Christmas Cookie Murder

Lucy Stone #6

by Leslie Meier

Lucy Stone finds a new mystery to solve when Christmas in Tinker's Cove turns deadly during the annual Cookie Exchange after Tucker Whitney, recently accused of stealing Lee Cummings' cookie recipe, is found murdered. Reissue.

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Holiday, Audiobook

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Leslie Meier lives in Braintree and Harwich (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. She is the creator of 'Lucy Stone', a reporter and amateur sleuth in the fictional seaside village of Tinker's Cove, Maine.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHRISTMAS COOKIE MURDER is 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!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Tinker's Cover... just when you hope things begin to quiet down before Christmas, a wave of drug trafficking sneaks through town. In Leslie Meier's 6th Lucy Stone Mystery, Christmas Cookie Murder, she's not only worried about figuring out who killed the local dentist's girlfriend (despite his being married), her own children are somehow caught up in a drug situation. Not everything appears as it's really happening behind the scenes, but among a fire, a kidnapping, and a lobster dilemma, this installment lends itself to more of a suspense cozy. I enjoy the characters, and it's a different appeal than a traditional cozy. That said, I also really like the accuracy of a small town in Maine, even if sometimes it's a bit too preachy or non-preachy when it should be in some instances. Maybe it's me! LOL I am eager to start the next one.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

"making a little vow to herself. Tucker's murderer would be found and punished."

I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries - and although I typically like them as audio books, they are good books to read quickly and enjoy as well. But I don't know if it was the fact that I started the book in the middle of a series or if it was something else, but I did not enjoy this one.

I found Lucy Stone to be a little unbelievable. She just seemed so laid back and easy about somethings - like her son eating the cake she made for the party! I didn't find the plot terribly engaging and wasn't even guessing on the who done it - I just wasn't interested enough.

I wish this one had grabbed me but instead I struggled to even finish this small one.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally I can cross off the 'book set during Christmas' from my library's reading challenge I'm participating in this year! I feel like I should've read one long ago, but for some reason I hadn't. This book fit the bill!

I really like Lucy, but as I've stated in many reviews I cannot stomach her husband. He is atrocious most of the time! I feel like all he does is want dinner, watch TV, and expect Lucy to fix him lunch. It's frustrating, and I really wish he'd quietly exit the series, but as I know that won't happen. He remains a black spot on otherwise a pretty good series.

This mystery was absolutely wonderful. Folks, if you want an extremely solid mystery, this is the book for you! Lucy didn't use badgering tactics when solving the crime and it all just fell into place. The killer took me by absolute surprise.

Overall, a solid book. I will read the next one, but I think I may space it out a bit more than I have with the last few. Recommend.

[Sophie Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so bad that it was enjoyable.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and fun read

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely my least-favorite Lucy Stone title to date. Christmas is once again settling into Tinker's Cove, Maine. The highlight of Lucy's holiday is often the annual Christmas cookie exchange with a number of her friends, but this year proves different. The usual host has to pass on that role since she has started a new business in the local artisan mall in town. Lucy is more than nervous, but that doesn't stop her from rising to the occasion only to see things go horribly wrong, creating an early end to the evening. In a way, that is not a bad thing as all the attendees seem to have spent the evening turning on each other.

One of the women brings her new assistant at the local preschool. Tucker Whitney seems to be perfect: from a wealthy family that owns a cottage along the coast as a summer retreat. Tucker came to town after needing to take a break from college to reassess her goals. With her new job, she has decided to set her sights on a career in early education. Unfortunately, that proves to not be her fate. The day after the cookie exchange, she is found strangled to death in her apartment.

After an arrest is made, Lucy (and some others) can't help but think that the wrong man is being charged. Lucy can't help but try and find out who the real killer is. She is a proven amateur detective! Unfortunately, life seems to get in the way when two of her four children find themselves caught up in new no tolerance policy that has largely taken over in our modern culture.

She gets a lot of insight while covering various local stories for the local newspaper, The Pennysaver. The question is whether she is onto a real story as she tries to figure out who really killed Tucker.

