Author: Leslie Meier
DESCRIPTION:
As part-time Tinker’s Cove, Maine reporter Lucy Stone says “ oui” to her daughter’s surprise wedding invitation in France, she must also make a different kind of vow—to catch a killer!
When Lucy Stone arrives at a sprawling French chateau with the whole family, it should be the trip of a lifetime—especially because she’s about to watch her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, marry the handsome, successful man of her dreams. But while navigating the vast countryside estate owned by her impenetrably wealthy in-laws-to-be, the jet-lagged mother of the bride has a creeping feeling that Elizabeth’s fairytale nuptials to Jean-Luc Schoen-Rene are destined to become a nightmare . . .
Maternal instincts are validated the moment a body is pulled from a centuries-old moat on the property. A young woman has dropped dead under mysterious circumstances—possibly at the hands of someone at the chateau—and unflattering rumors about the Schoen-Rene line and their inner circle flow like champagne. Then there’s the matter of Elizabeth’s hunky ex beau showing up on the scene as she prepares to walk down the aisle . . .
With tensions building, personalities clashing, and real dangers emerging at the chateau, Lucy is determined to protect her family, together for the first time in years, and expose the one responsible. She’ll have to locate the culprit among a list of worldly jilted lovers and potential criminal masterminds, or Elizabeth’s trip down the aisle could end in tragedy . . .
Series: Lucy Stone Mystery #29
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Books
Format: Audiobook ARC
Narrator: Coleen Marlo
No. of pages: 288
Published: April 25, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
When Lucy Stone arrives at a sprawling French chateau with the whole family, it should be the trip of a lifetime—especially because she’s about to watch her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, marry the handsome, successful man of her dreams. But while navigating the vast countryside estate owned by her impenetrably wealthy in-laws-to-be, the jet-lagged mother of the bride has a creeping feeling that Elizabeth’s fairytale nuptials to Jean-Luc Schoen-Rene are destined to become a nightmare . . .
Maternal instincts are validated the moment a body is pulled from a centuries-old moat on the property. A young woman has dropped dead under mysterious circumstances—possibly at the hands of someone at the chateau—and unflattering rumors about the Schoen-Rene line and their inner circle flow like champagne. Then there’s the matter of Elizabeth’s hunky ex beau showing up on the scene as she prepares to walk down the aisle . . .
With tensions building, personalities clashing, and real dangers emerging at the chateau, Lucy is determined to protect her family, together for the first time in years, and expose the one responsible. She’ll have to locate the culprit among a list of worldly jilted lovers and potential criminal masterminds, or Elizabeth’s trip down the aisle could end in tragedy . . .
Lucy Stone’s oldest daughter Elizabeth is about to get married in France. Lucy and the entire family arrive at a beautiful French château in order to prepare for the celebration. The Stones are not rolling in dough, but a recent lottery win certainly helps their trip. This is especially so since their soon-to-be in-laws are exceptionally wealthy. Is Elizabeth’s love for fiancé Jean-Luc the real thing?
When a woman’s body turns up on the property, especially after they noticed a less than reputable house nearby, Lucy can’t help but wonder if Jean-Luc’s family has any connection to the body. Elizabeth’s ex Chris is the police officer on the case.
29 books in and this series continues to be a real delight. In typical cozy mystery fashion, it was indeed a dead body, intrigue and drama. I loved that the entire family was in France, and a Hall lose his grandson. Patrick became embroiled in the mystery that was involved. I had a feeling about how things might turn out in this book, and I will say that I was not surprised, so there is plenty of fodder for the next book or books in the series.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
My books draw heavily on my experience as a mother of three and my work as a reporter for various weekly newspapers on Cape . My heroine, Lucy Stone, is a reporter in the fictional town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine, where she lives in an old farmhouse (quite similar to mine on Cape Cod!) with her restoration carpenter husband Bill and four children. As the series has progressed the kids have grown older, roughly paralleling my own family. We seem to have reached a point beyond which Lucy cannot age–my editor seems to want her to remain forty-something forever, though I have to admit I personally am dying to write “Menopause is Murder!”
I usually write one Lucy Stone mystery every year and as you can tell, my editor likes me to feature the holidays in my books. Of course Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and my newest mystery “Eggnog Murder,” is included in an anthology with two other Christmas novellas by Barbara Ross and Lee Hollis. I’ve long been a fan of the classic English country house mystery, and was a faithful watcher of “Downton Abbey,” so I couldn’t resist trying to write one. I think I succeeded rather well, if I do say so myself, with “British Manor Murder,” which came out in October, 2016.
My books are classified as “cozies” but a good friend insists they are really “comedies of manners” and I do enjoy expressing my view of contemporary American life.
Now that the kids are grown — we have five fabulous grandchildren — my husband and I are enjoying dividing our time between Braintree and Cape Cod, along with our cat, Sylvester.
Find Her: Goodreads / Twitter / Web
Find Her: Goodreads / Twitter / Web
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