| Title | : | Turkey Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #7) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0786247274 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780786247271 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published October 1, 2000 |
The list of suspects isn’t exactly a brief one. Nolan had a habit of disagreeing with just about everybody he met. Between fixing dinner for twelve and keeping her four kids from tearing each other limb from limb, Lucy has a pretty full plate already. So what’s a little investigation? But if she’s not careful, she just may find herself served up as a last-minute course, stone-cold dead with all the trimmings…
Turkey Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #7) Reviews
-
It's difficult to find a Thanksgiving theme novel so I end up with the 7th book in the Lucy Stone series by Leslie Meier. I've been seeing her cozy mysteries everywhere and glad I finally get to try one of her books.
Set in Tinker's Cove, Maine, the story has everything a cozy reader likes to kick start Thanksgiving spirit. 🦃🍂 Food and festivities. I find it unique where an unlikeable character is Lucy's husband Bill. This isn't normal, not for a cozy. No lovey-dovey? I'm curious to see if she'll eventually dump that jerk. 🤪 -
Back to Tinker’s Cove for more Lucy Stone and her Down East Maine adventures! It’s nearly Thanksgiving. Lucy is expecting her son Toby and his college roommate to return. That means lots of cooking, kicking her oldest daughter out of his room, and getting the house ready. Plus there are visits to the turkey farm, turkey art projects, yummy recipes, and of course those town council meetings that always cause trouble. This time around, it’s first about Cujo the dog who has been eating dozens of chickens. (You just have to laugh at the characters in this scene.) Then the town is divided over allowing a casino to be built. This one is a whirlwind with Thanksgiving chaos, appearances by all the Tinker’s Cove locals, and of course, a murder for Lucy to solve. I was completely laughing at the turkey kitchen scene because who wouldn’t have freaked out and thought to do the same? Loved this one!
-
In Turkey Day Murder, a mid-series installment of the Lucy Stone Mysteries, readers learn all about the Native American tribes of Maine. When a casino is proposed, the town board has concerns... and soon, a member of the tribe is killed. I enjoyed learning about the history of the Maine Native Americans, and the focus on turkeys was helpful too. I felt the story concluded too quickly with a murder culprit that was less than ideal, sorta just thrown together. But the side stories were captivating, and I do like the realistic nature of the people in Tinker's Cover. Maybe I'm becoming a Pollyanna but some people have no filter. I think I need to live like a hermit. LOL
-
Nice little cozy mystery. Lucy Stone is always in the middle of a murder no matter what her husband or Horowitz says to her. This one had more action in it and had a nice plot. I was completely floored with the killer, had no idea who it was until the last two chapters. Nice, solid book and would recommend! Perfect for the upcoming season. Happy reading!!!
-
While this was indeed entertaining to read I really did not find myself inspired by this mystery. That is I had no interest in trying to guess who the killer was. Also the death (or murder I should say) had nothing to do with the Thanksgiving dinner shown on the cover. Instead it was related to lots of controversy about a gambling casino being built on a farm for the Metinnicut tribe. Most of the plot revolves around this issue and if the town's people are ready for change. There is also the fact the murder itself doesn't occur until after a hundred pages in. In other mysteries I've read it usually occurs much sooner. I was actually surprised it happened so late. I guess the main character, Lucy, had to do lots of shopping and go to meetings first.
Is it sad the most interesting thing in here (to me) was the fact how TomTom the turkey goes after red items? I know a male turkey named Fred and he likes to dance circles around women with his tail feathers spread and his wing tips dragging on the ground. Off hand I can't recall if I've ever wore red around him or not but I do find this fascinating! So now I am wondering if turkeys truly go after red items? Fred wonders about loose and I have never seen any hostility from him. If anything he is the ranch's mascot.
The end did not state what had happened to TomTom.
I actually found most of the social stuff in here related to Thanksgiving very dull and boring. I guess I just can't relate to it?
The bits with the dog Kudo were nice too. I just guess the animals in here interested me more than the human characters!
