Silver Anniversary Murder

Lucy Stone #25

by Leslie Meier

As Tinker's Cove, Maine, buzzes over a town-wide silver wedding anniversary bash, Lucy is reminded of her nuptials and ponders the whereabouts of Beth Gerard, her strong-willed maid of honor. Lucy never would have made it down the aisle without Beth's help, and although the two friends lost touch over the years, she decides to reach out. It only takes one phone call for Lucy to realize that a reunion will happen sooner than later -- at Beth's funeral.

Beth, who was in the process of finalizing her fourth divorce, had a reputation for living on the edge -- but no one can believe she would jump off a penthouse terrace in New York City. The more Lucy learns about Beth's former husbands, the more she suspects one of them committed murder.

Summoning her friend's impulsive spirit, Lucy vows to scour New York from the Bronx to the Brooklyn Bridge in search of the killer. With each ex dodgier than the last, it's not long before Lucy's investigation leads her to a desperate criminal who will do anything to get away -- even if it means silencing another victim...

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

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2018

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

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silver Anniversary Murder is the latest book from Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone Mysteries. After 25 books, it's hard to keep up a solid series. Sometimes the books have too light a mystery but the side stories make up for it. Other times the books are strong mysteries with minimal supporting cast updates. In this one, Lucy goes to NY to see where a friend who recently committed suicide lived... and she gets involved in a cult and figuring who killed the woman. With 4 possible ex-husbands, there was so much potential in the story. But it went off track so many times. I struggled in this one, if I'm being honest. I have given 3s or 4s to all the stories even when I was only mildly intrigued but this one was truly a miss. That said, love the Lucy Stone character, and her commentary is entertaining. Looking forward to the next one.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinker’s Cove is having a silver anniversary celebration put on by the owners of a local wedding dress shop and chauffeur company—who happen to be the worst bickering married couple in town. While typing up a story for this, Lucy Stone receives the news that an old friend from New York has committed suicide and decides to go back to New York to visit friends there and touch base with people her friend Beth once knew. This had an interesting mystery to solve involving religious cults and more.

[Mayda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Stone has lost an old friend to suicide, and she is having trouble coming to terms with it. She feels the police have made a mistake ruling the death a suicide, so she decides to spend a week in New York, chasing down four ex-husbands and deciding which one is the most likely to have pushed Beth off her balcony to her death. Though that storyline is a bit farfetched, it is quite believable compared to all the other aspects of the story that author Leslie Meier managed to insert. This cozy mystery is pretty bizarre by any standards, but especially for a Lucy Stone book. Especially disappointing is Lucy’s homelife with her husband and her kids. Bill seems rather uncaring and jealous at the same time, and the kids almost don’t exist. So many unusual things are crammed into one novel it almost seems like the author had a check list, marking them off as she wrote. This is a good series; this installment, not so much.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucy's childhood best friend, Beth Blake, commits suicide in New York City. Lucy travels to New York for the funeral and is not convinced that she really did kill herself, especially since she had just had an expensive facelift and was going through a divorce from billionaire Jeremy Blake. There is also a Tinker's Cove storyline regarding a silver anniversary celebration for those couples reaching that milestone, including Lucy and Bill.


This story really missed the mark for me. Bill regresses to his old, jealous self yet again, as if their college-age daughters and him cannot get along without Lucy for one minute. I've read the first fifteen books in the series and enjoyed a prior one where she travels to Boston to solve a mystery but this jaunt to New York is completely unrealistic.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

[Melodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one. Opinions are my own. I used to read this series occasionally for a holiday read, but they were just time fillers. Over the last couple of years, Ms. Meier has gotten a bit "political" with her stories. I like that! Makes them much more interesting! That said, this one was a bit of a disappointment. It started off okay, and the fact that most of the story took place in NYC was not a problem for me. The problem was that the story veered off into happenings that were just not believable to me. The perpetrator of these happenings would have been smarter than to do what he did. At least, IMHO he would! Also, the "mystery", such as it was, tied up way too fast. It was kind of like, "OK, we have enough pages, gotta sew this up really fast!" While it was nice to visit with Lucy and I liked the fact that her NYC friend worked for an organization that is a "sticky" organization for many, if you're not already a faithful reader of this series I wouldn't recommend it as a starting point.

[Amy Dunlap · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why is Lucy always so cranky and judgy? Also, the actual mystery took a hard detour through the town of Way Over the Top. Alas.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book as a Goodreads Giveaway and would like to thank the publishers for my copy.

