Silver Anniversary Murder: A Lucy Stone Mystery

Bestseller Meier’s mild 25th Lucy Stone mystery (after 2017’s Turkey Trot Murder) takes the Maine-based amateur sleuth to New York City for the funeral of her childhood best friend and maid of honor, Beth Gerard, who fell to her death in an apparent suicide from her 22nd-story balcony. Although the two became estranged in recent years, Lucy is certain that her spunky friend would never have jumped voluntarily. Beth was on her fourth divorce at the time of her death, and Lucy finds each of her former husbands to be an ideal murder suspect: notorious cult leader Gabe Thomas; Tito Wilkins, an artist with a violent imagination; Colin Fine, a chiropractor with a mean streak; and philandering billionaire Jeremy Blake. Ignoring Detective McGuire’s warnings, Lucy continues to pursue her investigation, which leads to some truly nail-biting, page-flipping moments. Fans probably won’t mind some political preachiness, but a major implausibility involving the killer’s motive may annoy those who recognize it. [em]Agents: Meg Ruley and Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Oct.) [/em]