Another great Lucy Stone mystery set in rural Maine. Yay for the lobstermen mention! This one had a GREAT blend of cozy mystery, fun setting, and Christmas-y themes. When Lucy is roped in to hosting the annual Christmas cookie party, she doesn’t expect the outcome. She winds up snooping around Tinker’s Cove to try to figure out why one of its residents has ended up dead amidst trying to finish up her Christmas shopping and keep her kids out of trouble.

This had some really funny b-plot lines including one that tied into nearly everything about drug prevention (which doesn’t sound funny… but trust me, some of the ways it played out wound up being a hoot… this author writes small town life in such a fun, oh so believable way!) The mystery in this one once again kept me guessing all the way until the end. Great twists and turns!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

Lucy Stone reluctantly agrees to host this year's Christmas cookie exchange. The event proves rather disastrous, but not before she meets a vibrant young lady, Tucker Whitney. Tucker works for Lucy's best friend Sue at a childcare center. One morning, Lucy learns that Tucker has been killed, most likely murdered. As it was, their is much gossip about the young woman, and suspicion falls to a likely suspect. Despite this, there are other things going on in the small town of Maine that seem to be part of the reason that Tucker was murdered.

Lucy immediately becomes involved, checking things out for herself. Using her gut instincts, and her acquired skill as an amateur detective, she looks beyond the person the police think responsible for Tucker's death. As with Lucy, I was intrigued with finding the murderer. Lucy's focus is torn between checking things out, her job at the town's newspaper, and most importantly, her job as a wife and mother. Her children have grown quite a bit, with her oldest, Toby, being a senior in high school and filling out college applications.

I love these Lucy Stone mysteries, and in this one, Lucy did another fine job sussing out the murderer. It got her into a bit of trouble, as usual, but she doubted the police had the right culprit. However, I was rather dismayed, for not the first time, with a couple of her parenting decisions. I am a mother of six, and am no doubt, not proud of all of the decisions that I made as a parent, but as I am reading this books, I feel that Lucy is a bit too relaxed as a mother. Although his backbone showed a bit, Lucy's husband Bill is almost invisible. I am hoping in future books, of which I am most certainly planning to read, that they tighten their reins just a bit. I look forward to reading Turkey Day Murder next. ( )

The only thing Christmas-like about this mystery is that it took place at Christmas time and there are cookies on the dust cover. Lucy Stone lives in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, where the new lobster quota is causing hard times for many of the residents who rely on the lobster catch for a living. Lucy is a married mother of four and part time reporter for The Pennypincher local weekly paper. She is also seems to find trouble without looking for it. This year Lucy has the joy of hosting the local cookie swap at her home. Seems simple enough, but the police lieutenant ‘s wife brings drug pamphlets to hand out at the cookie swap, one of Lucy’s friends has hired a divorce lawyer, and a new young woman in town shows up at the exchange. Seems she has been dating the husband of Lucy’s friend. Plus Lucy’s son has been smoking pot and won’t do his college application’s. The next day the young woman is found strangled. It’s not a happy Yuletide season with the murder, unemployment, and drugs running rampant in the schools, plus the volunteer fire Dept is threatening to strike. Tempers flare as the holiday season rolls along. This was an average story, which I read out of order in the series, but the characters are so thin, that it doesn’t seem to matter. I wanted something silly and light to read. This was light, but no laughs. ( )

There is a lot going on in Lucy Stone’s life – kids, work, housework, husband, friends, Christmas, murder – WAIT – did I say murder? When a young woman turns up strangled the day after she was a guest at Lucy’s cookie exchange party, Lucy feels compelled to unravel the mystery of her murder. Working for the local weekly newspaper, she uses that for a cover as she snoops around town. But her sleuthing gets her into deep trouble. Coping with everyday problems involving home and family, juggling her job, and looking for clues has Lucy working overtime, but you’ll be able to breeze through this entertaining Christmas story in no time. Great characters, well-developed plot, and cookie recipes – what more could you ask for? ( )

Glad my book group cookie swap doesn't have to be managed like this one! These ladies are mean to each other! Story was weak. ( )