"Cute cozy"

The residents of Tinker's Cove, Maine enjoy staying away from the hustle and bustle lifestyle of big city living as found in Bangor or Portland. Crime is rare in the tiny hamlet, but when a homicide occurs all the locals know that Pennysaver reporter Lucy Stone can found be in the midst of the investigation.

Currently, Lucy works on a more difficult project than murder. She is helping her best friend plan a wedding reception. Things go so wrong right from the start so that Lucy wonders if Murphy was an optimist, as he never had to deal with the wealthy groom's mother who has her own ideas that she expects implemented. The two families hate each other, but the townsfolk back the bride's side because the groom's brood is interfering with the local livelihood. When the groom's body is found floating in the nearby sea, a victim of murder, almost everyone within the town's radius had a motive, making a plethora of suspects for Lucy to learn who had the opportunity.

The Lucy Stone mysteries engage fans of cozies as the violence occurs off stage leaving the heroine and her who- done-it inquiries to share the starring roles. Lucy, her family, and those locals the reader meet seem genuine and very likable some in a more crustacean manner. On the other hand, the odious groom's family feel more like Robin Lynch drawing caricatures of the rich and famous. Still cozy fans will enjoy Leslie Meier's latest Stone adventure.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted October 7, 2001