Tippy Toe Murder

Lucy Stone #2

by Leslie Meier

With three kids underfoot, a fourth on the way, and an oppressive heat wave bearing down, homemaker Lucy Stone is hardly enjoying an idyllic summer. But her preoccupation with swelling ankles, Bavarian creme doughnut cravings, and sewing endless sequins on ballet recital tutus gives way to dread when Lucy learns that her waistline isn't the only thing that's recently vanished from Tinker's Cove... The strange disappearance of a retired dance instructor has the tiny coastal town in a tizzy that turns to terror when a notoriously cantankerous shopkeeper is slain right on Main Street. Now Lucy's up to her bulging belly in local suspects and red herrings. Eluded by a cold-blooded killer, with her due-date looming and the thermometer soaring, Lucy figures something has to break soon. With any luck, it won't be her water...

"A solid mystery."--"San Francisco Chronicle"

"A surprising and intelligently constructed plot."--"Cape Cod Times"

"Lucy Stone is an endearing sleuth." --Dorothy Cannell

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

ebook

First published March 22, 1994

About the author

Leslie Meier lives in Braintree and Harwich (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. She is the creator of 'Lucy Stone', a reporter and amateur sleuth in the fictional seaside village of Tinker's Cove, Maine.

Reviews

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 5 out of 5]

On rereading this book, I was more than impressed with its content. I loved the little bits and pieces that make up the book. I loved the narrative. I liked the various instances of tension present here.

Little things which may form an ordinary person's life occur and they support the basic plot of the book. Leslie Meier was brimming with new ideas and the resulting book is quite separate from the crowd of cozy mysteries that has been vying for my attention.

Sensitive, grim, and saliently negative things lead to the climax. Lucy Stone puts her life on the line just as countless heroines have done in the past. But I was sufficiently entertained by what preceded the necessary climax. I gave this book 4 stars on the first read, and have added one more star to this reread.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ballet, pregnancy, and a former dance teacher who disappears one day leaving few clues behind… Lucy’s summer is off to quite a start in TIPPY TOE MURDER! Add that to a mystery at the local hardware store and a punk teenager whose grandfather swears he is a saint while the rest of the town has its doubts, and this was a doozy. The mystery, as always was good and slowly built as the novel progressed. The twists kept me guessing. I always love Lucy’s home drama. Too funny. This one does contain a few graphic scenes that come up out of the blue and don't really fit the cozy mystery genre. I've read the entire Lucy Stone series, and this is the only book that contains this sort of content, so I'd advise not judging the whole series based on this one book. It's absolutely one of my favorite mystery series.

Trigger Warnings: graphic sexual assault of an infant, sexual assault, domestic abuse

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I selected the Lucy Stone mystery series because it was set in Maine, which is where I'd love to live in the future. I also thought Leslie Meier's collection had some lightheartedness to it, so I read the first book last week... and it was not what I expected. I borrowed the second one, Tippy Toe Murder, from the library this week to see if I would like the direction, and wow... completely unexpected again, and I'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing. The problems I had with the first book (very non-PC in an off-the-charts way--not just a little, which would've been okay given it was over 20 years old) were gone. New ones crept up this time... it's NOT a cozy. It follows all the traditional elements but skews way far in the wrong direction in some areas. The main plot of this one is child abuse, spouse abuse, and kidnapping. Okay, I could see that being handled in a lighter way to fit the sub-genre, but... there were detailed descriptions of what the abuser was doing physically to children. Not cool in a cozy. I would have been semi-fine if this was a normal thriller or suspense novel, as I love that genre too, but when you're looking for something to relax your mind, this direction will be a problem for many readers. That all said, the plot was stronger than the last. The characters are more developed. Lucy's husband is an absolute jerk... he really should've been taught some lessons about how to be more respectful and less demanding. But he's a great character to love and hate, so it works out. As to the next book, I'll give one more a chance and then make my decision on the series.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to have found this series. And I'm confident the rest of the books will be just as good as this one. There was a double mystery here. The disappearance and the murder - both of them solved almost together. The murderer came out of the blue to confess, and that took one star away. But I was impressed with the timing of the entire book. I'm always responsive towards a deft manipulation of characters' whereabouts and their role in the story. The author did a sterling job moving her characters and she made me care and she immersed me in her world. The atmosphere is unique, and like I said, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of these juicy books.

[Estella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading other books in the Lucy Stone mystery series, so I'm happy I didn't start with this one. If I had, I would never have picked up another one.. I like to read cozy mysteries because they're...well, COZY. Tippy Toe Murder, although billed as a cozy, doesn't remotely fit that description. The storyline was WAY too dark, graphic and violent. If you like COZY mysteries, and have some Lucy Stone books on your TBR shelf, skip this one. You'll be glad you did.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the last two books I read in the series (numbers 1 and 22), however I did not enjoy this book. It was NOT a cozy and I found myself skipping and skimming about 1/4 of the book because of it.

Lucy was great, her family was great, her town was great. Her husband, Bill, however was not great. He can be so kind and was in the first book, however in parts of this book and in Candy Corn Murder he was rude.

