Halloween Night Murder

Author:    Leslie Meier/Lee Hollis/Liz Ireland

Genre:    Mystery/Holidays

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496749420 (TBA)

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$27.00 Amazon (Others TBA)

August 26, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

There's usually a chill in the air when Halloween arrives -- but in these three novellas by beloved cozy mystery authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland, the crimes are even colder than the haunted climate...

HALLOWEEN NIGHT MURDER by LESLIE MEIER

After a tiring but satisfying day of organizing Halloween festivities, Lucy Stone is surprised by a lone late-night trick or treater at her home in Tinker's Cove, Main.  The next morning, she's heartbroken to learn that the teenager died in a hit-and-run just minutes after she gave him the last of her candy supply.  Haunted, she starts digging into his story -- and discovers some dark secrets...

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN NIGHT STALKER by LEE HOLLIS

Bad weather has stranded restaurateur Hayley Powell and her friends in rural Maine -- and the only shelter available is a spooky spot where they're welcomes warmly by the lady of the house -- but coldly by her suspicious, gun-toting son.  They're even more nervous after he scares them with his Halloween zombie costume -- but the real fright is yet to come...

MRS. CLAUS AND THE WILY WITCH by LIZ IRELAND

Disgraced elf Flake has returned from exile just in time for Halloween, but not everyone in Christmastown thinks he's truly reformed.  When Pumblechook the snowman suffers a mysterious fate, and a fellow elf is felled by Flake's caramels, Mrs. Claus must determine whether the sticky-fingered Flake has become a hardened criminal -- or if sorcery has invaded Santaland...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

⭐⭐⭐⭐ In our first tale, Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, Lucy Stone feels sorry for a young teenager who comes to her door.  Thinking she'll probably not have any other trick-or-treaters, and noting how thin the boy is, she gives him the remainder of her candy.  But the next morning she's told that the boy has died in a hit-and-run accident.  Finding out he has siblings, she's more than happy to open her home for the night to the young trio, since their mother has been arrested.

The next day she discovers something odd at the old home where they've been staying, and reports it; all the while not wanting the children to go with the social worker.  When she attends the boy's funeral, she finds out other things as well.  This is all it takes for Lucy to go on a hunt to discover the truth.

But the truth isn't nice, nor will it be easy to prove.  With the help of her editor Ted, she's determined to help the children and anyone connected with them.  But will she be able to without proof?  Or will she have to find help from a very unlikely source...

A very good novella from Ms. Meier.  I really enjoyed this one, and it was centered on the mystery itself, which I always enjoy.  The writing was very good, the story line interesting, and the finale worth reading it for. Recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ In the second tale, Death of a Halloween Night Stalker by Lee Hollis, Hayley Powell and her friends Liddy and Mona are returning from a concert by their favorite country-western singer when they hit a snag.  Not only is it raining, but there's been an accident on the freeway, so they take another exit to get home, which will take longer, but it's better than sitting in traffic.  Or so they think.  When a deer is in the middle of the road, Liddy swerves to avoid it and ends up running into a tree.  With Mona injured, they need to find somewhere to get help.  Unfortunately, the only place is a spooky home, but Hayley insists they go.

The elderly woman who answers the door is more than willing to help, but her hulking son only speaks in grunts and looks at them suspiciously.  Convinced to stay the night, Hayley soon becomes suspicious herself of what is going on downstairs and wants to investigate.

But is this the right thing to do?  Fearing they may be in danger, she feels she has no choice.  It's more than a Halloween night Hayley gets, it's a journey into Halloween horror -- and will she be able to save herself and her friends, or will this be the end of them?  With nowhere to go, no internet, no one to help them, Hayley may just have signed all their death warrants...