This was not a good book. It was my first Lucy Stone mystery - so I don't know how Lucy Stone acts and operates in the other books - but she doesn't exactly act like someone who has solved two dozen mysteries and murders. Rather than a worldly and competent independent investigator, she seems to be more of a jumpy and often forgetful small town retiree (she gets spooked and has a mini panic attack walking by alleged 'hoodlums' in Central Park during the day, and also forgets to lock her apartment door before going to sleep at night ) who gets easily frazzled when traveling to New York City, which is weird because that's where she grew up. The book wasn't really about how Lucy investigates crimes. Instead it was about how she manages to stumble through a plot that literally delivers the culprit to her at the end of the book without Lucy making any significant deductions or discoveries. With a character list consisting of caricatures and a plot that - despite a fairly bizarre series of events involving an evangelical cult of child kidnappers - advances at a plodding pace, the Silver Anniversary Murder was not an enjoyable read at all.

Sidenote about the title: Maybe the thing that bothered me the most was the title. Despite the book being called the Silver Anniversary Murder, the eponymous murder has absolutely nothing to do with anyone's silver anniversary. While Lucy's hometown in Maine happens to be hosting a Silver Anniverary festival of sorts, the murder happens in NYC and none of the events, motives, or suspects have anything to do with that celebration. Much like the story, the title seemed to be a collection of loose ideas thrown together.

[Kathleen A Hyland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing ...

I have read all of Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone mystery books and have loved each one. However, Silver Anniversary Murder was a big disappointment - I felt the plot was ridiculous and it seemed that the author was in a hurry to finish. I hope the next one will be better.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I was a fan of Lucy Stone and I read all of them. But this was so very disappointing. The cult portion was so over the top totally unbelievable. The title is silver anniversary and very little in the book refers to silver anniversary. Lucy should have stayed home

[Kendrea Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone mystery series was one of the first cozy series I read in my teenage years. As such I do feel a certain loyalty to the author and the characters in Tinker's Cove, Maine. However, I just didn't enjoy this book as much as I have the previous ones. I was put off immediately by the way Lucy reacts to being told her friend killed herself. It's described as selfish and there's a lot of internal dialogue where Lucy is pointing out how great her friend's life was, so why would she kill herself? As someone who suffers from depression, I have to hear words like that often. So, I was turned off on this book from the beginning. The mystery itself is ok, but it wasn't enough to completely redeem the book in my eyes. Of course I'll read the next book in the series, because I really do love the series as a whole. I just hope the author is a bit more mindful before including any type of dialogue regarding depression and suicide in the future.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 25 in the series - as I’ve said before, you don’t have to read these in order. I like that the author doesn’t rehash the previous books like so many do. These work fine as a standalone.

Lucy is off in New York City for this murder - lots of bad guys involved. Interesting conclusion. The anniversary angle was quite amusing.

One snarky comment. This is the third book I’ve read (2, 19, 25) and two of them have have had a character meet with death at the hairpin turn in their treacherous road. Maybe they should improve the barricade or Ms Meier could be more creative in eliminating her characters!

SPOILER………a chiropractor can’t write prescriptions- so the whole premise is moot. Isn’t there an editor onboard?

.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silver Anniversary Murder by Leslie Meier is the twenty-fifth A Lucy Stone Mystery. Lucy Stone lives in Tinker’s Cove, Maine with her husband, Bill along with two of her daughters and their dog, Libby. The town is surprised when Sylvia Bickford announces that she and her husband, Warren will renew their vows for their twenty-fifth anniversary. The nickname for the couple is the “Bickersons”. It has been turned into a town wide events called Silver Anniversary Weekend. Lucy thinks back on her wedding and her maid-of-honor, Beth Gerard. She decides to give her a call and is surprised when Dante, Beth’s son answers the phone. Lucy is shocked when Dante tells her that Beth is dead. Beth plummeted to her death from her penthouse apartment in New York City and the police have ruled it a suicide. Lucy does not believe her adventurous and full of life friend would commit suicide. Lucy rents an Airnb and heads to New York to get answers. She begins her investigation by questioning Beth’s four ex-husbands to see who had a motive. Someone is not happy with Lucy’s questions and takes desperate measures to silence her. Will Lucy make it home to Tinker’s Cove?

