Back to School Murder (Lucy Stone, #4)

by Leslie Meier

"I like Lucy Stone a lot, and so will readers."
--Carolyn Hart


Tinker's Cove's Own Amateur Sleuth Lucy Stone
Discovers That School Days Can Be Murder.

It's back to school time in the peaceful Maine town of Tinker's Cove, and for mother-of-four Lucy Stone it isn't a moment too soon. But trouble at the local elementary school soon has the sometime crime-solver juggling family, job, and night classes with another mystery to solve. And it starts with a bang.

A bomb goes off with the noon lunch bell, but not before all the kids are safely evacuated, and Carol Crane, the new assistant principal, is hailed as a hero. But days later, Carol is found murdered and everyone is stunned when the most popular teacher at the school is arrested for the crime. However, not everyone is buying the open-and-shut case, including Lucy Stone, who senses there's more to things than meet the eye.

It soon becomes clear that Lucy is flirting with danger, as sizzling secrets and explosive surprises provide a primer for the most diabolical of motives. Hot on the trail of a clever killer, the dedicated mom and seasoned sleuth must harness the courage and cool aplomb to uncover a crime that just might give her an education in the fine art of murder.

"Captivating, well-written, and just plain fun." --Tulsa World

• ISBN10: 1575663309
• ISBN13: 9781575663302
• Publish Date: 1 August 2006 (first published 1 October 1997)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 15 December 2009
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Mystereity Reviews]

This was the Cozy Mystery Discord server book club selection for September and the first one I've read in this series. Cute, charming and very cozy, I really enjoyed it.

Although the characters were likeable, they didn't have a lot of dimension, especially Lucy's husband and kids who weren't much more than convenient plot distractions. I don't know if that evolves as the series goes on (this one is fairly early in the series) but I felt that all the family activities bogged it down a bit in the middle, along with the constant rehashing. Still, I liked the writing style and the plot was absorbing; although there were a couple of dropped threads, I liked how Lucy set out to investigate and everything she found.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and I'll be reading the other books in the series as I can get to them.