will get better. If you're a new reader, go back and read her early books. They are wonderful.

Onward to Joanne Fluke's new book, the Sugar Cookie Murder.

I love the Lucy Stone series and will read the next book but this is a big disappointment. I wonder if it was even edited! The death doesn't even occur until halfway through the book and the plot is ridiculously weak. A kid could write better. Also, the book is mainly about things that never get resolved. One major mistake: As others have pointed out, the murderer is a character killed in an earlier book. Don't waste your money on this one!

I am giving this book 3 stars but I am not sure it deserves them. This was a pretty lame attempt at telling a cozy story. I have bought other books in the series but this one was the first one I have read. I hope the others are a lot better.

The writing was boring and trite. The murder didn't come til after a 150 pages in or so. And Lucy was not a very proactive protagonist. She stumbled onto the killer. No one would guess who the killer was because they were barely mentioned in the rest of the book.

I would save my money and buy another mystery. Get this one at the library.

Leslie Meier's cozy mystery series featuring small town reporter, Lucy Stone, reminds me of my favorite comic strip, For Better or For Worse. That's not a put-down. I've been following the fortunes of the Patterson family featured in the strip for more than 20 years, and I've been following the adventures of Lucy Stone and her family since I discovered them less than two years ago. I picked up Birthday Party Murder for a plane trip, fell in love with Lucy and her town, and promptly read the entire series in chronological order. So far I haven't been disappointed. However, I like cozy mysteries precisely because they feature character and comfortable settings over blood and gore. Readers looking for the latter are going to be disappointed with this series and probably with cozies in general. Readers like myself, on the other hand, are likely to be just as interested in whether Lucy's husband Bill will become less of a male chauvinist pig, whether Toby will ever finish college or whether the town of Tinker's Cove will outlaw nude bathing.

That said, I do also like enough of a mystery to challenge me to solve it along with the protagonist. I have to agree with other reader reviewers of this book: as far as plot and pacing go, it's probably the weakest in the series. But I would like to clarify a point made in another reader review. That is, that "the murderer is a character killed in an earlier book." This would have been such a writerly goof that I jogged my memory by double-checking the earlier books. Without giving away any of the outcome, I discovered that the name of the two characters is indeed the same, but they are actually two totally different people -- an unfortunate coincidence that the author surely didn't intend. As a writer, I know that a novel is a long term project. Over the course of a year or more of writing, it's possible for details of names and descriptions to slip your mind. That's what editors are for -- it's hard to spot your own mistakes no matter how carefully and conscientiously you reread your manuscript.

A slip like this -- two characters in a series with the same name, and one of them a murder victim at that -- should have been caught by a good editor. Unfortunately, good editing is becoming rare. At a recent writers' conference I attended, one of the speakers told the audience that the more a writer's popularity grows, the less likely his or her books are to be well edited. The reasoning is that the writer has a following, the books will sell anyway, so why waste money on editing -- a triumph of bottom line over pride in putting out as good a book as possible. (As a writer who has turned to self-publishing, I would never trust my own editing; the money I paid the two fine editors who went over my independently published novels with a fine-tooth comb was worth every penny.)

Just as I do with my favorite comic strip family, I enjoyed seeing how things were working out for Lucy and her family in Star Spangled Murder. It's good to see the older kids emerging okay from the "terrible teens," the younger girls squabbling a bit less and Bill becoming more supportive. And if he and Lucy still need to work on their communication skills, what couple doesn't? Lucy reminds me a bit of one of my daughters, whose children are just entering their teen years; I enjoy visiting with her even when nothing much is happening. But readers looking for an arresting plot may find Star Spangled Murder reminding them a bit too much of the tedious Board of Selectmen meetings that Lucy covers for the weekly Pennysaver.

I would've given this book 0 stars if I were able. What an absolute disaster.

Kill off an animal for no good reason and you've already lost me. But what was worse was the way Lucy reacted to seeing her "beloved family pet" run over in the street. Her first thought? Rushing over to the neighbors to offer forgiveness for the hit & run, see if the neighbor's car was damaged and offer restitution if it was. If someone ran over my dog without stopping, I'd be paying them a visit alright -- but not to offer restitution...rather, to make sure their car never made it onto the road again. Lucy's been a moron in the last few installments of the series, but this one really took the cake.

And the murder was pointless. It just kind of happened, and then it just kind of was solved. Nothing Lucy said or did solved it -- she just happened to go to the person's house to pick something up and they confessed. And, frankly, I really had no idea who this person even was, since they really hadn't been mentioned throughout the story.