I have read every single book in A Lucy Stone Mystery series. I discovered the series one day in my local library and quickly devoured the series. I look forward to reading each new Lucy Stone book when they are published. It has been a pleasure to see Lucy and her family change as the years go by. Her children are now grown, but Sarah and Zoe are still living at home while they attend college. Silver Anniversary Murder is easy to read with a steady pacing, but it missed the mark for me. I can understand getting Lucy out of Tinker’s Cove (before it becomes known as murder central), but the author should have made it a girls’ weekend in the city (Lucy and her three close friends). I did enjoy learning more about Lucy’s younger years as she explored New York. Lucy did not seem like herself in Silver Anniversary Murder. Then there was a jealous Bill, the odd situation with the cult, an anxious Lucy, and the Bickersons. The mystery was light, and it was rushed at the end. The whodunit needed more work. The way it was handled at the end made it seem like the author had reached the maximum number of pages for the book and she had to wrap it quickly. I did not understand the addition of the cult to the story (nor what happened with Lucy (I am trying not to give away any of the plot). I liked that Lucy was watching one of my favorite shows Call the Midwife (I wish there were more shows like this one). My rating for Silver Anniversary Murder is 3 out of 5 stars. Silver Anniversary Murder is a book for fans of the series only. I suggest newcomers begin with Mistletoe Murder. While I was not enamored with Silver Anniversary Murder, it will not stop me from picking up the next A Lucy Stone Mystery.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tinker's Cove, Maine, is preparing for a town-wide silver wedding anniversary festival. Lucy is reminded of her wedding, making her reach out to her old friend and maid of honour, Beth. When she calls, she finds out that Beth is dead. Heading to New York for Beth's funeral, she finds out upon arrival that her death has been ruled a suicide. Neither Lucy or Beth's son believe that it is suicide. After the funeral, Lucy cannot get over it and decides to head back to New York to see what she can find out. With her children grown, she is not worried about leaving her family behind. Once she arrives she begins chasing down four ex-husbands and deciding which one is the most likely to have pushed Beth off her balcony.

I have not read all the Lucy Stone mysteries, and the ones I have read, I have read out of order, but one thing that was in all books was the importance of family. I liked that they had their troubles and the marriage was not always perfect, but this book has Lucy's homelife, quite troubled and disappointing. Bill seems rather uncaring and jealous at the same time, and the kids almost don’t exist. The mystery itself was very far-fetched and somewhat hard to believe even for a cozy. There was even a cult in this book involved in trafficking and kidnapping, which was a bit much. There were a lot of unusual things are crammed into one novel and then all of a sudden, it wrapped up and the case was solved. I do enjoy this series, but this one was not one of the best, at least not to me. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The raing, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had borrowed this from the library and during Christmas and now New Year's, I used it as car reading material. It just got so good and page-turning towards the end, I sat here at my Mom's today and finished it.

During all the preparations for Tinker's Grove's Silver Wedding Anniversary bash, Lucy started thinking about a girl named Beth who had been in her and Bill's wedding. She sadly found out that Beth had committed suicide. But Beth's son Dante didn't believe that for a minute, and Lucy didn't believe it either. After spending a day in NYC for the funeral, Lucy was determined to go back and do some digging around. She managed to speak to all of Beth's ex-husband's, the most suspicious one being Father Gabe, the owner of a cult that the police were trying to shut down. Would Lucy herself be shut down before she could discover the truth?

This got very exciting toward the end during Lucy's investigation. Then there was a really clever twist at the end! I enjoyed reading about Lucy visiting her old stomping grounds in NY and finding justice for her good friend Beth and her son that Lucy had known since he was a baby.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tinker’s Cove, Maine is filled with talk about a town-wide silver wedding anniversary bash. The organizers are a bit of a town joke and everyone speculates that the event is to promote business, not happiness. Lucy reminisces about her own wedding and decides to call her maid of honor, Beth Gerard. She makes the call and learns the devastating news that Beth died the evening before. Plans of recalling old times turn to plans of going to her friends funeral.
Lucy takes some time to herself to process her friends unexpected death, spending a week in New York City. She also spends time visiting her friend’s former husbands. Lucy refuses to believe her friend took her own life as ruled by the police. She is determined to prove that her friend was murdered, and perhaps by one of the men she was once married to.
I wavered quite a bit about my rating of this book. I finally settled on a 3, though that may be generous. The last two books in this series have been a disappointment to me. Something seems to have changed and I am unable to put a finger on what it is. I am put off by the political references. I read to forget what is going on in the world, I don’t need the reminders. I also feel as though Lucy and her husband lack continuity of character. Their temperament and personality have inexplicably changed. If you have not read this series, do not let this be your first meeting with Lucy Stone. Go back to the first book and read on. This has long been one of my favorite cozy series. I do look forward to the next book with hopes that it will be more like past books. I only recommend this book to those who have read the entire series.

