It's back to school time in the peaceful Maine town of Tinker's Cove, and for mother-of-four Lucy Stone, it isn't a moment too soon. But trouble at the local elementary school soon has the sometime crime-solver juggling family, job, and night classes with another mystery to solve. And it starts with a bang.A bomb goes off with the noon lunch bell, but not before all the kids are safely evacuated, and Carol Crane, the new assistant principal, is hailed as a hero. But days later, Carol is found murdered, and everyone is stunned when the most popular teacher at the school is arrested for the crime. However, not everyone is buying the open-and-shut case, including Lucy Stone, who senses there's more to things than meet the eye.It soon becomes clear that Lucy is flirting with danger, as sizzling secrets and explosive surprises provide a primer for the most diabolical of motives. Hot on the trail of a clever killer, the dedicated mom and seasoned sleuth must harness the courage and cool aplomb to uncover a crime that just might give her an education in the fine art of murder.
Ever since local developer Fred Stanton and his wife, Mimi, built five modular homes next door to Lucy Stone's farmhouse, life hasn't been the same. With Mimi complaining about everything from the state of Lucy's lawn to another neighbor's lovable dog, quaint Tinker's Cove, Maine, is now entangled in cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing. And when Mimi doesn't show up for her shift at The Hat and Mitten Fund bake sale, the scent of burnt sugar leads Lucy to a shocking discovery: Mimi, face down on her kitchen floor, with a knife in her back. While the police start their investigation, reporter Lucy gets busy writing up the murder for The Pennysaver-and following a few leads of her own. Lucy knows the women in her neighborhood didn't like Mimi, but they certainly didn't want her dead... did they?
The whole town of Tinker's Cove is looking forward to the celebration marking former librarian Julia Ward Howe Tilley's ninetieth birthday. Lucy Stone, Miss Tilley's closest friend, dreamed up the party idea-at about the same time she decided she's not getting old without a fight. Noticing crow's feet and a potential jelly belly, she's resolved to exercise more and purchase some heavy-duty wrinkle cream, asap!That sounds like a plan-until Lucy realizes her daughter's fourteenth birthday bash, a coed sleepover, may turn her hair white overnight. What was she thinking when she agreed to let Sara have the party? Obviously she wasn't thinking about the hormonal rampages of young teens. On her mind, instead, was the shocking death of Sherman Cobb, the town's oldest attorney, an apparent suicide. His law partner, however, thinks Sherman was murdered.Poking about in Sherman's papers, Lucy turns up an intriguing tie between the dead man and Miss Tilley. Meanwhile Miss Tilley's own past has come back to haunt her in the form of a mysterious niece named Shirley and a biker great nephew named Snake. Soon no one can get to see the elderly librarian because the brash, bossy Shirley says she's failing. Is Miss Tilley in grave danger? Will Sara's party turn out to be a scandal? Now, as a killer's ruthless plan rushes toward a conclusion, Lucy needs answers fast-or else she and Miss Tilley won't live long enough to make a wish and blow out the candles on this year's birthday cake...
Although Perry, the earl of the house, and his sister, Poppy, are surprisingly accommodating to their jetlagged guests, Lucy feels uneasy after a fallen portrait sparks talk of a deadly family omen. But real trouble begins when a body, bludgeoned by the chapel's gold-plated reliquary, is found in a hidden, sealed off room. Considering the weapon and the clandestine location, Lucy wouldn't be shocked if the murder was an inside job. Was the victim trying to make off with the family riches before meeting his end? Lucy must keep her ear to the ground and mind time-honored traditions-no matter how unusual, because Lucy has a hunch that the killer has been in her company all along.
Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, baking cookies, and curling up by the Yuletide waiting for Santa to drop down the chimney. But in this festive collection of holiday whodunits, murder is also paying a visit. "CANDY CANE MURDER" by JOANNE FLUKE When a trail of candy canes leads to a corpse outfitted in a Santa suit on a snowy bank, Hannah Swensen sets out to discover who killed Kris Kringle. "THE DANGERS OF CANDY CANES" by LAURA LEVINE A wealthy suburbanite takes a lethal tumble off his roof while installing a giant candy cane. Now it's up to Jaine Austen to sift through a long list of scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stockings to expose a murderer. "CANDY CANES OF CHRISTMAS PAST" by LESLIE MEIER Lucy Stone must learn the mystery of a glass candy cane that was found smashed to bits by a corpse's body to unlock the doors of Christmas past-and find a killer who got away with murder. Whether a gift for yourself or that special someone on your list, there's no better way to spend the holidays than with these tantalizing mysteries of murder.
'Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, baking cookies, and curling up by the Yuletide waiting for Santa to drop down the chimney. But in this festive collection of holiday whodunits, murder is also paying a visit. 'CANDY CANE MURDER' by JOANNE FLUKE When a trail of candy canes leads to a corpse outfitted in a Santa suit on a snowy bank, Hannah Swensen sets out to discover who killed Kris Kringle. 'THE DANGERS OF CANDY CANES' by LAURA LEVINE A wealthy suburbanite takes a lethal tumble off his roof while installing a giant candy cane. Now it's up to Jaine Austen to sift through a long list of scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stockings to expose a murderer. 'CANDY CANES OF CHRISTMAS PAST' by LESLIE MEIER Lucy Stone must learn the mystery of a glass candy cane that was found smashed to bits by a corpse's body to unlock the doors of Christmas past-and find a killer who got away with murder. Whether a gift for yourself or that special someone on your list, there's no better way to spend the holidays than with these tantalizing mysteries of murder.
Lucy's getting very annoyed that her husband Bill and his friend Evan have been working seemingly nonstop on their potentially prize-winning pumpkin catapult. But when the day of the big contest arrives, Evan is nowhere to be found - until a catapulted pumpkin busts open the trunk of the Dodge. Amid the pumpkin gore is a very deceased Evan. Bill is on the hook for the Halloween homicide, so Lucy knows she's got some serious sleuthing to do. With each new lead pointing her in a different direction, Lucy sees that time is quickly running out. If she wants to spook the real killer, she'll have to step into an old ghost story...
As a reporter for the Pennysaver, Lucy is assigned a puff piece on upscale Chanticleer's Chocolates. But when a local fisherman drowns suspiciously, Lucy's certain her investigative skills could be put to better use. Everyone is shocked when Fern's Famous Fudge loses its status as 'Best Candy on the Coast' to Chanticleer's pricey newfangled confections. And Lucy soon discovers sultry store manager Tamzin Graves is only too eager to serve her male clientele. Leaving a throng of jealous women in her wake, it's almost no surprise when Tamzin is the next to turn up dead, covered in chocolate. Could a bitter ex-wife be behind the crimes? As Lucy closes in on the culprit, she may find herself locked in the clutches of a half-baked killer...
Everyone dreams of a picture-perfect small-town Christmas, but when murder is in the cards, some holiday greetings are addressed to kill... Christmas Card Murder by Leslie Meier In the midst of holiday home renovations, Lucy Stone accidentally unwraps a murder mystery decades in the making when she discovers an old Christmas card with a nasty message belonging to one of her farmhouse's previous residents. The case may be colder than a New England Christmas, but Lucy's determined to sort it out before Santa comes to town. Death of a Christmas Carol by Lee Hollis The Island Times Christmas soiree gets off to a scroogey start when Hayley Powell, Mona Barnes, and Rosana Moretti receive a Christmas card from the town flirt, Carol Waterman, who threatens to run off with one of their husbands! The ladies chalk it up to an imprudent prank...until they find Carol mistletoe-up under her tree... Death of a Christmas Card Crafter by Peggy Ehrhart Slay bells ring when the body of Arborville High School's beloved art teacher (and annual Christmas card designer), Karma Karling, is discovered on the first day of the Holiday Craft Fair. Now, Pamela Paterson and the Knit and Nibble crew must swap swatching for sleuthing in order to put a Christmas killer on ice.
Lucy normally loves planning for the holidays, but this year, Tinker's Cove has fallen on hard times. With so many residents struggling, Christmas festivities are a luxury some can't afford. But the story's not so bleak at Downeast Mortgage, whose tightfisted owners, Jake Marlowe and Ben Scribner, are raking in profits from everyone's misfortune. Half the town is in their debt, so when the miserly Marlowe is murdered, the mourners are few and the suspects are many. Scribner believes Marlowe's ghost has come to warn him of his own demise, and when he starts receiving death threats, Lucy wonders if there's more to the omen than the ravings of a bitter old pinchpenny. Can Lucy solve the case and deck the halls before the killer strikes again?
"...engaging..." - Publishers Weekly
For Lucy Stone, the best thing about Christmas in Tinker's Cove, Maine, has always been the annual Cookie Exchange. But the usual generosity and goodwill are missing from this year's event, which turns out to be a complete disaster. Petty rivalries and feuds that have long been simmering finally come to a boil, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many guests, including Lee Cummings-who accuses Tucker Whitney of stealing her recipe for low-fat, sugar-free cookies. But the icing on the cake is when Tucker is found strangled in her apartment the following morning. Who could've wanted Tucker dead badly enough to kill her? Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Lucy sets out on the trail of a murderer and soon uncovers a Christmas secret best left wrapped.
Known for its cheerful staff and elaborate annual Easter Bonnet Contest, the Heritage House senior center regularly attracts new residents and positive press. But once the town's retired librarian, Miss Julia Tilley, checks in to recover from an illness, Lucy sees a side of the facility that isn't quite so perfect and pristine. And the place may soon be making headlines for different reasons following an unexplained disappearance... Lucy can't fathom how Agnes Neal could go missing from assisted living over a silly Easter bonnet contest or why few seem concerned as signs point to foul play. A retired journalist with an independent mind, Agnes had an eye for detail and little interest in conforming to catty cliques or rules set by her caretakers-traits that threatened some and angered others... While police stall the investigation without answers, Lucy realizes backstabbing has no age limit when alarming parallels bloom between her daughter's college frenemies and social circles at Heritage House. Gathering clues as flimsy as a half-eaten milk-chocolate bunny, Lucy must discover what happened to Agnes-before her own story becomes another springtime tragedy left unsolved.
