Turkey Day Murder

This novel of murder amid an old-fashioned New England Thanksgiving “portrays small-town life both realistically and sympathetically” (Publishers Weekly). Tinker’s Cove, Maine, has a long history of Thanksgiving festivities, from visits with TomTom Turkey to the annual Warriors high school football game and Lucy Stone’s impressive pumpkin pie. But this year, someone has added murder to the menu, and Lucy intends to discover who left Metinnicut Indian activist Curt Nolan dead—with an ancient war club next to his head. The list of suspects isn’t exactly brief. Nolan had a habit of disagreeing with just about everybody he met. Between fixing dinner for twelve and keeping her four kids from tearing each other limb from limb, Lucy has a pretty full plate already. So what’s a little investigation? But if she’s not careful, she may find herself served up as a last-minute course, stone-cold dead with all the trimmings… “Approachable prose; cozy, small-town ambiance; and a down-to-earth sleuth.”—Library Journal “I like Lucy Stone a lot, and so will readers.”—Carolyn Hart “Meier writes with sparkle and warmth.”—Chicago Sun Times

Tinker's Cove has a long history of Thanksgiving festivities, but this year someone has added murder to the menu, and Lucy Stone intends to discover who left Metinnicut Indian activist Curt Nolan deader than the provierbial Thanksgiving turkey with an ancient war club next to his head.

Besides the annual Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day, Lucy expects the approaching holiday to be a relatively uneventful one until she finds beautiful Alison Franklin dead and frozen in Blueberry Pond. No one knows much about Alison, except that she was the daughter of wealthy investor Ed Franklin and struggled quietly with drug addiction.--Provided by Publisher.

Not many people in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, knew Old Dan Malone. The grizzled barkeep’s social circle was limited to the rough-hewn lobstermen and other assorted toughs that frequented his bar. But when his body is found bobbing in the town’s icy harbor, Lucy Stone makes getting to know more about Old Dan a priority. Local musician Dave Reilly insists Old Dan conned a winning lottery ticket worth five grand from him. Handyman Brian Donohue claims that Old Dan stiffed him for repair work he’d done at the bar. The confusion surrounding the death is only compounded by the arrival of actor Dylan Malone, Old Dan’s brother and a prominent, if fading, attraction of the Dublin stage. Dylan has come to direct the production of “Finian’s Rainbow,” the featured event at Our Lady of Hope’s annual St. Patrick’s Day extravaganza. Was Old Dan killed by someone he’d cheated or someone he’d loved? While Lucy can’t be sure, one thing is abundantly clear—the stage is set for a murder mystery with a killer ending! “Warm and homespun characters, plenty of seaside ambience and a fast-moving plot make this perfect winter cozy.” —Publishers Weekly

After one of the guests at Tinker's Cove's annual Christmas Cookie Exchange is found strangled, it's up to Lucy Stone to ensure that a cold-blooded killer gets his just desserts this holiday season. Reissue.

New York Times-Bestselling Author: A millionaire is found dead near his yacht, and a local mom launches an investigation… Already juggling four kids’ hectic schedules, a rambunctious dog, an attention-craving husband, and a full-time reporter job, Lucy Stone can't possibly squeeze in another responsibility...or can she? There’s a big wedding coming up, and Lucy’s promised her friend she’ll help arrange the lavish event in a newly built gazebo. Too bad the groom, internet millionaire Ron Davitz, is getting on the nerves of the locals, especially after their boats were displaced to make room for his yacht. When Ron’s body is found floating in the harbor, Lucy isn’t convinced it was accidental. From the picturesque waterfront to tony Smith Heights Road, Tinker's Cove is awash with suspects. Now, fresh from wedding planning, Lucy finds herself contemplating her own funeral as she pursues a killer who’ll do anything to keep from being unveiled…. “Meier takes well-worn plot elements—small-town tensions, in-law troubles—and buffs them into a fresh yarn. Characters and their interactions are realistic and dryly humorous [and] the Maine coast provides an evocative backdrop.”—Booklist

A small-town reporter hunts a big-city killer in a novel by a New York Times-bestselling author who provides “a truly American version of the English cozy” (Tulsa World). When her part-time reporting gig gives Lucy the opportunity to attend a Boston newspaper conference, she looks forward to a vacation from domestic bliss. But upon leaving Tinker’s Cove, Maine, she quickly discovers that alone time can be kind of…lonely. And in between libel workshops and panel discussions, Lucy takes a guilt trip. She feels terrible that she won’t be home to help her husband celebrate Father’s Day. But when Luther Read—head of a nearly bankrupt newspaper dynasty—suddenly drops dead, Lucy has other things to think about. She’s not buying the theory that Luther died of an asthma attack. The man just had too many enemies. Always the intrepid snoop, Lucy vows to investigate. But she can’t help wondering if her name will end up on a byline—or in an obit… “Reading a new Leslie Meier mystery is like catching up with a dear old friend.”—Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries “Leslie Meier writes with sparkle and warmth.”—Chicago Sun-Times “I like Lucy Stone a lot, and so will readers.”—Carolyn Hart, New York Times-bestselling author of the Bailey Ruth Mysteries

New York Times-Bestselling Author: A feud between two competitive moms may have turned fatal in the “engaging cozy series” set in small-town Maine (Publishers Weekly). Two of her four kids may be out of the nest, but Lucy Stone knows only too well that mothering is a lifetime commitment. At least she gets to kick back and enjoy a fancy Mother's Day brunch with her brood—that is, before the festivities are interrupted by a nasty scene courtesy of Barbara Hume and Tina Nowak. Opposites in every way, these mean moms have only one thing in common: the need to best each other at every turn, using their teenage daughters as pawns in elaborate games of one-upmanship. But even after witnessing the women’s claw-sharpening rituals, Lucy never expects to see actual blood spilled—until Tina is shot dead on the public tennis court… “As charming and enjoyable as ever.”—Romantic Times “Lucy Stone is an endearing sleuth.”—Dorothy Cannell

Originally published: New York: Kensington Pub., 2013.

New York Times-Bestselling Author: A mother and daughter visiting from Maine get mixed up in murder at a Manhattan fashion magazine… After the annual parade of Christmas presents in Tinker's Cove, Maine, has ended, Lucy Stone and her daughter Elizabeth are ready to ring in the new year in style. Elizabeth has won mother/daughter winter makeovers in Manhattan from Jolie magazine! But the all-expenses-paid trip is bound to have some hidden costs—and one of them is murder. After arriving at the magazine’s offices, meeting their fellow makeover candidates, and being treated to a fashion show, Elizabeth is enamored of the extreme outfits and stick-thin models—while Lucy’s having some misgivings. The pampering is nice and the glamour of haute couture is bizarrely fascinating, but bitterness and aggression lurk behind the hipper-than-thou façade. And things turn downright ugly when self-absorbed fashion editor Nadine Nelson falls mysteriously ill and dies. Lucy can tell that backstabbing, rumors, and cliquishness have stirred up some bad blood at Jolie over the years. But this Manhattan murder mystery hits too close to home when Elizabeth gets rushed to the hospital with symptoms disturbingly similar to Nadine’s—and Lucy to dress down a killer before the ball drops in Times Square… “A down-to-earth sleuth.”—Library Journal “I like Lucy Stone a lot, and so will readers.”—Carolyn Hart, New York Times-bestselling author of the Death on Demand Mysteries