Star Spangled Murder

In Leslie Meier's Star Spangled Murder: A Lucy Stone Mystery, the 11th in this holiday-themed cozy series (after 2003's Father's Day Murder), her intrepid reporter sleuth has to worry about only some nudists frolicking in the local pond and an endangered species of lichen putting off the Tinker's Cove Fourth of July fireworks, until the hit-and-run death of a difficult neighbor. As in the TV series Murder She Wrote, no characters are developed sufficiently to provide clues to the culprit's identity, and the solution to the crime relies largely on coincidence and a sudden confession, but fans should be pleased to revisit many old friends. Agent, Meg Ruley at Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency.