[.ca] Turkey Day Murder (ISBN 1575666855)

Turkey Tripe:
By the time the murder is discovered, there has been so much character development and scene setting that readers probably won't care who the victim is or who did it. When the murderer was identified, I wished he had done in Lucy Stone first. The author did elicit a faint smile when Stone serves a turkey that had fallen on the kitchen floor. This book is as awful as the Thanksgiving meal the heroine serves her boring guests.

Thanksgiving, murder and Indians:
Lucy Stone and her family live in Tinker's Cove, Maine. Her son Toby is coming home for the first time from college for Thanksgiving. They are awaiting his arrival, she probably more than the others. It had been hard on her having Toby gone. She is kept busy with her work as a journalist for the Pennysaver, the weekly newspaper. She attends the meetings of the Tinker's Cove Board of Selectmen. Many of the meetings are long and tedious. That was before the ancestors of the Metinnicut Indians are trying to get the Metinnicut recognized as an official Indian tribe. At one of the meetings, discussion gets quite heated when discussing their proposed casino. Curt Nolan was a very outspoken advocate of the Metinnicut tribe and the casino. He ruffled many people with his abrupt ways. Then he is found dead behind the refreshments stand at the local high school football game on Thanksgiving. Not only did Toby come home for Thanksgiving, but he brought friends. Friends that were not anticipated by Lucy. She didn't get to have long talks with Toby as she had hoped. She barely got to see him, let alone talk to him. Lucy is having a tough time dealing with this. Then Miss Tilley gets Lucy to agree to look into Curt's death. She doesn't want to do it because her husband, Bill, had explicity told her not to. But, Miss Tilley can be quite persuasive. Lucy also agrees to take Kadjo, Curt Nolan's dog, since he no longer has a home. She is afraid that Bill will be upset, but he accepts the new dog into the family without any problem. I like this series a lot. Lucy and her family are your every day average family. She just ends up involved in investigating murders. And she always ends up putting herself and sometimes her family or friends in danger. This book is especially good what with the added stress of Thanksgiving and Toby's return to spice up her life. I always enjoy mysteries set in New England, especially Maine. The descriptions of the area are very enjoyable and make me feel like I've been there. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Not One of the Best:
Writer/mother/detective Lucy Stone is busy working on interesting news stories, when one falls right into her lap. The death of Metinnicut Indian activist, Curt Nolan. Murdered with a war club. At least that's what was found in his head. Soon Lucy is investigating what seems like thousands of suspects, whom all had something against Curt, a person who seemed to make enemies wherever he went. While it seems easy enough to add a little investigating to her list of chores, it's not as easy as Lucy thinks. Especially since she could be the next to die. I enjoyed the Lucy Stone Christmas mysteries. But this one just didn't do it for me. I feel that the novel was slow-moving, and at times, downright boring. I hope that my next Lucy Stone mystery is better than this one.

I should have listened:
I just finished this book, the latest in a series all of which I have read and enjoyed. I read the review from the New England reader before buying, but since all the series titles were enjoyable, I bought and read anyway. I have to agree that this was by far the worst in the series. Lucy did not read as the same person as in the others. The mystery was hidden beneath a very cozy description of the real life of a working mother. Although it is very accurate, it does not make for a good mystery. I did not get to know any of the characters well enough to have the least idea what the outcome would be. It became an effort to remain interested, though the book was a quick read (perhaps because it lacked substance). I recommend you skip this title and try others in the series.

A roller coaster ride of fun!:
Leslie Meier is an inspirational author. Turkey Day Murder is, in one word, delightful. The plot of this story in Tinker Cove, Maine proves to be innovating. It's a page-turner at its best. What I want to know, and hopefully one of Leslie Meier's readers can help me, is when Leslie Meier's next mystery arrives in bookstores. I haven't heard anything since Turkey Day Murder. I'm worried. Leslie Meier is simply the best mystery writer of all. I hope she hasn't stopped writing...