And what was maybe the worst part -- on page 240, while everyone is attending a baseball game, we get this gem regarding the National Anthem: "The singers belted out the last words of the song - "and the home of the free...". These are *not* the correct words to the National Anthem. Ms. Meier should be ashamed of herself for including this in the book and getting it wrong..and she should be equally ashamed of her crack editing team for missing it as well.

Don't waste your time or your money. After this monstrosity, I'm done with this series.

As a fan of Leslie Meier, naturally I ran out to get her 11th "adventure" of the Stone family. What a let down! The story line is weak...really weak. In the midst of planning of 4th of July celebration in Tinker's Cove, Meier introduces us to the mass of Nudists that have decended on her nearby town and lightly touches on possible lobster poaching.

Although there is the delightful, anticipated murder, as in her previous mysteries, the author spends an inordinate amount of time describing chickens. This avid mystery reader resented having to be told of the snapping of their necks and/or the "chicken stew" they become when they can no longer produce eggs. Perhaps Meier is into chickens these days??!! Oh and Kudo, the family pet, dies. Meier has him killed to solve a problem with her neighbors. A nice, neat little problem solver for the author..but resented by this animal lover.

Perhaps Meier should review her her next outline a bit more thoroughly next time. I'll hesitate before spending money on her next release.

Animal lovers beware!

One star was the rating I gave this book for that was the lowest choice available.

I have read every book in the Lucy Stone series up to this one. "Star Spangled Murder," I read halfway and threw it in the garbage. I have Ms. Meier's next book ordered; if I can't return it I will throw it away unread.

I was first disturbed by this kind family keeping the family dog in almost a cage outside. This paled to the "heroine's" callous reaction to the death of the family pet, worrying that the driver of the car who hit her dog would sue her and going to make amends. I truly was disgusted when I read this.

No more Leslie Meier books for me.

This installment in the Lucy Stone series diverged in a plethora of directions. I don't really know what the author was trying to say. Rampant growth, nudists, tree huggers, poachers, chicken lovers, media frenzies, loss of a pet, and growing pains for a wide variety of ages of children are a few of the topics the author touched upon. The ending was as confusing and I am still confused.

I do like this series and I am trying to read all of them. They are intertaining. It is an insight into a family that is different than my own. If you are trying to find a way to pass the time with a book, you won't be disappointed with the series.

I give this one 2 1/2 stars.

In the 11th book in the Lucy Stone mystery series, the town is up in arms about several issues as they near the annual 4th of July celebration in Tinker's Cove, Maine. It seems that the annual fireworks display will have to be cancelled now that a rare plant is found near the site of the fireworks. The citizens of Tinker's Cove are divided on the issue, and when the town selectman vote to cancel the show, turmoil begins in the small town. This upheaval continues as another large issue is raised...a group of nudists (or naturalists, as they call themselves) finds nearby family swimming area, Blueberry Pond, and publishes it in their newsletter as one of the best places to congregate. Soon, Tinker's Cove is overrun with nude sunbathers, and the usually serene family pond is taken over by naturalists. One of the loudest critics to the nudists turns out to be Lucy's next door neighbor, Prudence Pratt. Pru has had words with Lucy lately over Lucy's dog, Kudo, eating her chickens. Pru has taken Lucy's dog to "court" to have the animal destroyed, and Kudo narrowly escapes with a final warning about his behavior.

The morning after the court appearance, Kudo escapes once again, only to be ruthlessly run over by Pru's son, Wesley. After taking the dog to the vet and finding that he has died, Lucy goes to Pru's home to make sure Wesley's truck was not damaged. When Lucy finds Pru dead, the Stone family quickly becomes prime suspects in the death of the town menace.

I have enjoyed all of the Lucy Stone mysteries in the past, and was disappointed in both the identity of the murderer and the seemingly uncaring attitude toward the dog's death. I heartily agree with previous reviewers regarding how strangely Lucy handled the death of her dog...since Wesley seemed to speed up as he drove away after killing the dog. In my mind, there is no excuse for speeding away after an "accident", and in this case, I felt that Wesley deliberately ran over the dog that had caused his family so many issues. And Lucy's reaction was silly...why should she panic thinking that she would have to pay for damage to his truck? I also found Lucy's reaction to her daughter's nude sunbathing a bit blasé. I expected her and husband, Bill, to be furious about it...but instead they simply shrugged their shoulders and let her continue behavior that bothered them.

I also found the identity of the murderer to be implausible. I was waiting for something more to happen with the lobstermen, or even to have one of the members of the nudists end up as a suspect, but it turned out to be someone who was rarely mentioned in the story and the motive was thin, at best. Normally, I love this series and look forward to future installments. I am hoping to see the next book improve immensely in both plot and in the overall storyline concerning the Stones.

The first book in the series is called "Mistletoe Murder". Enjoy!