This novella, in my humble opinion, is the best of the three.  Ms. Hollis is a wonderful storyteller, and this one is perfect for reading on Halloween.  It might just put you off driving in the country by yourself at night, too.  The story is suspenseful, intriguing, and a bit of a nail-biter, if I'm telling the truth.  The ending is is done well, as is the rest of the tale.  Highly recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ In our third tale, Mrs. Claus and the Wily Witch by Liz Ireland, Christmastown is having their annual reindeer festival, but it's upended when one of the snowmen, Pumblechook, is suddenly paralyzed.  Unable to move at all, it's believed he's been hexed by Flake, an elf who recently returned from being exiled for something, and it doesn't help when someone dies and Flake is suspected of murdering them.  April Claus (Santa's wife) must do what she can to help the poor elf -- even if it means bringing witch Imelda to Santatown.

Following is what you'd expect: a flurry of activities, a herd of reindeer bouncing around, and a plethora of elves trying to get into the Halloween spirit while trying to figure out who is also a killer.  This book is centered more around April and the witch instead of the crazy elves, but is a lot of fun to read anyway.  Recommended.

All in all, this was an enjoyable conglomeration of stories that I would re-read again without hesitation, and would definitely recommend to others.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Night-Murder-Leslie-Meier-ebook/dp/B0DR9SRYSQ/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7476183414

More on Leslie Meier's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/

More on Lee Hollis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

More on Liz Ireland's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/liz-ireland/

Patchwork Quilt Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery Book 30)

Author:    Leslie Meier

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496733795; 9781496733801

Kensington Cozies

268 Pages

$16.17; $8.99; $9.06 Amazon

April 23, 2024

⭐⭐

When a community center opens in town, many embrace it as a space where locals of all ages can gather and create.   Others view it as a waste of taxpayer dollars.  The director, Darleen Busby-Platt, is no less controversial.  Intense and showy, Darleen has huge plans for her new role.  But Lucy believes the woman isn't exactly as warm-hearted -- or qualified -- as she seems.  That hunch deepens when Darleen and a young employee vanish...and dismembered remains appear!

With lots of clues and a few concrete answers, Lucy rushes to connect loose ends.  First there's the disappearance of Tim Stillings, a troubled twenty-something who endured harsh treatment on the job.  Next there's Darleen herself, who made fast enemies as the highest-paid resident of Tinker's Cove.  Finally, there's Darleen's rich ancestry and ties to heirlooms worth either a fortune or nothing at all.

The closer Lucy gets to the facts, the more she realizes that solving this murder depends on the lies.  Because the truth rests somewhere between wild rumors, a trusted friend's emotional new sewing project, and the authenticity of a mysterious three-hundred-year-old patchwork quilt.  And Lucy must piece together the big picture -- before she becomes part of a crafty killer's deadly design...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

This is the 30th book in the series, and it's wonderful that Ms. Meier has kept the series going so long.  People as myself love to read series, and I do appreciate the fact that this series is basically done in 'real time', with the children growing up and having lives of their own.  Unfortunately, this book lacked the charm of others, and I don't think that I'm the only one who feels this way.

The mystery, of course, should be about a murder with both Lucy and her readers trying to solve it.  (Even if one of the characters previously named Adam has suddenly become Tim in this version).  As another unfortunate fact, I lost interest the minute the author started spouting her political views instead of focusing on the gist of the story.  This seemed more about climate change and how it affects everything than the mystery, and it was more than I could take.  I don't read mysteries to be preached to.

But the worst was the way the dog's death was treated.  The dog, who was in many stories before.  Like he was a 'throwaway' and not to be bothered with any more.  I have cats, and I grieve when I lose one.  The gift of loving pets is the fact that you know you are loving an animal with a shorter lifespan, and you must say goodbye before you are ready.  It is difficult.  But it is the ability to give love.  These are our family members.  Not trash.

Unfortunately again, I wish I could give this a higher rating, but I cannot.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Patchwork-Quilt-Murder-Stone-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CFGDM2CV/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6443436038

More on Leslie Meier's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/

Halloween Party Murder

Authors:    Leslie Meier/Lee Hollis/Barbara Ross

Genre:       Mystery/Halloween Stories

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN#:    9781496733825

Kensington Publishing

336 Pages

$22.99; $12.99 Amazon

August 31, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Small town traditions are celebrated throughout Maine during the holiday season.  But when it comes to Halloween, some people are more than willing to reap a harvest of murder...

HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER by LESLIE MEIER

Tinker's Cove newest residents Ty and Heather Moon turn their Victorian home into a haunted house to raise funds for charity.  But the Halloween fun turns to horrific fright when Heather overdoses on tainted drugs -- and Ty finds himself accused of murder.  Digging deep into the story, journalist Lucy Stone uncovers some sinister secrets in the Moons' past linked to a conspiracy in her hometown...

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER by LEE HOLLIS

Everyone attending Island Times Food and Cocktail columnist Hayley Powell's Halloween bash is dressed as their favorite movie monster from the Bride of Frankenstein and Jaws to Chucky and Pennywise the clown.  But when partygoers stumble upon Boris Candy's bludgeoned costumed corpse, it falls to Haley to discover who among her guests wanted to stop the man from clowning around permanently...

SCARED OFF by BARBARA ROSS

Three teenage girls having a sleepover on Halloween night get spooked when high schoolers crash the house for a party.  But no one expected to find a crasher like Mrs. Zelisko, the elderly third floor tenant, dead in the backyard -- dressed in a sheet like a ghost.  With her niece traumatized, Julia Snowden must uncover who among the uninvited guests was responsible for devising such a murderous trick...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I know it's way too early for Halloween, but since I enjoy these authors, I thought I'd start early.  I was disappointed in one, but very pleased by the other two.  For the individual ratings:

⭐Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier:  Lucy's husband Bill is finally changing her mind about how she feels regarding the newcomers to Tinker's Cove, Ty and Heather Moon.  And to show she's willing to give them a chance, she's happy to help with the haunted house they're planning for the community, especially when much of the proceeds will benefit the needy in her town.  But the night of the party, Lucy finds Heather near death in the tub, and later learns she died.  Now with Ty accused of murder, and her friend, who's running for the state assembly, defending him, there are more problems than she ever expected, especially since there's a murderer running around loose...

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately Ms. Meier has turned this into a political rant.  I'm not going to get into it here, but let's just say that I read for entertainment, not to be preached to politically, nor to be told that my way of thinking is just wrong if it doesn't jibe with yours.  So no, I did not enjoy this story at all, but others might.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis:   Hayley is throwing a Halloween party at her new restaurant, Hayley's Kitchen, for a select group of friends.  But after the party is breaking up, Lydia comes across the dead body of Boris Candy, who was once dressed as Pennywise the clown, but is no longer -- not that it matters, anyway.  Now police chief and brother-in-law to Hayley, Sergio, is questioning the remaining guests to see which one of them committed the deed.  But with tempers flaring and accusations flying, it's not an easy task.  Now Hayley's trying to put the pieces together but can't believe one of her friends is the guilty party...

This was a terrific short story perfect for Halloween.  I found this one the most hilarious of the three, mainly because I love the banter between Hayley and her two besties, Lydia and Mona.  They make quite a trio. We get to see a different side of Sergio, and some unexpected situations that lead to a discovery of sorts.  It's fun, intriguing, and a quick read that will have you laughing throughout.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Scared Off by Barbara Ross:  When Julia's niece Paige calls her from a friend's house, sounding panicked, Julia heads over there only to find police already arrived.  When she locates Paige and her friend Vanessa, she's allowed to take them home.  It seems that a tenant in the upstairs of the Victorian home, Mrs. Zelisko, is dead, and the girls are insisting they saw her flying like a ghost.  But can Julia find out the truth?  Everyone has different stories, but the woman isn't a ghost, so why did they see her, and who could have murdered her?

With Julia still reeling from her personal life, she's thrown into a murder investigation she didn't want, but is part of nonetheless.  Now she's sifting through the questions and responses to try and find out the truth.  What she does discover throws a lot of people in town, and suddenly there's more to the story than anyone expected...