My big problem with the book is that it is really dominated not by poor Tucker's death, but rather by the various intrigues taking place in town. In fact, it seems to be totally ignored until the usual quick and high-intensity ending found in the books from this series. The characters have become interesting as the series as progressed, and it is always interesting to see what is happening with all of them, but really they are sidelines when reading a mystery ... at least they should be.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
It was ok. I feel like I have been hit over the head with the anti-drug message, though. Yes, it is important, but jeez... every other paragraph? I feel like it was getting overly preachy and taking away from the story at hand.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, light Christmas read. I always enjoy returning to Tinker's Cove Maine.

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Audiobook (Nothing spectacular, just a quick fun read.)

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable cozy mystery in this delightful series.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It's another murder mystery, and the victim is an attractive young woman reputed to be having an affair with the local dentist. Yes, it gets very interesting! The ending was unexpected for me, too. There are also a number of side plots about the residents in Tinker's Cove. Those involve the regular problems that parents have raising their children, and the teenagers in particular. I will certainly read the next book in the series!

[Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally wouldn't write a review for a book like this but since I need to review it for a reading challenge I entered, well here is my super short review.

This was a cozy mystery novel that I picked in December with the goal of reading it before 2020 was done. Clearly I didn't get to it on time, but since it could fit one of the prompts, I figured I'd might as well listen to it. It was okay for the most part. I may not have really related with the main set of characters - they were middle aged parents of teenagers and younger children, while I am still a lil' baby myself - but I still think that it was cool to see a cozy mystery from this perspective. The ones that I usually love and enjoy have younger main characters around my real age - and yet I feel old... - so that just appeals more to me. No hating, just saying.

There were some parts in the book that made me believe less that this was part of a series. Mostly because our main character behaved like this was one of her first cases. It was weird to me from when I was reading it, and this would have made more sense if this was the first or second book in a series rather than the sixth. That's just my opinion though, others may feel different. In addition, she's a reporter for the local newspaper, and yet it feels like her investigative skills were sorely lacking. Sure, she isn't a full time reporter and sometimes she writes more fluff pieces than other more interesting stories, but it just didn't make much sense to me.

For my first time reading from Meier, I think it was an okay experience. It also looks like this could have been rewritten or republished from the original pub date of 2000. I don't know how the original story was, but I hope that this was an improvement that the author enjoyed writing.

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

In rural Maine, Lucy, part time reporter full time Mum, investigates when a friendly Christmas cookie exchange leads to the murder of one of the participants, a newcomer to town. The police think they have their man but Lucy is not so sure.

A really fun small town murder mystery with a great amateur detective in Lucy and a cast of townsfolk that are wonderfully wacky and quirky as well as being good neighbours. This is a 90s classic and one of a series, it leaves a warm glow and the twists are excellent. Full of small town gossip and scandal with some really funny scenarios and dialogue, this was a total joy!

[Karol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one quite a lot . . . Lucy is developing as a news reporter for her local "Pennysaver". As if she needs more help finding herself in the middle of an investigation.

[Beatrice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll be upfront about this. I did not go into this book thinking I would like it. In fact, I thought that at best, it would be three stars. It was far from that. I read this book with my younger brother, so I can be somewhat assured that I am not alone in my stance that this book was downright terrible.

Despite the murder the story is meant to be based around occuring somewhat early in the book, about 60% of the story of devoted to random unrelated drama within the main character's family. And when the murder was the focus, no actual investigative work was done. Most conclusions were drawn from thin air, I assume in an attempt to make us think our protagonist is smart. Concluding the reason the victim was killed by watching a clip of a TV show about gangsters is unsurprisingly, not a valid investigative technique. The scene of the crime is never visited, no one is questioned. The protagonist leaves that all to police, having total and complete faith in them, something which ends up backfiring on her, because the actual killer is the police chief, who's been tampering with evidence. All of her investigative work is based on gut feelings. Why does she decide the man taken into custody isn't the killer? Because he seems nice!