This is the first book I have read from this series. -
I keep asking myself why do I read these books? They just are not that good the bulk of the books consists of Lucy feeling sorry for herself, cleaning, taking care of children, and being berated by her husband. After the Valentines installment I said if the next book is as bad I wont read the rest. The Valentines installment was also offensive in some regards and that is what really made me question why I read these books. I feel some obligation I guess. Once I start a series I finish it. Anyways, the murder does not take place until almost halfway through the book and were subjected to Lucy's usual grousing. However, it was better than the last book until there is a misunderstanding. Lucy is arrested and charged with some pretty frivolous crimes. Lucy was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time but Bill lays into her. Telling her if she had two brain cells she would not had been in that situation in the first place because the house was a mess and its her job to clean it. Once again I am left wondering why is she married to this man who in some books comes off as an alcoholic and is borderline verbally/mentally abusive. There is also the issue with Julia Tilly who asks Lucy to look into the murder and says some very unkind things to Lucy when she is not making the progress Miss Tilly expected, and rejects the fact that Lucy is truly busy and trying to look into the murder without getting herself into trouble. Clearly halfway through the book the plot took a turn for the worse.I question Meier's motives in writing these books it seems as if she is forcing her own personal belief systems upon the reader and fails miserably. Why? Because she is inconstant. She tries to make Lucy a modern working woman with a family, yet every chance she gets she makes Lucy out to be a woman who cannot make good decisions and lacks common sense. Then there is Bill. He is the biggest contradiction. Why write Lucy as a working mother at all if her husband is going to treat her as if it is 1950? Bill is what really ruins these books for me he is a pig. Don't even get me started on the other issues Meier makes her opinion known on. Either write an entertaining book or go into politics but leave Lucy out of it.
-
Another in a series I'm currently working my way through, Turkey Day Murder was one of my least favorite in this series so far.
I mostly like Lucy. She's kind and caring, but she honestly has no spine when it comes to her husband. Her husband who, in this book, told her that she should've been cleaning the house instead. It was so infuriating,a dn, if you cannot tell, I absolutely CANNOT stand Bill!
The mystery was good, though parts of it were slightly obvious and the ending was too perfect for my taste. I know this is a short review, but I really have nothing else to say about the book. Overall a good book that would've benefitted if Bill would've been away on a trip. -
Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meier is book 7 in the Lucy Stone Mystery series. Tinker's Cove is getting ready for Thanksgiving celebrations, when local Metinnicut Indian activist Curt Nolan is murdered with an ancient war club and reporter Lucy Stone becomes caught up in the investigation. A fun, quick mystery that I enjoyed. I liked Lucy, who is caring and down to earth, although probabley needs to stand up for herself more with the male members of the family. An entertaining, typically cozy, small town mystery.
-
Please see all of my reviews on my blog at
www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.
It is another busy holiday season for Lucy Stone and her family. Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and Lucy is as occupied as always. Her family is growing fast, and her oldest, Toby is away at his first year of college. Lucy and the family are eager for him to come home for Thanksgiving. Lucy is still working part-time at the town's newspaper and is currently covering the town's meetings. There is something going on and lots of people are up in arms.
Before long, as is always the case in the Lucy Stone series, there is a murder. Although Lucy has some freedom as a reporter, she plans to leave the investigation to the police. But, one of her dear friends pleads with her to look into it. What else can Lucy do but comply? Lucy has one suspect in mind and is determined to find answers.
This is book 7 in the series, and it is an enjoyable read. There is an even mix of Lucy on the job, on the case and with her family. I wasn't crazy about Lucy in a couple of books where I wasn't fond of her parenting skills, but I am liking her again in this book. She is indeed a great Mom, seasoned as she is. She is pretty good at her job, although a bit distracted, and she annoys her boss a bit.
