Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of Meier's delightful 19th Lucy Stone mystery (after 2012's Chocolate Covered Murder), the families gathered outside elderly Vivian Van Vorst's mansion, Pine Point, in rural Tinker's Cove, Maine, for VV's annual Easter egg hunt are puzzled to find the gates closed. Then the Easter Bunny emerges from the house, runs clumsily toward the gates, and collapses on the ground. The Easter Bunny-VV's grandson, Van Vorst Duff-dies on the way to the hospital. VV had always been generous with her wealth, but Lucy, part-time reporter for the local newspaper, learns that she has been reclusive recently and funds may have been tight. Did some envious family member off Duff because he was VV's heir, or did he die of natural causes? If it's murder, is money or revenge the motive? Cozy fans will enjoy Lucy's hunt for the truth. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
How has Lucy Stone missed Easter thus far in this long-running holiday-themed series (after Chocolate Covered Murder)? This time she's dealing with a dysfunctional family tree. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A holiday tradition turns lethal in small-town Maine. The residents of Tinker's Cove have always dressed their toddlers in their Sunday best for the annual Easter egg hunt at Vivian Van Vorst's beautiful mansion. But this year, Pine Point is looking a bit seedy. The lawn is unkempt, no one is directing traffic, and VV is nowhere to be seen. Worst of all, her grandson, Van Vorst Duff, dressed in a bunny suit, drops dead at the gates of the estate before he can hide a single egg. Lucy Stone (Chocolate Covered Murder, 2011, etc.), ace reporter for the Tinker's Cove Pennysaver, takes time off from covering the town council meeting to help her colleague Phyllis' niece Elfrida cater Van's funeral--giving her plenty of opportunity to snoop. She discovers that VV is being confined to her room and fed nothing but canned nutritional supplement while her granddaughter Vicky Allen and Vicky's husband, Henry, aided by unscrupulous lawyer George Weatherby, sell off her priceless art treasures. When the Allens give VV's faithful butler Willis the sack, they have a fight on their hands. Thanks to local attorney Bob Goodman, the trio is brought to trial on charges of elder abuse. Reporters from all over the country choke the streets of Gilead, the county seat. Famous defense attorney Howard Zuzick, representing the Allens, looks as if he might have some tricks up his sleeve. But surprise! Meier drops that plot and instead packs Lucy off on a mission to hunt down VV's long-lost daughter for former librarian Miss Julia Tilley. What starts off as Easter eggs ends up as one big, shapeless omelet in Lucy's feckless 21st.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
