Mistletoe Murder

By Leslie Meier

As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband’s gift, and making her daughter’s angel costume for the church pageant weren’t enough things for Lucy Stone’s busy Christmas schedule, she’s also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn’t smell right.
 
Taking time out from her hectic holiday life to find out what really happened, her investigation leads to a backlog of secrets as long as Santa’s Christmas Eve route. Lucy is convinced that someone murdered Sam Miller. But who and why? With each harrowing twist she uncovers in this bizarre case, another shocking revelation is exposed. Now, as Christmas draws near and Lucy gets dangerously closer to the truth, she’s about to receive a present from Santa she didn’t ask for—a killer who won’t be satisfied until everyone on his shopping list is dead, including Lucy herself . . .
 

“Meier continues to exploit the charm factor in her small-town setting, while keeping the murder plots as realistic as possible in such a cozy world.”
—Booklist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9780758290014

Leslie Meier

Leslie Meier is the acclaimed author of the Lucy Stone Mysteries and has also written for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. She lives in Harwich, Massachusetts, where she is currently at work on the next Lucy Stone mystery.

Reviews for Mistletoe Murder

[jiraiya_5 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Having read half of the book a day ago, I tarried before reading it again the next day. In the morning, I had a barbed insinuation aimed at my by our cleaning lady. To my annoyance I had much difficulty in shrugging off the zinger. I was feeling down and cranky. I was only when I took up this book to read the other half that the self awareness got tempered. Then it hit me...I was missing reading. It gave me a Wolverine like healing ability. I'm thankful to authors like Leslie Meier to bring so many ideas encased in books like these. So very soothing. I'm grateful. Thanks.

[dreaminginfiction · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was So much fun!! I loved the way it made you feel like you really knew Lucy Stone and could be a part of her family. And the mystery was very well written.I'm looking forward to reading more of this series soon.*However there was one part I did not enjoy and all in all it didn't have anything to do with the story itself.. I do not like to read or hear about animal cruelty and the pet cat in this story was murdered for some purpose we didn't get to learn.

[cyderry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy Stone is a working mother and I mean a working mother. By day she takes care of three children, at 5 she heads to work at the Country Cousins mail order facility were she has a shift until 1AM. One night needing a breath of cold air, Lucy finds the company founder dead in his car with the engine running. Since she is in at the beginning of the crime, Lucy proceeds to dig searching for the solution to this murder. The holidays are used as a backdrop for this cozy mystery and the family interactions and seasonal characteristics only blend the story together so that small parts make the whole entertaining and delightful.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

To help make ends meet, homemaker and mother of three Lucy Stone works the evening shift at Country Cousins, the mail order company that employs the majority of the residents in her small Maine town. Preparations for Christmas begin to take their toll on Lucy. Feeling drowsy in the middle of a late evening shift, she steps out into the parking lot, hoping the fresh air will revive her long enough to finish her shift. She hears a car motor running -- unusual at that time of night -- and, following the noise to its source, discovers company owner Sam Miller in his car with a hose running from the tail pipe through one of the windows. Is it suicide or murder? Who would want Sam dead? His brother and co-owner of the company? His discontented wife who is eager to leave small-town Maine? The creepy manager, George Higham, who appears to gain influence in the company after Sam's death? Through a combination of local gossip and old-fashioned snooping, Lucy finally manages to work out the identity of the killer.This is the first book in the Lucy Stone series, and it shows. The mystery was not well-plotted, and there were plenty of holes in the story. Last year I read a Christmas novella from much later in the series and really enjoyed it, so I have hope that the writing will improve. I do like Lucy and her family, and I'll try another book or two in the series before I give up on it.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having read Meier's 2007 Christmas novella, I picked up this older Christmas mystery at a used bookstore. When the founder of Country Cousins is found dead in the parking lot, Lucy doesn't buy the "apparent suicide" version of the story and sets out to find murderer's identity. The mystery itself is not as engaging as others because the reader is not given many clues along the way. The seasonal aspects, however, make this a great read for the holiday season.

[lhaines56 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very first of the Lucy Stone mysteries--before she was working at the Pennysaver--she was working in a call center p/t at Xmas. Good stuff from the getgo!

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucy Stone is a busy mother of three who also works the late phone lines for a local mail order business. But despite her busy life and the fact that Christmas is around the corner, when she finds her boss dead in the parking lot at work, she can't resist investigating. I enjoyed this book. It was not as Christmasy as I thought it would be but it was fun. I like that she has a family. She is a really normal sort of person who is just really observant. I like her husband. It had some of the same problems many first books have. You have to meet all the characters and establish the setting. That can sometimes take away from the mystery. But Lucy and company are so much fun I know I will be reading more in the series.

[newsieq · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy Stone is likeable believable and her family is more realistic than most in the mystery genre.

[catsandcherrypie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable mystery surrounding the Christmas season.

[grshppr215 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the Lucy Stone Mystery series. I was looking for a book that was a cross between a mystery book and chick lit and this book did not disappoint. The book provided an interesting mystery but was lighthearted like chick lit often. The perfect kind of book after a long day at work.

[kellswitch_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It is a rare cozy mystery where there author creates an intelligent and somewhat believable way to get their protagonist investigating the crime at hand....and this isn't one of them.Which is not to say that this wasn't a fun and enjoyable book, but as a mystery...well, it was a good family story set at Christmas time.The author's strength really was more with the characters, the season and the way of life the main character lived. The mystery was very light, and the solving of it mostly done off stage and felt more like an afterthought.Some of the side characters, Miss Tilly and Mrs. Miller look like they could be fun and the book was enjoyable enough that I would be willing to read more in the series. Just don't expect a challenging story.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a nice start to what could have been a stereotypical, small town, cookies, friendly cop amateur smart lady cozy. Will be looking at another.

[readingover50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my last read of 2018. Book 1 of the Lucy Stone Mystery series was written 20 years ago. It is still a lot of fun to read. I really liked the look into her job at a call center for a mail order company. Although this book takes place around Christmas, it didn't seem really Christmasy to me. I felt this was a solid cozy mystery and a good start to the series.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy’s life is is just one hectic day after another as Christmas is drawing ever closer. She has a part time evening job, takes care of three kids and her husband, runs the household, is getting ready for Christmas, and is expecting her mother and Bill’s parents for Christmas. That would certainly be more than enough for anyone, but the icing on the cake is Lucy finding a dead body in a parked car. This is the first novel in the series, and it’s a nice introduction to the many books that follow. My main complaint is that there are too many deaths for a cozy mystery. This includes two totally unnecessary deaths of animals. On the positive side, Lucy and her family and friends are all interesting characters. The solution of the mystery a pretty good one. And the series does improve as it goes on.