Even outside of my problems with the mystery itself, the remaining story was equally insufferable. The author seemed to be trying painfully hard to make her characters likable, which didn't work in the slightest. It also dealt with really weird random political topics. I don't mean serious ones, no, those would have made sense, I mean Leslie Meier came in with a strong opinion on volunteer vs. professional fire services (She seems to drastically prefers the former). This book also had a totally unwarranted drug subplot revolving around her son which ties back into the murder. Except it's totally different, and only very tangentially related.

I meant to keep this review succinct, but it seems I failed. This book made me so angry at times, and to finally express that anger is very enjoyable. I could go on for much longer about Christmas Cookie Murder, but I fear I'm putting more thought into this review than the author did in the novel.

[Cheryl Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, it is a pleasure to return to Tinker's Cover and catch up with Lucy Stone once again.

Christmas is fast approaching and Lucy finds herself offering to host an annual Christmas cookie exchange to keep the tradition alive. The cookie exchange just serves to emphasize the friction between the women at the exchange. Lucy is doing her best to keep peace among the group, especially when Tucker Whitney, a new young coworker of Lucy's friend Sue at the childcare center shows up to the exchange. Lee Cummings accuses Tucker of being a homewrecker and destroying her marriage to her husband. The grand finale of the exchange occurs when a water leak upstairs causes Lucy's ceiling to collapse on the table of cookies for the exchange, and Lucy is humiliated.

Soon Tucker is found strangled, and suspects abide. Much of the town seems to think Lee's husband, Steven Cummings is responsible for the murder, but after having met Steve, Lucy has her doubts and feels compelled to investigate the murder.

Meanwhile, Lucy catches her high school son, Toby, smoking pot and hears that the high school is teeming with drugs. It seems unthinkable to Lucy that there is such a drug problem in Tinker's Cove.

Lucy is up to her head, trying to catch Tucker's murderer, keep Toby in line and filling out his college applications, and finish her Christmas shopping and baking. Can Lucy find the real killer and survive the holiday in one piece?

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I’d be spending New Year’s Eve with Lucy Stone, but here I am. This was one of the older books in the series, number six, and I really enjoyed it. Two more to go and they just came in the mail today.

These earlier books aren’t so political, although she is still on her soapbox. This time it’s teen drugs and alcohol. I didn’t agree at all on she handled it or her thoughts on the schools involvement.

This reminded me of an important event with drugs when I was just a preteen (1952).
Jack Webb, who was extremely famous at the time as the star of Dragnet, dum dee dum dum, came and spoke to our church youth group. He warned us of the dangers of illicit drugs, but what scared me to death was a movie he had us watch. A man was depicted heating heroin in a spoon, he injects it in his arm and dies with the needle protruding from his vein. That horrible image has never left me. So there is value in educating young people on the consequences of hard drug use. Kids are so jaded now, maybe it wouldn’t influence them. But it’s worth the effort to try. My era was more innocent and respectful towards adult adults advice.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 2 out of 5]

It happens sometimes that a book with a low score still carries an entertainment factor. The cozy mystery genre is littered with examples. The plot and solution to the mystery is the real letdown. Here in this case, the book was too serious, and it could have been better if the characters had been more facetious. There was not enough of Bill Stone, and of Zoe Stone, who I had vied as the main attraction. I feel short changed. But even if most cozy mysteries are low key affairs as this book turned out to be, I have found my genre and I have found my comfort zone.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this were a newer book I would have been in the right mindset to completely solve the mystery. As is, I had it about 75% figured out before the climax.

...

while Lucy's fictional world continues to march on in step with the time it takes her author to write, Tinker's Cove exists in a thematic bubble. This Maine village has similar problems as the Goldy Bear Culinary mystery series. The town's geography, economy, and history is there to fit the themes, rather than to grow organically with the series.

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[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable earlier edition in the Lucy Stone mysteries.
She seemed less in the loop in this particular mystery, she gathered tons of crime facts, which she doesn't tie together until towards the end. This was great since I enjoy playing a role in solving mysteries. As usual, colorfully described characters with festive scenery, & a bit of comic relief along with real life drama.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible, like all the rest.