This series continues with Wedding Day Murder. These books are really all great reads. Even if the characters can get a bit annoying, there is always an interesting case to be solved. This story, like the others, are light reads, but the mysteries are enough to capture my interest. I look forward to continuing on with all of Leslie Meier's books, which are still in production. -
This Thanksgiving the Stone Family of Tinker's Cove,
Maine is expecting 12 for dinner. Two of these are
vegan college students.
Lucy is transferring the turkey from the pan to the
platter...oops...it lands on the floor. Find out what
Lucy does to make the Thanksgiving meal gravy!!!
During the town's Thanksgiving festivities, the body
of a Metinnicut Indian activist who was against the
building of a casino is found dead.
The story is full of many twists and turns. There are
plenty of interesting, colorful characters for the
suspect list. A chicken killing dog and TomTom the
turkey add to the mix.
A humorous holiday cozy mystery.
This is book # 7 in the Lucy Stone cozy mystery series.
It can be read as a stand alone. -
An author and series completely new to me. I really enjoyed this book and have now ordered other books in the series.
This book really got me in the Thanksgiving spirit. I loved the descriptions of the Thanksgiving table, the family, the food, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, local football, the town and its people.
Even though this is a book 7, I saw it as a stand alone. I did not feel I had missed anything from previous books.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Thanksgiving and likes some mystery to go with their turkey!! -
Always love the book--always glad I don't live in Tinker's Cove.
-
This review was originally posted to
Jen in Bookland
Turkey Day Murder is the first book by this author I have read. I was expecting a fun, light mystery around Thanksgiving day. Maybe a little zany fun. What I got instead was a rather dull read. All of the characters were rather boring, the murder, the investigation, everything. Really Lucy didn't do much investigating she just thought about things for the most part and noticed people as she did her job.
Lucy is a reporter who covers the town meetings. She never writes what really goes on, how the one guy sleeps through the whole thing every time for example, as the small town wouldn't like that. She has three daughters and a son who left for college in the fall and will be home for Thanksgiving. She misses him and is excited to see him again. He is bringing a friend, but she hopes it will be just like it was when he lived there. Only it is not. Her son brought home three friends, they are almost never home, they are just off doing their own thing. Most of this book seems to be about Lucy wanting everything to be perfect and the way it used to be and lamenting it is not. The way she is, the way she thinks, I didn't care for her at all. She just is...she never says anything about things that bother her and just expects them to change. Like she never talks to her son while he is home, just expects him to be the same as he always was. There is talk with her friends about how you never get back the same kid once they go off to college, how that changes them, how they grow, and on and on. There was just a lot of domestic details that I didn't really care about that made the story not so much fun to read.
Through all of that you also have the Metinnicut tribe trying to be recognizes as a tribe. Lucy finds that they have plans to build a casino in town if they do get tribal status and that of course is polarizing in town. Some people support it, some people don't. Curt was a very vocal member of the tribe who doesn't want anything to do with a casino. He is really proud of his heritage and just wants them to be recognized for who they are. He gets in a lot of verbal sparing matches with people so when he shows up dead at the Thanksgiving football game there are a lot of suspects. Lucy's friend asks her to help investigate, and Lucy grudgingly agrees, but then the friend is not very nice to her. When the friend doesn't think she is doing enough or finding the killer fast enough she just tears into Lucy. It was strange and just made me think why would you still help this person out? I mean if they are not going to be thankful for what you can do then why bother with them? Or her husband who doesn't seem like the best as he yells at Lucy for not taking care of the house and stuff. It was just...I didn't really get to know or care for any of the people I met in the book. It was not fun and lighthearted, it was more Lucy bemoaning everything which made me not want to continue reading. I did and it felt like everything just suddenly got wrapped up, but I wanted more of a holiday read. Maybe next year I will find a good Thanksgiving read. -
I adored this book! I am newcomer to the cozy mystery genre and am loving every minute of it! This was my first, but certainly not my last, Leslier Meier, cozy. She is a master of every element of the cozy genre. If you are looking for classic literature with an esoteric theme and message, this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you want to a book that you can enjoy while snuggled up in your favorite chair with your favorite pet while drinking a warm beverage of choice then you cannot go wrong with this selection. This book contains the irresistible elements of Thanksgiving, dogs, Native Americans, and an alpha male Tom turkey you won't soon forget! In addition, the character of Lucy Stone is grappling with the universal issue of watching her children grow up and away as she struggles to find balance in her own life. Highly recommend if you are a fan of the cozy genre or just want a good Thanksgiving read. Gobble Gobble!