This is a very interesting short story, and they aren't always easy to write.  While it doesn't have the humor of Ms. Hollis (both authors); it does have a lot going for it.  Julia is once again using her wits to figure out the problem, with her state police friends Binder and Flynn letting her in on the investigation, since she's been helpful in the past.  The answers come slowly but strangely, and no one expects that when it does become clear that this could ever have happened.  We also learn something a bit delightful toward the end, giving us a peek into what the future might hold.  A delightful, refreshing story.  

In the end, I gave the entire thing five stars because I liked the last two stories immensely.  It's only because I don't want to read about politics of any kind (unless I'm reading political science, etc.) in my escapism.  Other than that, I would definitely recommend this to others.

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Party-Murder-Leslie-Meier/dp/1496733827/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4066874130

More on Leslie Meier's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/

More on Lee Hollis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

More on Barbara Ross's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Halloween Murder (Two Lucy Stone Mysteries #3 and #16)

Author:  Leslie Meier
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496721587; 9781496718341
Kensington Publishing
496 Pages
$7.99; $9.99; $7.59 Amazon
August 28, 2018

⭐⭐⭐

Trick or Treat Murder

While Lucy Stone is whipping up orange-frosted cupcakes for her town's annual Halloween festival, an arsonist is on the loose in Tinker's Cove.  When arson turns into murder, a little digging in all the wrong places puts Lucy too close to a shocking discover that could send all her best-laid plans up in smoke...

Wicked Witch Murder

Not everyone in Tinker's Cove is enchanted with newcomer Diana Ravenscroft and her quaint little shop offering everything from jewelry to psychic readings.  But a gruesome murder of Diana's friend has Lucy Stone uncovering a deadly web of secrets - and a spine-chilling brush with the things that go bump in the night...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

This is a compilation of two of two Lucy Stone Mysteries: Trick or Treat Murder  and Wicked Witch Murder.  If you've read the Lucy Stone Mysteries, then these will fall right in line.

In the first mystery, Lucy is still a youngish mother with her four children; Zoe is a newborn baby, so the other children are still young.  When there's a house fire at a home that Lucy's husband Bill restored that belonged to a client, Lucy is sad.  But not as sad as when Lucy and Bill discover that someone they knew and cared about was in the home and died there.  While it at first appears to be an accident because of the home's age, it soon becomes apparent that it was arson when other old buildings are being set aflame.  And when Lucy starts getting closer to discovering who's doing the nasty deed, she unknowingly puts herself in danger and just might not survive...

In the second book Lucy goes to see a witch with her friends for a group reading.  When what the woman tells her starts to come true, Lucy, a skeptic, still doesn't want to believe it.  Not even when she comes across a burned body in the woods that leaves her shaken.  She gets to the point that she forbids the woman from encouraging her sixteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth.  Then a local woman dies, and the stakes are raised.  If Lucy isn't careful, hers might be the next body to be found...

I read this dual mystery book because I love to "read the season," as it were, and these take place at Halloween.  I have to say that I enjoyed the first mystery; the second, not so much.  It seemed to me that in the first, the writing was crisp and had a flair to it; but in the second, it all seemed so tired, almost as if it had aged along with Lucy.  Unfortunately, I found this to be so in another Halloween mystery she wrote later than these two.

But the storyline in the first was interesting to me and the characters involved kept me wondering which one of them was an arsonist.  There were plenty of people to choose from, and several of them could have been the guilty party.  When the murderer was discovered, it came as rather a surprise, which was indeed a good thing.  I did like the ending immensely as everything came together nicely.

In the second book I was bored almost from the beginning.  I found the character of Diana completely unlikable, and if you don't like a character that's quite a major one in the book, you probably won't enjoy it, and that was the problem for me.  Because of her, I couldn't wait for the book to end and really didn't care 'whodunit.'  So this book was a no-go for me, and the reason I only gave the entire thing three stars.

So, in the end, this two-book novel is worth reading if you're a Lucy Stone fan or if you've never read the series before; but you can draw your own conclusions to them both.

