Silver Anniversary Murder

By Leslie Meier

Much has happened since Leslie Meier first introduced her beloved sleuth Lucy Stone with Mistletoe Murder. Many holidays and bake sales have come and gone, Lucy’s children have all grown up. But even after twenty-four books into the bestselling series, murder is never out of the picture . . .
 
As Tinker’s Cove, Maine, buzzes over a town-wide silver wedding anniversary bash, Lucy is reminded of her nuptials and ponders the whereabouts of Beth Gerard, her strong-willed maid of honor. Lucy never would have made it down the aisle without Beth’s help, and although the two friends lost touch over the years, she decides to reach out. It only takes one phone call for Lucy to realize that a reunion will happen sooner than later—at Beth’s funeral.
 
Beth, who was in the process of finalizing her fourth divorce, had a reputation for living on the edge—but no one can believe she would jump off a penthouse terrace in New York City. The more Lucy learns about Beth’s former husbands, the more she suspects one of them committed murder. 
 
Summoning her friend’s impulsive spirit, Lucy vows to scour New York from the Bronx to the Brooklyn Bridge in search of the killer. With each ex dodgier than the last, it’s not long before Lucy’s investigation leads her to a desperate criminal who will do anything to get away—even if it means silencing another victim . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781496710352

Leslie Meier

Leslie Meier is the acclaimed author of the Lucy Stone Mysteries and has also written for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. She lives in Harwich, Massachusetts, where she is currently at work on the next Lucy Stone mystery.

Reviews for Silver Anniversary Murder

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy Stone has lost an old friend to suicide, and she is having trouble coming to terms with it. She feels the police have made a mistake ruling the death a suicide, so she decides to spend a week in New York, chasing down four ex-husbands and deciding which one is the most likely to have pushed Beth off her balcony to her death. Though that storyline is a bit farfetched, it is quite believable compared to all the other aspects of the story that author Leslie Meier managed to insert. This cozy mystery is pretty bizarre by any standards, but especially for a Lucy Stone book. Especially disappointing is Lucy’s homelife with her husband and her kids. Bill seems rather uncaring and jealous at the same time, and the kids almost don’t exist. So many unusual things are crammed into one novel it almost seems like the author had a check list, marking them off as she wrote. This is a good series; this installment, not so much.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Silver Anniversary Murder by Leslie Meier is the twenty-fifth A Lucy Stone Mystery. Lucy Stone lives in Tinker’s Cove, Maine with her husband, Bill along with two of her daughters and their dog, Libby. The town is surprised when Sylvia Bickford announces that she and her husband, Warren will renew their vows for their twenty-fifth anniversary. The nickname for the couple is the “Bickersons”. It has been turned into a town wide events called Silver Anniversary Weekend. Lucy thinks back on her wedding and her maid-of-honor, Beth Gerard. She decides to give her a call and is surprised when Dante, Beth’s son answers the phone. Lucy is shocked when Dante tells her that Beth is dead. Beth plummeted to her death from her penthouse apartment in New York City and the police have ruled it a suicide. Lucy does not believe her adventurous and full of life friend would commit suicide. Lucy rents an Airnb and heads to New York to get answers. She begins her investigation by questioning Beth’s four ex-husbands to see who had a motive. Someone is not happy with Lucy’s questions and takes desperate measures to silence her. Will Lucy make it home to Tinker’s Cove?I have read every single book in A Lucy Stone Mystery series. I discovered the series one day in my local library and quickly devoured the series. I look forward to reading each new Lucy Stone book when they are published. It has been a pleasure to see Lucy and her family change as the years go by. Her children are now grown, but Sarah and Zoe are still living at home while they attend college. Silver Anniversary Murder is easy to read with a steady pacing, but it missed the mark for me. I can understand getting Lucy out of Tinker’s Cove (before it becomes known as murder central), but the author should have made it a girls’ weekend in the city (Lucy and her three close friends). I did enjoy learning more about Lucy’s younger years as she explored New York. Lucy did not seem like herself in Silver Anniversary Murder. Then there was a jealous Bill, the odd situation with the cult, an anxious Lucy, and the Bickersons. The mystery was light, and it was rushed at the end. The whodunit needed more work. The way it was handled at the end made it seem like the author had reached the maximum number of pages for the book and she had to wrap it quickly. I did not understand the addition of the cult to the story (nor what happened with Lucy (I am trying not to give away any of the plot). I liked that Lucy was watching one of my favorite shows Call the Midwife (I wish there were more shows like this one). My rating for Silver Anniversary Murder is 3 out of 5 stars. Silver Anniversary Murder is a book for fans of the series only. I suggest newcomers begin with Mistletoe Murder. While I was not enamored with Silver Anniversary Murder, it will not stop me from picking up the next A Lucy Stone Mystery.

[lhaines56 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a different sort of mystery--Lucy goes to NYC and helps to solve it. Different and fun. However, it seemed like all of a sudden Ms. Meier realized she only had so many pages left and had to wrap it up. A little disjointed maybe? All in all I liked it.