June 2023 - Mystery Book Club - Past Titles - LibGuides at Westwood Public Library

"Invitation Only Murder" by Leslie Meier

Invitation Only Murder by Leslie Meier
Call Number: MYSTERY Meier
With family tensions intensifying in Tinker's Cove, part-time reporter Lucy Stone could really use some time off the grid. But after she RSVPs to an unconventional celebration on remote Holiday Island, Lucy realizes that disconnecting from reality comes at a deadly price . . . Lucy doesn't know what to expect as she arrives on a private Maine island owned by eccentric billionaire Scott Newman, only that the exclusive experience should make for a very intriguing feature story. An avid environmentalist, Scott has stripped the isolated property of modern conveniences in favor of an extreme eco-friendly lifestyle. A trip to Holiday Island is like traveling back to the nineteenth Century, and it turns out other residents aren't exactly enthusiastic about living without cell service and electricity . . . Before Lucy can get the full scoop on Scott, she is horrified to find one of his daughters dead at the bottom of a seaside cliff. The young woman's tragic end gets pinned as an accident, but a sinister plot unfolds when there's a sudden disappearance . . . Stuck on a clammy island with murder suspects aplenty, the simple life isn't so idyllic after all. Now, Lucy must tap into the limited resources around her to outwit a cold-blooded killer--before it's lights out for her next!

What did you like most about the book?
What did you like the least?
What was the cozy trope or tropes? (i.e. baking, tea, pets, travel, crafts, etc.) How well did the author integrate the trope into the story? Would you have liked to see anything done differently?
How well did the author integrate the mystery into the story? Was it an integral part or did it seem like an afterthought? What could the author have done better?
Were you able to figure out who the killer or culprit was? Why or why not?
Who was your favorite character? Why?
Who was your least favorite character? Why?
What was your favorite subplot?
If the cozy mystery takes place in a small town, what was your favorite part? Your least favorite? Why?
What three words would you use to best describe this book?
What was your favorite moment in the book? Your least favorite?
What do you think the purpose of this book was? What ideas or themes was the book trying to get across?
Did the main character grow or change in this book?
Was there another character other than the main character who grew or changed? Who was that character and how did that character transform the course of the book?
Was there anything you initially thought was one way, but it turned out to be something else?
If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?
Would you read more books by this author? Why or why not?
Did you find any of the writing offensive or uninformed?
1. “I hate to say it, but I think that if there is some sort of evil afoot and this isn't all a series of unfortunate coincidences, it's gotta be one of us. And it follows that I’m the only one of us who’s kind of different. I’m clearly Latino, right, with my skin and hair and accent. I can even speak Spanish…So here I am, the odd one out, and it's just a matter of time before somebody accuses me.” (pg. 75)
2. “I know I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, and were not supposed to get into slut shaming, but the truth is that Parker was really rather promiscuous. She was probably planning to have a little fling with each of the guys before the summer was over, kind of a sexy smorgasbord.” (pg. 95)

I started writing in the late ‘80s when I was attending graduate classes at Bridgewater State College. I wanted to become certified to teach high school English and one of the required courses was Writing and the Teaching of Writing. My professor suggested that one of the papers I wrote for that course was good enough to be published and I sent it off to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine’s Department of First Stories. I got $100 for the story and I’ve been writing ever since. The teaching, however, didn’t work out.
My books draw heavily on my experience as a mother of three and my work as a reporter for various weekly newspapers on Cape Cod. My heroine, Lucy Stone, is a reporter in the fictional town of Tinker’s Cove, Maine, where she lives in an old farmhouse (quite similar to mine on Cape Cod!) with her restoration carpenter husband Bill, and four children. As the series has progressed the kids have grown older, roughly paralleling my own family. We seem to have reached a point beyond which Lucy cannot age–my editor seems to want her to remain forty-something forever, though I have to admit I personally am dying to write “Menopause is Murder!”
I usually write one Lucy Stone mystery every year and as you can tell, my editor likes me to feature the holidays in my books. Of course, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, and my newest mystery “Eggnog Murder,” is included in an anthology with two other Christmas novellas by Barbara Ross and Lee Hollis. I’ve long been a fan of the classic English country house mystery, and was a faithful watcher of “Downton Abbey,” so I couldn’t resist trying to write one. I think I succeeded rather well if I do say so myself, with “British Manor Murder,” which came out in October 2016.
My books are classified as “cozies” but a good friend insists they are really “comedies of manners” and I do enjoy expressing my view of contemporary American life.
Now that the kids are grown — we have five fabulous grandchildren — my husband and I enjoy dividing our time between Braintree and Cape Cod, along with our cat, Sylvester.

