Publisher: Kensington Books
Series: Lucy Stone #19
Format Read: Hardcover
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Book Depository
Book Blurb (from goodreads):
*May contain spoilers for earlier books*
Spring
has sprung in Tinker's Cove, and Lucy Stone has a mile-long to-do list.
From painting eggs with her grandson, to preparing the perfect Easter
feast, to reviving her garden after a long, cold winter, she hardly has
time to hunt for a killer with a deadly case of spring fever... Lucy
has always loved covering the annual Easter egg
hunt for the Pennysaver. Hosted by elderly socialite Vivian Van Vorst at
Pine Point, her luxurious oceanfront estate, it's a swanky event where
the grown-ups sip cocktails while their children search for eggs that
are as likely to contain savings bonds as they are jelly beans. But when
Lucy arrives with her three-year-old grandson, VV's normally welcoming
gates are
locked, and a man dressed as the Easter Bunny
emerges only to drop dead moments later… Lucy discovers that the victim
is Van Vorst Duff, VV's grandson, and soon learns that not all is as it
seems at idyllic Pine Point, where the champagne and caviar seem to be
running dry. Always a social butterfly, VV has been skipping lunch dates
with friends, and her much-needed donations to local charities have
stopped with no explanation. Maybe she's going senile, or maybe her
heirs are getting a little too anxious to take over her estate… As Lucy
gathers a basketful of suspects, she's convinced someone's been hunting
for a lot more than eggs, and she'll have to chase the truth down a
rabbit hole before the killer claims another victim…
Bea's Thoughts: *May contain spoilers for earlier books*
"Easter Bunny Murder" kept me up late reading. It took me a while to get into it, something that's been happening to me a lot lately, but once I did, I was hooked. I've read one or two books from this series and was 'meh' about them but I read some reviews of this one that intrigued me and then I was offered a copy for review. Swayed by the reviews I'd read, I said 'yes' and I'm glad I did.
I love cozies but sometimes they don't come across as real. The circumstances are unlikely, the ease in solving the murder is unbelievable, etc. While "Easter Bunny Murder" has a couple of unlikely coincidences, overall, the story is believable. I particularly enjoyed that it took place over a matter of months, matters weren't resolved in a few days. Meier weaves together the mystery of Van's death, related mysteries, and Lucy's personal life into an enjoyable, smooth, easy mix.
At first, Van's death seems like a tragic act of nature, but Lucy's suspicions are aroused when his former lover, and the mother of their daughter, starts throwing around accusations. Town officials and her boss at the newspaper are not convinced so in between her job as a reporter for the town paper and her jobs as wife, mother and grandmother, she begins her own investigation. There are ups and downs in her investigation, and at times her personal life takes precedence, but eventually she finds answers.
Lucy is kind, compassionate, persistent, occasionally harried but also feels like she could be one of my neighbors in the small town I live in. Meier does an excellent job of making her characters, major and minor, feel real and multi-dimensional. There's also a genuine feel to the settings, the small town feel and the New England feel. The story was relatable, the murder slightly unbelievable but cunning, the investigation and the various mysteries well-done, and the murder quite likeable. At first, it the murderer's identity seemed too convenient and out-of-the blue but looking back, the clues were there. "Easter Bunny Murder" is a very enjoyable way to spend several hours.
I received a hardcover from
BookTrib for review.