The mystery was horrible. I'm honestly surprised that this book was marketed as a cozy because the mystery dealt with very dark, non-cozy topics. I read cozies because they're light, and usually don't deal with dark, complex topics.
Really a great setting and great characters, but this was absolutely not a cozy and I didn't enjoy it because of that. I do NOT recommend this if you are looking for a cozy.

(NOTE: Since this is in a cozy series, I am putting this in my cozy shelves, however, I do not consider this a cozy mystery)

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this had been the first book that I had read in this series, I probably wouldn't have continued. It was a little dark and disturbing. I still love the main character, Lucy, and the writing makes me want to move to Maine and have a family. But this book was a little bit twisted, women getting beating up, children being molested. It's just not right. So, unless you are okay with reading about those things, I say skip this one and go read the Christmas Cookie Murder. That is so far my favorite in this series.

[Gary Sundell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than book 1.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a disappointment! The actual mystery wasn't good & the graphic description of infant abuse was so disturbing. I've read several other books from this series that were much better, but if this had been the first one that I'd read then it would have been the last. Don't waste your time on this dud.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Lucy Stone series and another gem! Lucy Stone has 3 small children and is expecting her fourth, retired dance teacher Caro has disappeared, and there's been a murder in downtown Tinker's Cove. Lucy fights for her life in this one, and it's a real nail biter. Perfect Maine cozy! :-)

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I read the author Leslie Meier this is the second book named Tippy Toe Murder. This is a real page turner. I could not put it down. I will be reading the rest of this series.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

As other reviewers have said, the direction this took toward the end of the book makes this way too dark for a cozy. Also, hated the husband in this book; sexist and rude, making this book feel all the more dated. Too tidy a wrap up with characters who arrived too late on the scene; gosh how I dislike a convenient, confession ending. Not sure if I will continue with this series.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad that I read this one because I am going back and reading these in order after skipping around. However, I may have skipped it if I had known some of the subject matter- I didn't see the disturbing twist into child sexual abuse.

[Cindi Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too disturbing for a cozy mystery.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never would I imagine a book trying to make me sympathize with a pedophile. I don't care if it's one single sentence, that is not something I ever expected to find in a cozy mystery.

I'm not sure if Leslie Meter was trying to prove something with this novel. Or rather, I know she was on a rant about the judicial system's treatment of women who commit crime, especially when she made women's prison sound like a cakewalk. The descriptions of abuse were bad enough, but then we hear about a past murder and the cold hearted description just chills you to the bone. Add in some sexist remarks about how women never commit crime, can't be capable of the same level of crime, or how "he had it coming" makes it okay and man does this supposedly cozy murder even outrank some procedural mysteries I read.

Moving on to the "mystery," we have 2 separate stories that run without overlapping until the very end. Background information that would have been useful is unartfully withheld to make it "shocking" as we discover who the girl is. There is a weird suggestion that Lucy is in an abusive relationship, almost like no relationship is without abuse. The climax also involves a relatively graphic rape scene, so that was offputting. The killer is only discovered when admitting it like the time of the day to the cops. The climax was placed pretty horribly, with the murder figured out before we even get to the whole dance recital. I honestly skipped the last chapter and skimmed the epilogue.

All in all, it's a pretty terrible book. I don't know what editor thought this fit the cozy mystery subgenre, but I hope they got a slap in the face for this book. I know others are better so perhaps skip this one if you're reading the series, or the least be forewarned that it's rather graphic. This is 1 strong because of the points above. I wanted another foray into the cozy town with a mystery solved by the comfy Lucy Stone that makes you fuzzy on the inside. This was billed as being that book, and instead I got the empty chills that I was trying to escape.

Now I have to find something actually warm and fuzzy to get over this wreck of a book.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tippy Toe Murder (Lucy Stone #2) by Leslie Meier
3 ★

Lucy Stone is pregnant with child number 4 and looking forward to her daughters’ dance recital when there is other murder in Tinker’s Cove and also the disappearance of a beloved retired dance instructor. Lucy knows she shouldn’t get involved, but she can’t stop herself when a friend is accused of the murder.

For a cozy mystery, this had a pretty troublesome situation. Just a heads up, trigger warning, this story does contain physical spousal abuse and sexual abuse of a child. There is one part where the perpetrator quickly describes what he has done and it’s disturbing. It is the only scene like that and I am grateful. The physical abuse is multiple times toward a few different women. This is the main reason I gave this a 3 star rating. The story is very heartwarming in many areas and the ballet performance at the end is delightful. I like the small bits of humor throughout the book and how all the ladies stick together. I look forward to reading book 3, Trick or Treat Murder.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the past I've jumped around with the series, so I know what happens way in the future, but really enjoy now seeing how everything started. The kids are so young! This book was way more intense than I thought it was going to be with so many details of domestic violence. The theme really centers around marriages and we get a look into the relationships of many of the characters involved. Even Lucy's marriage is examined and I have to say that Bill is getting on my nerves. I hope he gets better (I don't honestly remember much about him in later books). As for the murder, I definitely did not guess the culprit...not even close. The whole second half of the book was fast paced and I didn't want to put it down. I was so worried for little "Lisa" and scared that a bad ending would come. I did like how Annemarie confessed because you could tell she just needed to let it out and didn't want anyone else taking the blame. The juxtaposition of the murder and disappearance was interesting and every chapter had me needing to know what was going on. I can't wait to continue with this series and I really like Lucy as the sleuth.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good ‘cozy’ mystery with enjoyable characters. However I’m putting ‘cozy’ in quotes because I felt the subject matter was, IMO, quite off-putting and heinous, and I think that a cozy mystery is supposed to be on the light side. I still enjoyed the book though.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic mystery!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fortunately Leslie Meier Has 2 New Books coming out I believe later on 2023… This is another re-read of a favorite Cosy Author…Set in Maine ;)