"I was recently asked to describe my writing space for a story about writers and where they write, and it occurred to me that Lucy fans might also be interested. Laptops changed everything for me, like most writers, as I can now write wherever I happen to be. My favorite place to write, however, is at the beautiful table my brother-in-law, Leon Long, made for me. It’s a narrow table that fits along one wall of my living room. The idea was that I could use it for writing but, if I had guests for dinner, I could put the laptop and writing stuff away and use it as a sideboard since it is next to a round table that usually holds books and a plant but can seat four. This arrangement works brilliantly!” (Leslie Meier)

Lucy Stone Series

Mistletoe Murder/Mail Order Murder

Tippy Toe Murder

Trick or Treat Murder

Back to School Murder

Valentine Murder

Christmas Cookie Murder

Turkey Day Murder

Wedding Day Murder

Birthday Party Murder

Father's Day Murder

Star Spangled Murder

New Year's Eve Murder

Bake Sale Murder

St. Patrick's Day Murder

Mother's Day Murder

Wicked Witch Murder

English Tea Murder

Chocolate Covered Murder

Easter Bunny Murder

Christmas Carol Murder

Silver Anniversary Murder

Yule Log Murder

Invitation Only Murder

Christmas Card Murder

Irish Parade Murder

Halloween Party Murder

Easter Bonnet Murder

Haunted House Murder

Irish Coffee Murder

Mother of the Bride Murder

Lucy Stone Collections

Candy Cane Murder

Gingerbread Cookie Murder

A Winter Wonderland

Leslie Meier Anthologies

Haunted House Murder

Christmas Sweets

Christmas Card Murder

Irish Coffee Murder

Leslie Meier Books

Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates
Call Number: Fiction Gates
Librarian Lucy's wedding is nearly perfect-aside from a missing guest and the strangled body she finds. Now, she must vow to find the killer in this 10th Lighthouse Library mystery. Lucy and Connor planned for the perfect Outer Banks wedding-and that's exactly what they got. Aside from typical rumblings of familial tensions, the late spring weather allowed for a beautiful day, the food was delicious, and everyone had a good time, until one of the guests goes missing. Before Lucy can look forward to the rest of her life in Nags Head and the work she does at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, she gets a phone call from her boss, Bertie James. Eddie, Bertie's friend, never made it back home after the reception. Initially, Lucy doesn't think anything of it-sometimes wedding guests simply have a little too much fun. But this quickly turns to something darker when she discovers the body of a wedding guest strangled in a locked closet, and the police immediately start asking questions about Eddie. Lucy must figure out if the two are connected before it's too late-both for Bertie's friend and the rest of her wedding guests. With the Classic Novel Reading Club reading the Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe-Lucy wonders if the master of the macabre can assist her investigation or if the hunt for the killer's identity will remain as nothing more than an unsolved mystery.
Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill
Call Number: MYSTERY Churchill
With three kids to raise on her own, Jane Jeffry sometimes needs a hand with the housework. But many of her complaining neighbors believe that the Happy Helper cleaning lady they all share wouldn't know a dustball if she was choking on it. That hardly seems reason enough, however, to do the disreputable domestic in. So when the charwoman in question is discovered strangled to death with a vacuum cleaner cord, Jane decides to dig up the real dirt--if the tenacious single mom can find any time to spare between her PTA meetings and car-pooling duties. But despite her busy schedule, Jane is determined to tidy up the whole murderous mess--even if it means provoking a killer who may live as close as next door.
A Midsummer Night's Fudge by Nancy Coco
Call Number: MYSTERY Coco
After a summer celebration on Michigan's Mackinac Island ends in murder, hotel and fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy puts on her sleuthing hat . . . THERE'S NO SUGARCOATING A KILLER'S SCHEME During the Midsummer Night's Festival, Allie decides to take her bichonpoo, Mal, home to spare her furry little ears from the sounds of fireworks. But on her way back, Allie spots a body in the lake. Just minutes ago, Winona Higer was crowning the event's Queen-could the competition have really been that deadly? While she ponders the mystery the next morning, Allie prepares her favorite dark chocolate cherry fudge recipe. But she's soon recruited to sub for the late Winona and serve as parade float judge, among other duties. As she hears rumors and gossip, and learns of mean pranks and threatening notes, her instincts kick in-despite her boyfriend the cop's disapproval. Now, between managing a new hire and keeping the tourists filled with fudge, she's dealing with a case that's boiling over . . .