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Murder-Lucy-Stone-Mystery/dp/1496721586/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3625535598

More on Leslie Meier's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/

Tippy Toe Murder (Lucy Stone Mysteries #2)

Author:  Leslie Meier
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781575663920
Kensington Publishing
256 Pages
Various Prices; $6.89 Digital; Amazon
September 1, 1996

⭐⭐

Between ballet lessons, Little League practice, carpooling her kids to school, and a husband in need of attention, fourth-time mother-to-be Lucy Stone has more than enough on her plate this long, hot summer,  But when one of her dearest friends vanishes, Lucy's soft spot for a solid mystery gets the better of her.  Dinner can wait.  Tinker's Cove, Maine's most irrepressible sleuth has a job to do...

An afternoon walk was a ritual for Caroline Hutton...until the retired ballet instructor took a detour into the woods and was never seen again.  The case takes a turn for the worse when a local storeowner takes a deathblow to the head with a video camera.  Now, as Lucy's own seven-year-old prima ballerina rehearses for her debut, a murderer prepares for an encore.  the devoted mother and sleuth knows she mustn't miss either performance.  In fact, her life depends on it.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Lucy Stone is pregnant with her fourth child and trying to keep it together juggling ballet lessons, Little League practice, putting meals on the table, and anything else as it comes up.  She’s worried when her friend Caroline Hutton goes missing, but her husband Bill assures her that the police will do their best and to stay out of it, telling her that it’s none of her business and she has other things she needs to take care of instead.

One of Lucy’s friends, Franny, works at a hardware store in town as cashier and clerk.  She’s not happy when the owner’s grandson comes to work, discovering that he’s the probable thief who’s stealing from them — but his grandfather thinks it’s her, and demands repayment in a few days.  Franny, determined to give proof, begs Lucy for the use of her video camera to catch him.  But when she’s removing the camera a day later, he sees her and thinks she stole the money to buy it.  Now she needs to tell Lucy that he has the camera and won’t give it back.  So Lucy goes to the store to retrieve the camera and finds the body of Morrill Slack.  Now, Franny’s been arrested for the murder and Lucy’s sure she’s innocent.

Then Lucy and Tatiana, her daughters’ ballet instructor, decide to go through Caro’s scrapbooks to see if they can find a clue as to where she might have gone.  But what she finds connects more than one person and one event, and when it all comes together for Lucy, it could be worse than she at first believes, and could change her life forever, or even get her killed...

This is the second book in the series and while this is labeled as a cozy and they can touch on dark subjects, this one was way too dark in its handling of domestic abuse and its aftermath; and while not an easy subject to address in any way for any person, it was graphic and violent and shouldn't be considered a cozy.  Once someone has experienced it (as I have, firsthand), it’s not something you want to revisit, nor even remember; but it’s not something you ever forget.  Therefore, there were passages that were difficult to read and I probably wouldn't have read this book if I had known beforehand.

While I never really connected with Lucy’s life — I did feel that Bill didn’t give her enough slack when she was pregnant and the hormones keep pushing at you no matter what you do; I felt that yes, although he’s working full-time, he helped make those kids and should have reached out a bit to help his pregnant wife when he could, not just come home and pop open a beer and decide that’s it’s for him.  A good husband would at least allow her time to rest before the baby’s born, so there was that.

Anyhow, the rest of the book seemed to come together nicely without any problems, and when the ending comes and the murderer was revealed, although I didn’t find it too compelling it was fine, and I will read the next in the series to see if I will continue with it or not.

https://www.amazon.com/Tippy-Murder-Lucy-Stone-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00KYUNERW/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3243117636

More on Leslie Meier's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/

Candy Corn Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery Book 22)

Author:  Leslie Meier
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover, E-book, Audiobook
ISBN #:  9780758277077
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$15.47 HC, $11.49 Kindle, $29.99 Audiobook
August 25, 2015

Three Stars

Halloween is coming to Tinker's Cove, Maine, and local reporter Lucy Stone is covering the town's annual Giant Pumpkin Fest for the Pennysaver.  There's the pumpkin-boat regatta, the children's Halloween party, the pumpkin weigh-in...even a contest where home-built catapults hurl pumpkins at an old Dodge!  But not everything goes quite as planned...

