Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meier

Lucy Stone Does Her Best to Juggle Family, Thanksgiving and Murder

Nov 8, 2009

Lucy Stone's Thanksgiving includes tradition and family. But a controversial tribal casino, a disagreeable Indian activist, and a near riot add murder to her menu.

Lucy Stone is a full-time mom with four kids, a part-time volunteer, and a part-time news reporter in tiny Tinker’s Cove, Maine. Lucy’s hands are full preparing Thanksgiving dinner for her family and some unexpected guests when she joins the investigation trying to discover who smashed the head of a Metinnicut Indian activist with a priceless tribal artifact.

What Editorial Reviews Said

Publishers Weekly: “Meier clearly establishes her characters' motives early on, and portrays small town life both realistically and sympathetically. Sadly, the story loses some of its impact in a constant stream of minutiae that should leave Lucy, along with readers, gasping for breath and longing for a few minutes of peace and quiet.”

Library Journal: “Lightweight, approachable prose; cozy, small-town ambiance; and a down-to-earth sleuth make this a good choice. . . “

Romantic Times - Toby Bromberg

“Lucy Stone is immensely likeable and her reactions to situations, her relationship with her friends and family all ring true.”

Brogan Review

This is the seventh book in the Lucy Stone series. Meier authentically describes the hectic Thanksgiving holiday with unexpected guests and late sleeping, out-all-night college students home for their first holiday. But all the twists and turns of the subplots are a little too much and detract from the murder mystery. The Thanksgiving meal preparation scene is delightful and will make every cook reminisce about kitchen catastrophes.

This is a quick and cozy Thanksgiving holiday read that captures the warmth of the season through a very engaging main character. Turkey Day Murder is just the thing for a little break from the holiday action.

A Lucy Stone New England Thanksgiving Menu

The author includes a touching synopsis of how Lucy and her family celebrate Thanksgiving. Lucy relies on the 1965 version of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook to prepare the New England Thanksgiving meal that is a family tradition. She uses only native New England produce and fall leaves to create a centerpiece. Nuts in the shell are part of the arrangement and become an after dinner treat for the family.

Lucy places five kernels of dried corn at each place setting as a reminder of the difficulty the Plymouth Colony settlers endured. Legend has it that five corn kernels constituted the daily food ration for each settler.

Details of Lucy’s full menu follow. This delightful bonus chapter demonstrates why Leslie Meier’s readers are loyal. Lucy Stone is real to the reader. She has flaws. She loves her family. She uses canned sweet potatoes. She does her best.

411 on Leslie Meier

Leslie Meier is the author of 15 Lucy Stone mysteries. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband.

HOL101

The copyright of the article Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meier in Cozy Mysteries is owned by Lynn Brogan. Permission to republish Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meier in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.