[Fluff Smut & Murder · Rating 3 out of 5]

25 books in a series is quite an accomplishment.. Unfortunately, this latest installment of the Lucy Stone cozy murder mysteries seems to have gone off the rails. I love Lucy - really I do! I love all about her life in Tinker's Cove, her friends, grumpy Ted at the newspaper, everything but almost everything about this book rubbed me the wrong way..

From a shaky plot line at best to an unbelievable ending, the book felt odd from the beginning. It seems like it should have been more about life in Tinker's Cove instead of NYC (or have all of the unlikable people in Maine already been killed off?) Without giving away some plot twists, the fact that Lucy turns down therapy really irked me especially because she could see the lasting aftereffects. In fact - there are passages in the book where Lucy claims she is more laid back (I believe the exact phrasing was less priggish) than she was from 25 years ago - based on her thoughts heaven help us for how she used to be!

Maybe its time for a divorce...

[Linda Hultman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I was going to give this book a "two". But that was last night. Tonight, I finished it.

My issues: 1) Too many coincidences. Lucy goes to New York City to investigate her friend's death which has been ruled a suicide but Lucy thinks was a murder. Her friend has 3 ex-husbands and a widower she was divorcing. Lucy coincidentally runs into the widower in Central Park. She coincidentally goes to an art exhibit and the exhibitor happens to be another ex, which leads her to the ex. She goes to a concert in a church, meets a woman who leads her to yet another ex. The fourth guy is a chiropractor and she gets a same-day new patient appointment.

2) Chiropractors can't write prescriptions! The denouement is bogus.

[Doug Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have enjoyed other Leslie Stone books before and really enjoyed them. I had to stop reading this book. It is written very differently from her other books. She uses this book as a platform for her own personal political and social agendas. Not worth the read.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Enjoyable read but the ending in particular was too ridiculous.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Tinker's Cove is looking couples who have been married over twenty-five years. There is going to be a wedding anniversary for all of the townsfolk who have achieved that milestones. Lucy Stone and husband Bill are one of those couples, and so preparations are in order.

Problems come into play rather soon, especially when Beth Gerard, Lucy's maid of honor all those years ago, turns up missing. Lucy wants her involved in the celebration. However, instead of having a great reunion, Lucy learns that Beth is dead. Beth has been to the altar several times, and in fact, is in the process of divorce for the fourth time. Her death has been ruled a suicide, but no one actually believes it, especially Lucy.

So Lucy heads to New York to do what she does best: ask questions and find answers. Lucy starts with Beth's ex husbands. Could one of them actually pushed Beth off the balcony she supposedly jumped off of?

Meanwhile, the flavor of this series is changing. Now that all of Lucy's children are grown they aren't always in the stories as much as before. Bill is in every book, cranky as ever. He has always shown a lack of support for Lucy's endeavors. There is just one more title in this series. Even though I don't always love every book, I am dedicated to staying with it as long as it is running.

Many thanks to Kensington and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a childhood friend dies in NY, the police write the death off as a suicide, but Lucy isn't so sure. So, still reeling from Beth's sudden death, Lucy books a week in NY so she can look into the death and talk to her 3 former husband and the one she was in the process of divorcing.

As the story progresses, Lucy makes so many poor choices that will surely frustrate regular readers of the Lucy Stone series. By the time this cozy mystery reaches its climax, some readers surely will reach a point where they want to reach through the pages and give Lucy a little shake and tell her to wake up and think.

A really odd story with some preachy "why does the world work against women and why do men hate women" undertones that were, quite frankly, offputting. I want to be entertained when I read. I don't want to be subjected to the author's political or special interests agendas. Maybe, for me, this series has run its course. I used to really like the Lucy Stone series, but the friend who fancies herself an amateur psychiatrist and being told several times in one book that Lucy has a golden oak table have worn their welcome thin.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each Lucy Stone cozy mystery tackles a social issue. This one's positive message is on marriage - that each one is unique in its own way. The dark message is on cults and the control a leader exerts on his followers leading them to commit serious crimes.

