A new author for me and a festive easy read. Shall return with more burble later...

Later, as promised… BOOK COVER: For Lucy Stone the best thing about Christmas in Tinker’s Cove has always been the annual Cookie Exchange. But the usual generosity and good will is missing from this years event which turns out to be 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 strangles in her apartment on 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.

“As usual, Meier deftly combines a realistic depiction of Lucy’s life as a hard-working mother with a satisfying mystery plot.” Publishers Weekly.

This is the sixth in the Lucy Stone Series and will while away pleasingly some of the festive cooking tension, or relieve maddening breaks in decent TV viewing during the festive season. Neither will it burnout any brain-cells because of a wildly confusing plot or cause distress because of any gory ghastly bits.

I did appreciate the depiction of “Lucy’s life as a hard-working mother” and could understand that for many would widen the appeal of these mysteries, her negotiations with her children and the struggles to find the funds for the day-to-day will surely strike a universal cord.

To be released soon to Flutterbies9 as part of my bookcrossing parcel to her, a sort of Unofficial Not-So-Secret-Father-Christmas-Surprise 2010! Someone dear bookcrosser very close to your heart is getting some cookie cutters for Christmas this year, so do offer encouragement that any recipes here you cannot resist the sound of are tested out! Yum, yum…

Apologies, huge delay here as this was posted on Sat 2 April.

Received April 6th so not too long in the post. Sounds like a nice light read and I'm sure I'll have it all ready for the next Christmas NSS!

Thanks.

Hmmm. Needed something light one night I could not sleep. I picked this up wondering if I was going to regret it, get caught up and not wish to sleep as an engrossing plot took over!
Not so, considering this is billed as a murder mystery, this is a rather light and easy read with little in the way of engrossing or cerebral.

A very sweet (no pun intended) book with a very 'normal' sounding family in a familiar family routine. The characters were all mostly pleasant enough, even one of the 'villains' had a 'feel good factor', though I can't say any were really memorable. The situations in which they found themselves all seemed quite reasonable and natural. I did not get the usual feelings of tension or suspense with this story which all seemed to just evolve and mutate into the final 'reveal'. Cleverly written but not one of my favourite reads. I don't think I'll be racing to pick up another by this author but it served its purpose for me.

Just a very easy, light, cosy read with a seasonal theme which I'll keep for the season.

A seasonal light read with baking recipes included. As noted earlier in the reviews, perfect for someone at Christmas who has cookie cutters!!

Definitely off list, but included for its seasonal value and maybe a very light different genre.

Seasonal offering in my NSSFC parcel. Thank you Flutterbies9.

Oh dear! I read this on 27 December 2011, I know that much from my diary. But I was at my sister's sans laptop (I think) so didn't journal at once and that, of course, is fatal. I don't even have a number next to it so the rating is a guess based on the fact that I did read it in one sitting and it didn't stick as either exceptionally brilliant or exceptionally awful.
For the first time in ages, I have an NSS partner who has a cosy mystery or two on her wishlist, so I'm hoping she will enjoy this.

For by BC Birmie NSS partner.

Thank you so much for my NSS books and presents

A nice quick read despite the murder- and very evocative of life in a small American town reliant on lobster fishing.

My first Birmingham meet for some time.

I picked up this book from 3Thress in Birmingham (Well worth a visit if your ever in the area) and then took it home with me to Chipping Norton. I've never read anything by Leslie Meier, but will definitely be looking out for more Lucy Stone Mystery novels. I've been trying for a while to get back into novels, as I used to read loads, but found the teenage novels incredibly samey and the story-lines repetitive, however this book has definitely succeeded in getting be back into fiction.