These books are absolutely horrible. I read them as a break, a nice quick book, 2 days. I shouldn’t bother, it was so uninteresting and the writing so vapid, it took me way too long to read it. There is about 15 pages of actual plot, the rest is just filler. At least this one is not blatantly sexist, only a hint of sexism.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh gosh I don’t know why I kept reading this, it was short, and it was Christmassy, but really I should have DNFed it. There was a lot of pointless bits and pieces in this book, though the overall mystery was ok, and the reveal at the end was ok too.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this looked really familiar when I bought it on sale in audio format for a bit of Christmas cheer reading. Turns out, I used to own the book with a different (and far more adorable cover—the one with the cute cookies). I also didn’t remember that I DNFed it before, and probably should have again.

[Possible Spoilers Below]

I’ve not read other books in this cozy mystery series, and found this one really boring. For most of the book, nothing happens. It’s just a lot of everyday life of a middle class wife and mother. She has a job as a reporter that seems to have little demand on her time or schedule. She uses this as an excuse to investigate crimes, except that she doesn’t really do any investigating. Someone is murdered, and she talks to the prime suspect for a few minutes, then does nothing until she accidentally finds a clue and comes up with a highly circumstantial theory which leads to one conversation with another potential suspect. She doesn’t share what she found with the police or turn it in even though it’s important evidence. There are no consequences or repercussions. She then does absolutely nothing regarding the murder until the very end where she suddenly comes up with an idea for why the victim might have been killed completely randomly that leads her into life threatening danger which automatic weapons being fired—not really the same tone as the domestic cookie swap opening. It turns out the police had everything already figured out, so had the heroine done absolutely nothing (rather than the bare minimum she does do) the outcome would be the same, the crime solved, the killer brought to justice. So the whole plot is rather pointless.

Woven throughout are some questionable morals. She catches her teen son and a friend doing drugs, and doesn’t tell the other boy’s mother and even actively keeps it a secret from her husband because, while high, they ask her not to tell and she—a mother of four—agrees. She never talks to her son or punishes him she just passively hopes he won’t do drugs again. When she learns there are a lot of drugs being smuggled into town and sold, it’s shrugged off because fishing quotas have caused some people financial hardship and running and selling drugs is just how they support their families. When people are caught stealing, that’s okay because they did it while volunteering to do something dangerous that helps others- they really should not have been arrested. Basically, it’s okay to commit crimes if you do good things or need the money. If this were more of a noir or gritty mystery, that may work. But in a cozy where most of the time is focused on whose son got into what college, and what cookies they brought to the swap, it’s incongruous.

This really wasn’t worth the time I spent reading it. I should have picked something else. 1.5 stars. But I do love that cover with the shocked Santa and Mrs. Claus cookies, so adding a half star for that.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Cookie Murder by Leslie Meier is the 6th book in the Lucy Stone Mystery series. Following a disastrous cookie exchange held at Lucy's house, childcare worker Tucker Whitney, is found strangled to death. I enjoyed this book very much and enjoyed catching up with all the residents of Tinker's Cove. I admire the way Lucy juggles her job and caring for her large family. There is always a lot going on. A quick and entertaining cozy mystery with a cookie recipe included at the end.

[The Darling Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little Christmas time mystery. I actually couldn’t figure out how everything was connected until she tapped it up so it was a great twist and I liked everything Christmas that was happening at the same time. I’m about to try the recipe at the end too so wish me luck haha

[Lori Wademan-Rodrigue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic from beginning to end!!! Lucy Stone had me laughing, terrified for her and cheering for her! If you want a great read, this is it!!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Jill Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to listen to holiday cozy mystery. Kept me guessing until the end but I felt some storylines should have either been followed up on or eliminated.

[Hannah Beth (Hannah's Book Cafe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a good cozy mystery by Leslie Meier. Some of Lucy's views on things I find silly sometimes, but otherwise I do enjoy these stories.