-
I've had second thoughts about the rating, and I may have been harsh, but in the end it doesn't matter. I will keep on reading this series till the end. The reasons for that are scattered throughout the book. The author knows when to reveal the full details of Lucy's thoughts, but she doesn't become attached to her character. She never praises Lucy and simply relays her highly moralistic meanderings. Officer Barney Culpepper makes a late entrance, but then the murder itself was late in coming. Altogether a very neatly ended mystery with a nicely tied bow. And the climax was different, as Lucy was not dragged through hot coals here. She was barely hurt. We can be thankful for favors, big or small.
-
I enjoyed this entry in the Lucy Stone series. Even when she tries to not get involved she does. What I don't like is that you're 100 pages into the story before there's a body.
-
This book took a long time to get going. I was worried about starting with the seventh book in this series, but it was easy enough to settle into the world of Tinker's Cove, Maine. However, it was the mystery that made things difficult for me. The murder didn't occur until halfway through the book! Basically, there is controversy over a plan for a casino to be built on farmland, and an activist for the Metinnicut tribe ends up murdered. I found the mystery dull, and it didn't really feel like the main character, Lucy Stone, ever did much sleuthing.
Now, some thoughts on Lucy Stone. Marked with spoilers just to avoid dropping a big rant in this review (there are no actual spoilers in it): I guess I can shrug over the unrealistic way the newspaper was portrayed in this book. But it was harder to ignore how Lucy was portrayed. She was professionally incompetent and seemed not to care about her job, being completely distracted by the most mundane family “struggles.”
Lucy’s family drama was a bit too silly to be relatable. There’s a part where she decides to “concentrate on her blessings” instead of her worries over her son Toby, reflecting on how she should at least be happy he isn’t “in jail or unemployed or working at a dead-end job.” Gasp! A college-age son working a dead-end job?! Certainly this is comparable to being in jail or unemployed. Such a tragedy! Yeah, it’s just silly. I definitely didn’t understand the focus on Toby in this book. He seemed like a normal college-age boy, not some delinquent to worry over.
Also, let me repeat, there was no mystery or murder until page 106!
Verdict
Such a slow read. I was the wrong audience for this. Three stars because a mediocre mystery is still good enough to warrant some love.
So, who would enjoy this book?
Based on a few things (the way characters act and the things portrayed as dramatic and important), readers 50+ may be the targeted audience for this series. It’s not a murder mystery I think younger adults or teens will enjoy. Which is such a shame because murder mysteries are my favorite, and I hate disliking this one. -
A good cozy little mystery. Lucy works for a small town newspaper in Maine. (I've sometimes thought about that job in the small town in Maine I live in. But, I'm thinking these books make it seem dangerous. No murders in the years I've lived here. My luck, they would start with my first article on the Farmers Market. Candle sellers can be a cut throat bunch.) Anyway, cute book, but her husband needs to lighten up, some. That's why Mainers hardly ever marry Texans. I would have 'smacked him upside his head.'
-
The is a quick-paced cozy mystery. I sometimes feel sorry for Lucy because she is taken for granted by her husband and kids. But I think most women have felt the same way Lucy does at one time. The mystery is engaging and keeps the reader guessing. I recommend this to fans of cozy mysteries and the series.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone. -
Definitely my favorite Lucy Stove book so far. Lucy was actually likable. As per usual she does less “solving” and far more “accidentally stumbling into the murderer.” That being said it was a quick good read with realistic characters.
However, now that I like Lucy, she really needs to dump Bill. He was a complete ass in this book. -
Nice, easy reads combining family, cooking, holidays and mystery!
