The Running Bibliophile

Mother of the Bride Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #29) by Leslie Meier opens with Lucy Stone, Phyllis, and a customer at the newspaper discussing children getting married.  Shortly thereafter, Lucy receives news from her eldest daughter, Elizabeth, that she is engaged and getting married in France.  Things go awry at the wedding and Lucy sticks her nose into the investigation making things much worse. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for approving my request to read an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Mother of the Bride Murder by Leslie Meier.  I was thrilled when I learned I was approved as this has become one of my favorite book series.  I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. This latest installment in the series started off a bit slow for me, but eventually, the pacing picked up, and I ended up enjoying how the story ended.  I enjoyed the tidbits of French conversation as I took some French in high school and college, and I...

Lucy Stone is juggling the needs of four children, her husband, and their dog, as well as her full-time job as a reporter for the local newspaper. She can't handle one more thing this summer, but when friend Sue Finch asks for help planning her daughter's wedding to an internet millionaire, Lucy can't say no. When the fiance is found floating by his yacht, Lucy knows this wasn't accidental. As she investigates the murder, Lucy just might find herself in trouble in Wedding Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #8) by Leslie Meier. This edition of the Lucy Stone Mystery Series wasn't my favorite for various reasons. I knew from the start of the book that the husband to be would end up murdered for some reason. At least, I didn't have a clue as to the motive or who was behind the murder. And, I was completely wrong in my guess of who the murderer was, so that was a plus that I didn't figure it out. One thing that threw me off was the first chapter in Wedding Day M...

It's the Christmas season in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and Lucy Stone is looking forward to hosting the annual cookie exchange that Sue normally hosts. When  Tucker, one of the guests, is found murdered the next day, the entire town is in shock, and the local dentist is arrested for it. Lucy decides to investigate on her own in Christmas Cookie Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #6) by Leslie Meier. This is the perfect book to put me in the mood for Christmas, and it's in one of my favorite genres . . . a mystery. Who would ever think a murder mystery would put a person in a holiday mood? But, with the cookie exchange, the holiday shopping, and Santa Claus visiting the elementary school during the Christmas play, it's easy to get excited about the holidays. As far as the suspects go, the obvious one is the dentist because he's the boyfriend of Tucker, but I dismissed him right away. I did consider Lee, the wife of the dentist for most of the book because I thought she had m...

Back to School Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #4) by Leslie Meier opens with Lucy Stone temping at the local newspaper office when she hears that a bomb threat has been called into the elementary school. When a teacher realizes one of the students is unaccounted for, the vice principal rushes back into the school to save him. However, she's found murdered a few days later. Who would want her dead? What I loved about this particular edition in the Lucy Stone Mystery series is that there were a lot of red herrings. I felt sure that a specific character was the murdered for most of the story, but as Back to School Murder progressed, I changed my mind and ended up being completely wrong on everyone I suspected. Leslie Meier did a fabulous job with all the suspects and keeping me guessing. One of the situations I found believable was that Lucy was feeling unappreciated and unattractive, and when she received a bit of attention from another man, she feel for it and felt bad about it aft...

Trick or Treat Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #3) by Leslie Meier is set in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and the entire town is preparing a party in a dilapidated mansion to celebrate Halloween. However, everyone is on edge because there has been a rash of fires thought to be the work of an arsonist. The latest one killing a summer resident. Who will be the latest victim? Is anyone else a fan of Halloween like I am? This was the perfect book to put me in the mood for the holiday, and this is a must read if you do like Halloween. It brought back so many memories of my childhood of trick or treating and the Halloween parties that my parents and the rest of the parents in the neighborhood put on for us kids that were similar to the one in Trick or Treat Murder . Having an arsonist setting fires in the book only made it creepier, but not scary. There were quite a few red herrings in the book. With that being said, there were clues to who it really was, and I dismissed those clues much to my c...

Tippy Toe Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #2) by Leslie Meier is a little darker than the first book in this series. With the repressive heat of the summer, Lucy's ankles are swelling with her fourth pregnancy, and she's craving doughnuts. On top of her pregnancy, she's preparing her two daughters costumes for their upcoming dance recital. When a retired dance teacher goes missing from Tinker's Cove and a grumpy shopkeeper is murdered, Lucy can't help herself from getting involved in the mystery. Where I enjoyed the second installment of the Lucy Stone Mystery book series, I wasn't expecting a cozy mystery to deal with child molestation and was startled by one of the details that was provided. This is an important topic for sure, but it could be a trigger for others reading Tippy Toe Murder . I loved the fact that it dealt with dance and preparing for the annual dance recital. It brought back great memories of my dance classes and recitals, especially the things ...

Mistletoe Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #1) by Leslie Meier is the first book in a series and was first published in 1991. The book is about mom of three Lucy Stone preparing for Christmas and working the night shift at a mail order company. If that isn't enough, when Lucy takes a moment to get some fresh air, she finds one of the owners of the company she works for dead in his car. This cozy mystery is the perfect book to read while on vacation because it is an easy read, and it draws you in from the very beginning of the story. It also makes you feel like you're part of the Tinker's Cove community. I definitely was put in the Christmas mood . . . too bad it isn't Christmas time. This was the third book I've read in the series . . . I've read them out of order, but I plan on reading the rest of the books in order from this point on. I am just in love with this series! There isn't too much I can say that's negative about Mistletoe Murder (A Lucy Stone My...

In Tinker's Cove, Maine, the dead body of grizzled barkeep, Dan Malone, is found in the town's harbor. Reporter Lucy Stone takes it upon herself to learn more about Malone and who might want him dead and suspects local musician Dave Reilly and local contractor Brian Donohue. While the gossip mill going wild, Dylan Malone, Dan's younger brother, arrives in town to help direct the local church's St. Patrick's Day annual play, which compounds everything in Leslie Meier's St. Patrick's Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #14) . What can I say about this novel? I love it! Leslie Meier has definitely hooked me on this series, and I can't wait to read the other books in the series. The characters are likable, with a few exceptions of course, and the storyline is engaging. And, I honestly have to say, I didn't figure out the murderer. I had quite a few wrong guesses! I've been reading this series out of order, but that hasn't really detracted from anyt...

Valentine Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #5) by Leslie Meier is the fifth book in the Lucy Stone Mystery book series.  In this cozy mystery, Lucy Stone attends her first board meeting for the newly renovated library in Tinker's Cove, Maine. The evening takes a shocking turn when she discovers fellow board member Bitsy Howell in the library basement, dead from a gunshot wound.  Not knowing what to expect since this was my first time reading a novel by Leslie Meier, I was pleasantly surprised by this cozy mystery. It has everything I look for in this genre ... good writing, an interesting storyline, characters that are both likable and unlikable, and a plot that feels believable. It doesn't hurt that the murder takes place in a library. As a book lover, I always enjoy mysteries that revolve around books and libraries.  One of the most believable aspects of the novel was the dynamic among the library board members. their cliques, personalities, and interactions felt incredi...