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, bashed in the head and placed in the trunk by someone long before the contest started.

Bill is on the hook for the Halloween homicide - he was the last one to see Evan - so Lucy knows she's got some serious sleuthing to do.  The crime's trail seems to always circle back to Country Cousins, the town's once-quaint general store that's now become a big Internet player.  Though the store's founder, Old Sam Miller, is long gone, his son Tom and grandson Buck now run the hugely successful company.  But whispered rumors say things aren't going well, and Lucy finds that this case may have something to do with an unsolved, decades-old Miller family mystery...

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...

********

In this, Leslie Meier's 22nd outing in her themed mysteries, it's nearly Halloween in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and Lucy Stone is busy.  Her son Toby and his wife Molly have pretty much dumped their son on Lucy (I noticed they didn't offer to pay her); it's one thing to babysit your grandchildren for a week, it's quite another to take care of them for four months, on top of having to pay for expensive day care and adhere to a strict diet while said parents go on an extended vacation.  After all, it was Toby's job, not Molly's, and she could have stayed home with their child for the four months he would be away.  Military wives/husbands do it all the time. 

Her husband Bill, along with his friend Evan, are working on growing a prize-winning pumpkin; and when someone's pumpkin is vandalized one night, Evan and Bill rig an alarm system that blares a horn anytime anyone comes near; her daughter Sara is planning on participating in Take Back the Night (a march to stop violence against women) and also participating in a dive to carve pumpkins underwater for the festival.

Plus, there's a new day care worker, Heidi, and she's a terror.  I can't understand why anyone in the town pays attention to her, but the women on Lucy's committee, for some reason, are allowing her to push them around.

But when pumpkins and pumpkin displays are being vandalized, they know there's a real problem out there; and when Evan turns up dead, and Bill is the the most likely suspect, Lucy decides she needs to ferret out the killer, and fast.            

Having read other Lucy Stone books, I really liked her and her adventures.  But this book - something just nagged at me somewhat.  In this book Lucy has turned into the kind of woman I really dislike:  someone who doesn't stand her ground.  Allowing a day care worker to tell you how to raise a child?  If someone like Heidi tried to tell me what to feed my child, I'd tell her to stuff it.  I'd ask her if she had children - which Heidi does not - and then ask her why she thinks she knows better than I do, since I'd raised four children (as Lucy has) and they are all doing just fine.  Plus, if a newcomer came in and told me they knew how to throw a children's party better than we do (a DJ?  For preschoolers?  Really?  They can dance instead of play games?) I'd let her know in no uncertain terms that just having some sort of degree didn't make her an expert.  Not giving children Halloween candy? Again, really?  Once a year is going to rot their teeth?  I don't think so.  Nothing like raising unhappy children.  Who are these people, really, that they allow her to dictate to them how they should be raising their children?  

I always enjoy when there's a mystery within a mystery, as there was here.  And it could have been oh, so interesting.  But instead of focusing on the mystery itself, I felt that this book was more about a political agenda than a murder.  Yes, I know violence against women is a real thing - I've been a victim myself many years ago  - but this is supposed to be a cozy mystery.  That means people are reading for escapism, and not reading the news or watching it on television.  If I want reality, I'll turn on CNN; if I read a fiction novel, I don't expect to get slapped in the face with it.

I hesitate to say any more about this book as I feel it will be giving too much away, but part of the explanation given toward the end just didn't make sense.  There are always signs that anyone with half a brain would notice, and Lucy didn't suspect a thing...

However, anyone who has read any of the previous books in this series might truly enjoy this one as well.  

http://www.amazon.com/Candy-Corn-Murder-Stone-Mystery/dp/0758277075/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1398546042