-
Great Thanksgiving theme; it really put me in the mood for Turkey Day!
-
This is always such a fun series. I love the characters.
-
The small town of Tinker's Cove has a plethora of holiday traditions during the Thanksgiving holiday, including visits to the Brown Farm to see Tom Tom the turkey, attending the annual parade, and watching the annual high school football game. However, the celebrations go awry when Curt Nolan, a Native American activist, is found murdered in Turkey Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #7) by Leslie Meier.
As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this edition in the Lucy Stone book series by Leslie Meier. Although I read this particular book in February, it's the perfect book to read in November to get into the holiday spirit. I'm not sure if there really is a Metinnicut Tribe or not, but it definitely makes me want to learn more about the Native American history in the United States because most of what I learned about this was during elementary school.
I found that many of the situations were very believable, including how late Toby and his friends arrived and didn't bother calling to let his parents know when he would arrive. He didn't consider that his mom might be worried . . . typical teenage behavior! The fact that his friends were surprised at how little there was to do in a small town like Tinker's Cove was very convincing too. The protest scene was credible as well, especially seeing all the ones on the news over the last few years.
There wasn't too much I could complain about in Turkey Day Murder. One thing is that Lucy's husband Bill was a bit of a jerk . . . again. I dislike that he's so old fashioned and wouldn't even listen to his wife, but I guess there are men out there that act like him. The other thing I didn't particularly care for, or understand, was that so many people were against the building of the casino.
Five out of five stars is what I gave Turkey Day Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #7) by Leslie Meier. If you enjoyed this book, you might enjoy Look Alive Twenty-Five (Stephanie Plum, #25) by Janet Evanovich.
Follow Me On Social Media
-
I love this series because it always puts me right in the festive mood (and Thanksgiving is coming up this week!) I really like Lucy because she is down to Earth and I actually really enjoy all the scene of her family life and more of the mundane things that many people do every day. This book had a lot of drama and there were so many angles surrounding the murder that I couldn't quite decide what the motive or who the murderer was. I definitely guessed wrong and was surprised in that aspect, but I felt like the ending was very abrupt. Poor Lucy and her disappointment with Toby. I was so mad at him the whole time, but was reminded (along with Lucy) that we were all teenagers once (though I was the one who totally felt bad and wanted to see my parents when I came home.... my brother was more like Toby and friends). Again, I loved all the Thanksgiving aspects and our own meal is very similar to the Stone family's. I can't wait to read more of this series and really enjoy the town of Tinker's Cove.
-
Lucy is working as a part-time reporter for the local paper. The local Indian band wants to build a casino on some land being used as a turkey farm, and many locals are opposed, as is Curt Nolan, a member of the tribe. When Curt is found dead at the Thanksgiving Day football game, Lucy is upset as she had met him at the local town council meeting. She agrees to take his dog, renamed Kudo. Lucy nearly comes to harm at the turkey farm when cornered by the killer, but Kudo interrupts (along with the local policeman) and she is saved. Months later, at the ground breaking for the casino, Indian remains are unearthed by the excavator, and construction is stopped due to their historical importance. Another fast and fun read.
-
For the most part I've really enjoyed the Lucy Stone mysteries. But this one fell a little flat for me. First it was more than 100 pages before the murder happened. Which wouldn't be a big deal ... if the book was longer than 233 pages. I just didn't like this one as much as the previous installments. I don't know if it was the storyline itself or what, but this one was just okay for me.
-
I love reading about Lucy, her family, and all the scrapes she finds herself in. Watching her wrangle her family life, work, and friendships among each murder she encounters just warms my heart. Especially when I figure out the culprit just when Lucy does. I was really happy with the ending in Turkey Day Murder as well. I'm glad an archeological site was discovered just as they broke ground to build a casino.
-
I really enjoyed this one! As always, I didn't guess the killer, but it was fun coming up with theories!
-
Lucy can be annoying, recommend the audio book.