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Lucy Stone cozy mystery series

I'm really liking this series. Lucy Stone is a mother of 4, a housewife, and an intelligent woman. She happens across dead bodies, which is unusual, but hey, the story has to start somewhere. Otherwise, it's all so domestic and ordinary. She doesn't do anything crazy to find the killer, she just asks questions, chats with people, and does a lot of investigative thinking. There are actually two mysteries in this book--a missing woman as well as a murder. Lucy is actually more interested in the missing person case and spends more time figuring that out than the other, although the fact that she came across the body gets her involved in that one too. On top of that, the major family story lines are that her daughters are rehearsing for a dance recital, and her son plays Little League--badly--with her husband as the coach. There's some danger as a result of Lucy's involvement in both cases, and I was a little uncomfortable with her decision regarding the domestic abuse aspect of the story, but it didn't really detract from the story. Meier ties it all together in a simple and enjoyable way by putting sentences from the information sheet regarding the dance recital at the top of each chapter. Although some are a stretch, most of them refer to something coming up in the chapter and give you a bit of an inkling about what's to come. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series sooner rather than later.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in the Lucy Stone mysteries, this story begins when Lucy sees her neighbor walking her dog past her house, and doesn't see her return. The woman is very mysteriously missing, doesn't appear to be a victim of foul play, and leaves her house as if she is going to return at any moment. At the same time, a very nasty hardware store owner is brutally murdered and his innocent employee is arrested and charged with the murder. Despite being in the late stages of pregnancy, Lucy must do her best to track down her missing friend, help solve the murder, and keep herself alive. This is a good and fast mystery, just right for a cozy read with a cup of tea by the fire when the weather outside is chilly.

[Gary E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little different than book 1 in the series. I enjoyed it about the same but I think I liked book 1 a little better. This book was a lot more serious because it dealt with more serious issues. Of course there is nothing wrong with that I was just expecting something a little more light hearted.

It is a very quick read which I always enjoy. I got through this in three nights finishing about 60% of the book in the last night. This might be a little serious for reading while at the beach or poolside or beside the campfire or whatever but it is quick enough that it would fit the bill if the more serious subject matter is not a problem for you!

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though some of the story deals with the ordinary and hectic life of Lucy Stone and her family, I hesitate to call this mystery a cozy. The protagonist, who wants to help the police solve the murder, is an amateur. But the story is a gritty one, dealing with spousal abuse, child abuse, and cold-blooded murder. Lucy loans a video camera to a friend who wants to catch a thief in the act. It becomes a murder weapon, but in whose hands? In addition to looking for a murderer, Lucy puts herself in danger to help save a friend and keep a child safe. The story is well written, as are the characters, and there is more than one mystery involved to keep readers engrossed in the story.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tippy Toe Murder is book 2 in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series. Lucy is no longer working the phone lines because she is pregnant waiting to deliver another baby inbetween Little League practices, games, sewing ballet costumes, and ballet practices. Meanwhile, much is afoot in town with a friend going missing mysteriously when out for a walk with her dog. Another friend is first accused of theft and then when she tried to gather evidence to clear her name of the theft, she ends up being accused of murder. Lucy perseveres through it all until a dramatic conclusion.

[Hannah Beth (Hannah's Book Cafe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. The stories are full of depth and of reality. I like Lucy a lot and I can sympathize with her troubles.

I always have some issues with some of the story though. The freaking OBGYN in this story is TERRIBLE. I am currently pregnant and if my doctor talked to me the way this doctor talks to Lucy he would be IMMEDIATELY fired from providing care for me. Gross. 🤢

There is also a bit of language in this story and if I recall there was also some in the first book. I definitely think I'll be reading the next in the series though!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Lucy Stone series. Lucy is pregnant with her fourth child. When she goes to pick up het video camara back before her daughters ballet recital, she discovers the the owner of slacks store, dead at his desk.
This book reminded why i love this series so much. It was so fun to go back to the beginning and see how far the characters have come.

[CheyAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't consider this book to be a cozy mystery at all. The book is filled with violence, and graphic content.

Trigger warning: sexual assault of an infant, pedophilia, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, rape, and various sexual kinks.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not a cozy due to mature subject matter. I've read the first two books and I'm not sure whether to continue.

[Joni · Rating 1 out of 5]

part of the subject matter not usually found in cozy mystery