Characters and a town we have grown to know and love over the past two decades make this another cozy read.

Sylvia Bickford has decided that Tinker's Cove needs to have a celebration for couples married for 25 years (or more). That the date coincided with her silver wedding anniversary isn't lost on the town but what Sylvia wants, Sylvia nags and bosses others until she gets.

Meanwhile Lucy's friend since kindergarten, Beth Blake, had died in NYC, an apparent suicide, that Lucy and Beth's son Dante can't accept. Lucy heads back to her hometown of NYC to attend the funeral and ends up investigating Beth's three ex-husbands. Bill Stone comes to Lucy's rescue and their support of each other is its own understated love affair.

Thank you Ms. Meier for another great cozy Lucy Stone mystery. (#28!)

I volunteered to read an ARC through Net Galley.

[Jo Bujarski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the worst of all of them. A big disappointment. How many times had Lucy almost gotten killed and she doesn't get any smarter? Also, when she is on her own the entire time, there is no dialogue.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was a little darker than other books in the series. I prefer the lighter storylines that include more adventures in Tinker's Cove with the other recurring characters.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

somewhat of a disappointment - quite far fetched in fact.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy Stone is fabulous in Silver Anniversary Murder, the 25th book in the series.
Lucy is one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed her role in this wonderful book.
This book is split between Tinker's Cove and New York City, which I found to be a pleasant experience.
The author wove a believable tale and I enjoyed the story from beginning to end.
Lucy Stone never disappoints me and this book showed a different side of her.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed this series, and Silver Anniversary doesn't disappoint. Lucy discovers a friend from her younger days allegedly committed suicide, and something just doesn't add up. Not the fact that her old friend had been married several times, each husband filled with eccentricities and issues, but Lucy just knows her friend didn't commit suicide. And so Lucy heads to New York and first attends the service and establishes contact with all the persons close to Beth; and then she makes a return trip under the guise of taking a vacation for herself. While exploring the city and asking questions, Lucy finds herself in a bit of a jam and then is rescued. BUT, this is just a red herring as the twist in the whodunit is discovered still later after Lucy is resting at home.
I couldn't reading once I got to a certain point, there was lots of twists and turns. Lucy and her family and friends are enjoyable and I always feel a little sad when the book ends because Lucy is all about family.
**I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my own opinion/review.

[Deanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy the Lucy Stone books. However this one was very disappointing. Instead of a cozy mystery, it was dark and disturbing. It also reminded me how stupid the character of Lucy can be. This book was long and an overkill. Lucy goes to investigate the death of an old friend in New York city and the story enhanced the dark side of the city. The end of the book with Lucy being trapped in a cult was just say to much for me. She's a smart woman and to allow herself to be drugged and taken in by this group was sad. Also as a journalist she doesn't want to report on the story that she in essence helped to bring to life was another disappointment. I would recommend skipping this story. It really does not involve any of the main characters and will just make you not like Lucy a little bit more. Hopefully the next book will be the more pleasant mystery writing and a better Lucy Stone mystery.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed Silver Anniversary Murder right up until Lucy gets kidnapped by the cult. And then things got super weird, super fast and I can't tell if this is intentional because holy hell, human trafficking and cults or just "have a mystery with a side order of SURPRISE KIDNAPPING that's not remotely connected to the actual murder after all!" Because that's not the ex who offed Beth anyway.

I like my mysteries solvable and this one isn't really. Beth had dirt on at least two of her exes but it's the third who kills her even though it makes no sense. It would have made more sense for his wife to have killed her, considering how off she seemed but hey, I guess they can both be nuts. In any case, Lucy's going to need a really good shrink for a very long time to deal with the cult escapade followed by the carjacking.

[Alisa Guttadauro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished this book and I have to say I’m not a fan of this one and I’ve read all of the Lucy Stone novels thus far. Too many political, social, and racial undertones, and the story took a weird bizarre turn. There were also a few sentences that didn’t make sense. The story had nothing to do with the silver anniversary celebration going on in town and it was just too dragged out when she was in NYC. Like others have said, the end was rushed. It also didn’t make sense that the detective who didn’t want any part of Lucy or hear anything she wanted to say, all of a sudden had a quick change of heart later just because her friend Sam’s husband called her. All in all this story was just bizarre.