To Grandmother's House by Glen Albert Ebisch
Call Number: MYSTERY Ebisch
When Auntie Mabel, the advice columnist for the Ravensford Chronicle, dies suddenly, Laura Magee secretly replaces her. All goes well until Keith Campbell, the handsome head of security at Ravensford College, changes into the newspaper office to complain that Auntie Mabel's advice has caused the demise of his relationship with Heidi Lipton. Attracted to Keith, Laura persuades him to take her to a formal dinner at the college, using the aurgument that making Heidi jealous is the best way to win her back. Laura's plan hits a bump in the road when her search for a restroom during the dinner leaves her lying on top of the body of Jack Proctor, an art teacher aat the college, who has been stabbed to tdeath with a steak knife. Proctor had been sexually harassing Heidi, so Heidi ends up as the primary suspect.
Knitmare on Beech Street by Peggy Ehrhart
Call Number: MYSTERY Ehrhart
Crafting magazine editor Pamela Paterson and her knitting club friends must figure out if old secrets killed the new neighbor in the latest Knit & Nibble Mystery from Peggy Ehrhart... When Pamela, Bettina, and their friends show up at the Voorhees House to greet its new owner, they're met with a most unwelcome sight: a dead body on the kitchen floor. Tassie Hunt just inherited the old Victorian, which had been occupied by a reclusive widow for many years and had a reputation for being haunted. But Tassie would have been unlikely to be spooked since her career involved debunking such paranormal phenomena. Her demise sets off a new flurry of gossip and ghostly speculation in the New Jersey town, of course--and it's tempting to think spirits were indeed involved considering there's zero evidence so far of foul play. A nosy neighbor reports strange lights and sounds, and a man obsessed with the Victorian era starts photographing the place from the street. But it won't take long before Pamela and Bettina are moving in on a killer . . .
Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart; Kate Reading (Read by)
Call Number: MYSTERY Hart
At Annie Laurance's Death on Demand bookstore on Broward's Rock Island, South Carolina, murder suddenly isn't confined to the well-stocked shelves. Author Elliot Morgan's abrupt demise during a weekly gathering of famous mystery writers called the Sunday Night Regulars is proof positive that a bloody sword is sometimes mightier than a brilliant pen. With Annie in the unenviable position of primary police suspect, the pretty young mystery maven and her wealthy paramour, Max Darling, embark on an investigation into a classic locked-room mystery with high stakes. Failing to unmask a brutal and ingenious killer could mean prison for Ms. Laurance. Success could mean her death. Who could plot a murder better than a mystery writer?
Town in a Blueberry Jam by B. B. Haywood
Call Number: MYSTERY HAYWOOD
First in the fabulous new Candy Holliday Murder mystery series. In the seaside village of Cape Willington, Maine, Candy Holliday has an idyllic life tending to the Blueberry Acres farm she runs with her father. But, when an aging playboy and the newly crowned Blueberry Queen are killed, Candy investigates to clear the name of a local handyman. And as she sorts through the town's juicy secrets, things start to get sticky indeed...
May Day by Jess Lourey
Call Number: MYSTERY LOUREY
Minneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation--too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job. Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirtysomething high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hotdish best served cold. A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of cozies featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots.
Blessed Is the Busybody by Emilie Richards
Call Number: MYSTERY Richards
Meet the unconventional Aggie Sloan-Wilcox, a minister's wife with her own calling: helping troubled souls in need of justice. When the naked body of a murdered woman turns up on Aggie's front porch--and suspicion falls on Aggie's husband--she doesn't have a prayer of clearing his name unless she can uncover the truth in a town not known for confessing its sins.

Mystery Book Club - Past Titles: June 2023

"Invitation Only Murder" by Leslie Meier

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