Chocolate Covered Murder: A Lucy Stone Mystery

The discovery of fisherman Max Fraser’s body under the ice of a lake in wintry Tinker’s Cove, Maine, propels Meier’s fast-paced 18th Lucy Stone mystery (after 2011’s English Tea Murder). Lucy, reporter for the Pennysaver, the local newspaper, doesn’t believe Max’s death was accidental, and soon becomes embroiled in a plot that involves two rival chocolatiers, a wealthy elderly couple from Connecticut, and plenty of local gossip. An intriguing story line compensates only in part for patches of clunky prose and unconvincing dialogue (“I hope he doesn’t have post-traumatic stress syndrome like so many returning vets”). Some readers will be dismayed by the passive-aggressive way the often prudish, self-absorbed, and sexist residents of Tinker’s Cove treat Tamzin Graves, the manager of a chocolate shop with a taste for flirting with men. Agent: Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Jan.)