Mother of the Bride Murder: A Lucy Stone Mystery

Meier’s ho-hum latest dip (after 2022’s Easter Bonnet Murder) into the life of Lucy Stone, an intrepid reporter in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, focuses on her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, who has been working as a concierge at a swanky hotel in Paris. The action begins when Elizabeth informs her mother of her upcoming marriage to Frenchman Jean-Luc Schoen-Rene. The ceremony is to be held at his family’s château, and the Schoen-Renes have offered to put Elizabeth’s family up during their stay. Amid the festivities, a woman’s body is found in the château’s moat, but the gendarmes treat her death with a shrug. This doesn’t satisfy Lucy, who can’t help investigating while maneuvering around family squabbles and culture clashes. Fans who started with Meier’s first Lucy Stone novel in 1991 may be interested to see how the gumshoe’s children and grandchildren are turning out, but the plotting in this outing is exceedingly limp. Readers looking for a worthy mystery to solve—or even a cozy one—would be better served elsewhere. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)