Star Spangled Murder

Title: Star Spangled Murder

Author: Leslie Meier

Publisher: Kensington

Copyright Date: 2004

Print Date: June 2004

ISBN: 157566836X

Pages: 234

Series: 11th in the Lucy Stone Mystery series

Book Description (from dust jacket):

Lucy Stone is in the doghouse — with her next-door neighbor Mrs. Prudence Pratt. It seems that Kudo, the Stones' misbehaving mutt, has developed a taste for Mrs. Pratt's blue-ribbon winning chickens. And he's also developed an escape artist's talent for sneaking out, no matter how hard Lucy tries to keep him on her property. With the Fourth of July coming up, Lucy doesn't want to set off any more fireworks with the crabby Prudence.

As if Lucy needed any other sign that the crazy days of summer are in full swing, a group of naturists — a.k.a. nudists — descends on Tinker's Cove, skinny-dipping at the pond which borders Mrs. Pratt's property, and giving her another reason to complain. To make matters worse, the local lobstermen are upset about poachers — and suspicion falls on Mrs. Pratt's husband and son. Then the July Fourth fireworks are canceled to protect a patch of extremely rare purple-spotted lichen.

The whole town is in an uproar — and Lucy is kept on her toes covering the goings-on for the Pennysaver newspaper. But the biggest story of her career occurs right next door when Mrs. Pratt is the victim of a hit-and-run. Tinker's Cove is full of suspects, but none with so personal a motive as the Stones. Their feud with Mrs. Pratt has put Lucy and her family at risk of losing their freedom this Independence Day — unless Lucy can start things off with a bang by catching a red, white and blue killer...

Comments:

The Prologue was interesting and the Epilogue was cute. As for the story in between... there were several issues to be solved and Lucy was involved to some degree with all of them. Sometimes personally, sometimes in the process of her reporting... until, that is, her personal involvement got in the way of the reporting. And that was sort of interesting in and of itself. This is one of the better Lucy Stone Mysteries I've read.

Next for Lucy Stone... 2 full books, 1 short story, followed by 2 more full books. I own the these, so once I get started with New Year's Eve Murder, I'll probably keep going 'til I've finished.